HELP

[GauntletTakeshi17]

HELLO I AM NEW TO THIS FORUM. I NEED IMMEDIATE HELP AS ONE OF MY HONEY GOURAMIS IS LETHARGIC AND LYING ON ITS SIDE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK. THE WATER IS FINE BUT CLEARLY THE FISH ISN'T. I HAVE PUT IN SOME ANTI-INTERNAL BACTERIA BUT IT HASN'T PARTICULARLY HELPED. DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW I CAN HELP MY POOR HONEY GOURAMI?

 

[GauntletTakeshi17]

In my 40l tank i have, 3x Honey Gourami
4x cherry barb
5x glowlight tetra

 

[GauntletTakeshi17]

He/she is now spiralling downwards. I'm pretty scared

 

[GauntletTakeshi17]

He is spiralling downward whenever he gets off the ground. I think he is still alive but i am scared. I need advice

 

[Sylvan]

It would help other more experienced members if you posted photos and/Or a video of the fish in question along with your water parameters like ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels then they have more chance of being able to help identify the problem.

 

[GauntletTakeshi17]

It would help other more experienced members if you posted photos and/Or a video of the fish in question along with your water parameters like ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels then they have more chance of being able to help identify the problem.

 

[GauntletTakeshi17]

My water:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10

I did a test last night and the nitrate was higher than before.

I have also experienced this problem twice before with the same type of fish.
However none of the other fish are affected. Just the gouramis.

 

[GauntletTakeshi17]

I did my last nitrate test about 2 weeks ago and it was 2.5. Now 10. How could i lower these levels?

 

[FishGuest5123]

Big 75% water change. You may need to do 2 back to back.

 

[seangee]

How often do you change water and how much? 10 is not terrible but its worse than 2.5. If you have no nitrate in your tap water a 75% change will get it back to 2.5. After that if you change at least 50% per week it should stay under control as long as you're not over feeding. More is better, I change 75% every week.

 

[GauntletTakeshi17]

thanks for replying! I feed once a day and use water from the local shop. I've never used tap water in that tank. I change water about every 1 and a half weeks. I'm not sure but the sand in my tank goes dirty pretty quickly. I've got gravel on the other side of the tank which doesn't really go too dirty.

 

[GauntletTakeshi17]

i also have a filter starter. i'm not too sure whether that treats nitrate or not though as it says on the bottle that it treats nitrite and ammonia.

 

[GauntletTakeshi17]

if i were to do a 75% would i have to take the fish out?

 

[seangee]

if i were to do a 75% would i have to take the fish out?

No - just turn off the heater and filter, take out the water and put new water in. It should be at a similar temperature to your tank but does not have to be identical. You could use a bowl or tank ornament to make sure the water you pour in does not disturb the substrate. Remember to turn the heater and filter back on. Filter starter will not treat nitrate, the fact that your nitrate is going up means that your filter is established so you probably do not need it any more. That is one of the reasons we recommend water changes (to get rid of nitrate).

Is there a specific reason why you don't use tap water? It really is much easier and cheaper. You will need a dechlorinator. If you have tests for GH and pH test your tank and separately test your tank water. Post the results and someone can advise if it is ok to use. Test the tap water for nitrates too.

 

[GauntletTakeshi17]

Thanks for the advice! I use tap water for my smaller tank. I just thought when setting up this one that tap water would cause more nitrate issues. I guess not. Would it be OK to switch to tap water now even though i have never used it in this tank?
ph 7
gh 9
kh 5
I have to admit the odd thing is that none of the other fish are at all affected. Even though the nitrates are an obvious problem, i have had two more honey gouramis die the exact same way. Could it be a problem with the batch at the fish shop as well?