Fish dying from aeration?

[The-Raven]

I bought 3 Serpae Tets yesterday and put them in a tank with a bubble bar in the back corner. I had noticed that every once in a while a moron would swim into it fly and spin around, but then regain itself and be just fine - I found it quite humorous.

Anyway, I woke up this morning to 2 KIAs and 1 just spinning around aimlessly - obviously about to join his amigos.


This has never happened with any of my other fish... are Serpaes just stupid, or are they super sensitive to bubbles?

 

[The Mohave Kid]

I have Serpae tetras ...

I would guess it is not the bubbles but a swim bladder infection .... my Serpaes have a small swim bladder problem and even my local shop has serpaes in there tanks with swim bladder problems but they won't admit it ... I have read it can sometimes be caused by introducing the fish to cooler water too quickly ... there temps should also be above 76 F ...

The bubbles just made the bladder problem more obvious ... like a drunk that needs to walk a straight line ...

Thats just my guess ...

Good Day .... B)

 

[The-Raven]

I have Serpae tetras ...

I would guess it is not the bubbles but a swim bladder infection .... my Serpaes have a small swim bladder problem and even my local shop has serpaes in there tanks with swim bladder problems but they won't admit it ... I have read it can sometimes be caused by introducing the fish to cooler water too quickly ... there temps should also be above 76 F ...

The bubbles just made the bladder problem more obvious ... like a drunk that needs to walk a straight line ...

Thats just my guess ...

Good Day .... B)

So no more Serpaes for me...


and to the mods - may I ask why this was moved?

 

[Inchworm]

...and to the mods - may I ask why this was moved?

Hi The-Raven

Sure. I moved it here because this is the forum where you will get the best advice about tetras.

The members here are more likely to know about the conditions of their natural habitat. For example, if they are found in places of still water it would make a difference in the way the fish would react to the agitated water in your aquarium.

 

[rdd1952]

I have 5 serpaes (got them first week of January) and haven't had any problems at all with them. I don't know that they are any less hardy or more suseptible to swimmbladder than any other tetra. Sounds strange to me as you can usually tell pretty easily if a fish has a swim bladder/constipation problem. They either sink to the bottom or float to the top and list to one side. I had a cory that struggled for a couple weeks but he is fine now after a few pea treatments.

 

[The Mohave Kid]

My Serpae Tetras (3) tilt a bit to one side it seems like this / a bit too often ... sometimes a bit worse in the morning .. better it seems after a good feeding with blood worms or brine shrimp .. maybe worse on flake food .... overall there still kicking and are doing OK.... maybe it's my imagination.

I tried the Pea thing but my danios sucked up the food and nearly gagged ?? My local shop suggest adding rock salt to the water .. 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons ?? They have gone through a Nitrite and Ammonia spike since the tank was new.

These are just casual observations ... not hard science.

Good Day ... B)

 

[Lateral Line]

I would be suprised if it was the bubble wall that killed them. That said, these are fish that come from quiet waters and low currents, like most tropicals, so the bubbles wern't doing them any favours.

Peas are a routine part of the diet for all of my tanks, have been for decades. I've never seen a fish "gag" on a pea.

Why do LFS seem to always suggest adding salt? They sell it I suppose. Adding salt to the water of fish that evolved in salt free conditions is simply bad advice, it is a pollutant.

 

[The Mohave Kid]

"Peas are a routine part of the diet for all of my tanks, have been for decades. I've never seen a fish "gag" on a pea."

Neither have I but it sure looked scarry ... Danios were chomping on that stuff for several minutes ....

I have held off on the rock salt since I can't find a reference to for such purposes in my manuals.

Good Day .... B)