Urgent Fish Lying On The Bottom Of Tank Not Moving Please Help!

[pandamonium86]

I have had my fish now in their tank for almost 3 weeks (They went in 1 week after it was set up) and I have had some problem with one of the fish lying on the bottom looking very sick but water changes sorted this out. Now one of my other fish is doing it and ive changed the water yesterday (2 x 20% water change) and still no improvement today so i did another 20% change. the temperature in the tank has dropped 3 degrees with the water change but i couldnt help this as it doesnt seem to warm up easily in my room and i wanted to change the water quickly. it shows chlorine on the water strip test but when i tried putting in more tap safe (not directly into the tank but into the water i changed) this made the fish worse if anything so i changed the water again to dilute it. i know its probably a lot of stress for them but i just dont know what is wrong and what i need to do. ive put in some more cycle with each water change because obvioiusly its a new tank and because i gave fish meds a week ago for one fish with a cut eye (black moor). it is now one of my fantails that is sick. the others are looking quite lathargic too but not lying on the bottom like oscar he s literally not moving altho he is alive. what should i do? ph is 6.8 (possibly a bit lower than usual 7.2) but no drastic change, and the other measures are fine. nitrite ammonia etc all normal. whats next? im really worried that if i dont act soon he wont make it. but the question is what to do? i feel like a terrible person as this is the third time i post on the forum for sick fish but each time the advice you give works and i am trying to follow to do everything right but i worry about them and i feel so sad when they are ill. please help x

p.s. his fins and tail are all slumped.

their poo is darker than usual almost black and some has air bubbles in it (not sure if it is his. also there seems to be a lot of bubbles in the water even causing some of the ornaments to almost float on one side.

may not be relevant but really want to ensure that we find a solution

also the plants in tank are dying. had them for a month so not sure if this is normal or something in tank affecting them

 

[Livewire88]

My guess is your fish are dieing from Ammonia poisioning, I would reccomend doing a 90% water change straight away, you are in a fish in cycle so will need to do plenty of huge water changes to keep the fish you still have alive, use warm water to match the water temp as much as you can.

Good luck

 

[pandamonium86]

i have done a test for ammonia this morning and just now and it shows nothing. also i already changed almost the whole tank of water across yesterday and today. so is it still likely to be that? i dont want to cause them more unecessary stress. could it still be ammonia if it doesnt show up on the test. i have the professional kit with the dye drops into the test tube of water and it shows very low levels of ammonia.

when i disturb him he swims quite normally but he goes back then after to lie down.

by the way is there such a thing as too much of the cycle bacteria etc? i know a lot of you guys are sceptical about if its works anyway but i have some bactozym tablets which it says u can put straight in the filter to help the process in new tanks. would this help me at this stage? and bearing in mind ive added extra cycle will it help? also can i put more cycle will that help? or will it be too much?

 

[Caprichoso]

What do you mean by "low levels of ammonia". It should be at 0 unless you have ammonia normally present in your tap water. In any case, a good water conditioner is Prime by Seachem and would highly recommend it.

 

[pandamonium86]

p.s. yesterday before all my water changes they were rubbing themselves on the gravel. thats why i changed the water. could it be too much aqua safe? as i added more of this to the water i then added to the tank during the water changes.

i mean its somewhere between 0 and 0.6 according to the color chart.

 

[This Old Spouse]

I have had my fish now in their tank for almost 3 weeks (They went in 1 week after it was set up) and I have had some problem with one of the fish lying on the bottom looking very sick but water changes sorted this out. Now one of my other fish is doing it and ive changed the water yesterday (2 x 20% water change) and still no improvement today so i did another 20% change. the temperature in the tank has dropped 3 degrees with the water change but i couldnt help this as it doesnt seem to warm up easily in my room and i wanted to change the water quickly. it shows chlorine on the water strip test but when i tried putting in more tap safe (not directly into the tank but into the water i changed) this made the fish worse if anything so i changed the water again to dilute it. i know its probably a lot of stress for them but i just dont know what is wrong and what i need to do. ive put in some more cycle with each water change because obvioiusly its a new tank and because i gave fish meds a week ago for one fish with a cut eye (black moor). it is now one of my fantails that is sick. the others are looking quite lathargic too but not lying on the bottom like oscar he s literally not moving altho he is alive. what should i do? ph is 6.8 (possibly a bit lower than usual 7.2) but no drastic change, and the other measures are fine. nitrite ammonia etc all normal. whats next? im really worried that if i dont act soon he wont make it. but the question is what to do? i feel like a terrible person as this is the third time i post on the forum for sick fish but each time the advice you give works and i am trying to follow to do everything right but i worry about them and i feel so sad when they are ill. please help x

p.s. his fins and tail are all slumped.

their poo is darker than usual almost black and some has air bubbles in it (not sure if it is his. also there seems to be a lot of bubbles in the water even causing some of the ornaments to almost float on one side.

may not be relevant but really want to ensure that we find a solution

also the plants in tank are dying. had them for a month so not sure if this is normal or something in tank affecting them

First off, why aren't you warming the fresh water that goes back in the tank, and second, Tap Safe isn't going to harm your fish, so did you put untreated water back in the tank "so i changed the water again to dilute it."? Chlorine will kill your fish right off the bat, or make them extremely sick.

I can't quite imagine if there are other things going on here that you're not telling us, but it looks like you're panicking and trying to do everything at once. And what do you mean "i have the professional kit with the dye drops into the test tube of water and it shows very low levels of ammonia." What does "very low levels" mean? What are the exact numbers?


And stop putting the bottled bacteria in the water. It's not speeding up your cycle and may actually be harming your fish. Go to the beginner's section and follow the instructions for a fish-in cycle process. This means you'll need to do daily water changes until your liquid tests show 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and some levels of nitrate. The only thing you should be adding to the water is dechlorinator. Period. And use temperature-matched water to do water changes.

 

[Akasha72]

Just to add to old spouse's comment... I would normally add 5 litres of cold tap water and 1 litre of boiling water from the kettle along with a mil of de-chlorinator (all added to a bucket then gently added to the tank with a small jug to limit stress). This brings the temp up to about 24/25 for water changes so is about right for a tropical tank.

You could try cutting down on food to limit the ammonia. They can go 3 or 4 days without and be fine. Less food = less uneaten waste sitting in your gravel = less ammonia and also less poo coming out of the fish meaning less ammonia.

I know it's stressful but keep at it and you'll get there

Good luck

 

[HayzH]

I have had my fish now in their tank for almost 3 weeks (They went in 1 week after it was set up) and I have had some problem with one of the fish lying on the bottom looking very sick but water changes sorted this out. Now one of my other fish is doing it and ive changed the water yesterday (2 x 20% water change) and still no improvement today so i did another 20% change. the temperature in the tank has dropped 3 degrees with the water change THIS IS BECAUSE YOU DIDNT REFILLWITH WARM WATERbut i couldnt help this as it doesnt seem to warm up easily in my room and i wanted to change the water quickly. it shows chlorine THEN YOU AT SOME POINT HAVE PUT WATER IN WITHOUT DECHLORINATOR on the water strip test DON NOT USE STRIP TESTS VERY INNACURATE but when i tried putting in more tap safe (not directly into the tank but into the water i changed)YOU NEED TO DO 1 DOSE THAT EQUALS THE TANK VOLUME...REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH WATER YOU TAKE OUT this made the fish worse if anything so i changed the water again to dilute it.IF YOU PUT WATER IN WITHOUT DECHLOR THEN YOU ARE HARMING YOUR FISH AND HAVE KILLED THE BACTERIA ON THE FILTER MEDIA i know its probably a lot of stress for them but i just dont know what is wrong and what i need to do. ive put in some more cycle with each water change YOU DO NOT NEED CYCLE..ITS USELESS AND THIS MAYBE POISONING YOUR FISHbecause obvioiusly its a new tank and because i gave fish meds a week ago for one fish with a cut eye (black moor). it is now one of my fantails that is sick. the others are looking quite lathargic too but not lying on the bottom like oscar he s literally not moving altho he is alive. what should i do?90-100% WATERCHANGE WITH WARM WATER (AFTER ADDING APPROPRIATE MEASURE OF DECHLOR TO YOUR TANK) ph is 6.8 (possibly a bit lower than usual 7.2) but no drastic change, and the other measures are fine. nitrite ammonia etc all normal.ON STRIPS IT WILL A FALSE RESULT whats next? 100% WATERCHANGEim really worried that if i dont act soon he wont make it. THEY MAY NOT AS THE HAVE BEEN POISONED WITH AMMONIA AND CHLORINEbut the question is what to do? i feel like a terrible person as this is the third time i post on the forum for sick fish but each time the advice you give works and i am trying to follow to do everything right but i worry about them and i feel so sad when they are ill. please help x THROW CYCLE OUT...DO WATERCHAGE WITH WARM DECHLORINATED WATER NOW...TOMORROW GO BUY A LIQUID TEST KIT (api)

p.s. his fins and tail are all slumped. AMMONIA POISONING

their poo is darker than usual almost black and some has air bubbles in it (not sure if it is his. also there seems to be a lot of bubbles in the water even causing some of the ornaments to almost float on one side.

may not be relevant but really want to ensure that we find a solution

also the plants in tank are dying. had them for a month so not sure if this is normal or something in tank affecting them

i have done a test for ammonia this morning and just now and it shows nothing. also i already changed almost the whole tank of water across yesterday and today. so is it still likely to be that? i dont want to cause them more unecessary stress. could it still be ammonia if it doesnt show up on the test. i have the professional kit with the dye drops into the test tube of water and it shows very low levels of ammonia. YOU SAID YOU WERE USING STRIPS IN YOUR ORIGINAL POST..WHICH ARE YOU USING?

when i disturb him he swims quite normally but he goes back then after to lie down.

by the way is there such a thing as too much of the cycle bacteria etc? i know a lot of you guys are sceptical about if its works anyway but i have some bactozym tablets which it says u can put straight in the filter to help the process in new tanks. would this help me at this stage? and bearing in mind ive added extra cycle will it help? also can i put more cycle will that help? or will it be too much? DONT PUT ANYTHING IN APART FROM DECHLORINATOR

p.s. yesterday before all my water changes they were rubbing themselves on the gravel. thats why i changed the water. could it be too much aqua safe? as i added more of this to the water i then added to the tank during the water changes.

i mean its somewhere between 0 and 0.6 according to the color chart. WHAT IS?

 

[Akasha72]

also the plants in tank are dying. had them for a month so not sure if this is normal or something in tank affecting them

If the plants are also dying they're possibly rotting and that can add to poor water quality. Take them out and throw them away. You can always replace them once you get your water quality looking better

 

[pandamonium86]

ok thank you all for your replies. i will try to answer them all:

@this old spouse- no no i put in water with the right amount of aqua safe. no untreated water went into the tank. i did leave it out to warm for 24 hours but even though it warmed up it was still not the same temperature- i needed to change the water as i was worried about the water quality. i did it little stages at a time. so i removed like 10l then put in 2l and let the temperature even out for a few hours. then another couple of litres like that. i didnt just pour in a loud of cold water to the tank.i did it as gradually as possible.

@akasha- will try feeding them less and using some boiled water. in terms of the plants i did wander and i have removed dead parts. ive left it in there to maintain continuity and because they like to sit under it.

@hayzh-i thought the amount of aqua safe was just for the amount i was taking out if i was doing a regular smaller change like 10-20% daily? wont this overdoes the fish if i put in the amount for the full tank to the water i add every day? its nutrafin ammonia test and ammonia is like 0.6 looking at color chart.

i have not added any water without aqua safe but im not sure if i am using too much or too litte. i was using the amount recommended for how much water i am putting in?

p.s. its not a tropical tank. im not sure if i posted it in the wrong place but its fancy goldfish- 4.

pps. you recommended to do a 90-100% water change. i dont have a hose or anything. i just have another smaller 20l tank and a jug which i use to do water changes. so a full change would be quite difficult. thats why ive been trying to do 20% each time and its hard because the water takes time to heat up as i said. i will try the boiling idea to remove chlorine and then wait for it to cool down rather than warm up

 

[HayzH]

ok thank you all for your replies. i will try to answer them all:

@this old spouse- no no i put in water with the right amount of aqua safe. no untreated water went into the tank. i did leave it out to warm for 24 hours but even though it warmed up it was still not the same temperature- i needed to change the water as i was worried about the water quality. i did it little stages at a time. so i removed like 10l then put in 2l and let the temperature even out for a few hours. then another couple of litres like that. i didnt just pour in a loud of cold water to the tank.i did it as gradually as possible.

@akasha- will try feeding them less and using some boiled water. in terms of the plants i did wander and i have removed dead parts. ive left it in there to maintain continuity and because they like to sit under it.

@hayzh-i thought the amount of aqua safe was just for the amount i was taking out if i was doing a regular smaller change like 10-20% daily? wont this overdoes the fish if i put in the amount for the full tank to the water i add every day? its nutrafin ammonia test and ammonia is like 0.6 looking at color chart. 10-20% changes are not big enough you need to get that ammonia down to 0! so 1 maybe 2 BIG waterchanges a day...so dechlor will be appropriate and dose the WHOLE tanki have not added any water without aqua safe but im not sure if i am using too much or too litte. i was using the amount recommended for how much water i am putting in?

p.s. its not a tropical tank. im not sure if i posted it in the wrong place but its fancy goldfish- 4. doesn't matter tey still will get ammonia poisoning.

pps. you recommended to do a 90-100% water change. i dont have a hose or anything. i just have another smaller 20l tank and a jug which i use to do water changes. so a full change would be quite difficult. thats why ive been trying to do 20% each time and its hard because the water takes time to heat up as i said. i will try the boiling idea to remove chlorine and then wait for it to cool down rather than warm up
i don't know the size of your tank, but i use a bucket and jug for my 60L, 66L and 70L...if yours is a big tank....you need to invest in a hose, and yes it maybe difficult to o bigh changes...but the fish need them. Why do you need to leave it to heat up? just add a tad off warm water to the cold?

 

[This Old Spouse]

I'm confused as to why you don't just fill your bucket with temperature-matched water from the tap, then add the dechlorinator (too much is better than too little) and add that to the tank? I have a 55 gallon tank that I've done 90% water changes on and that's how I do it. First siphon the water into a bucket (yes, I do 5 gallons at a time or a little less) and on the first round I also rinse off the filter media and clean the filter if needed. Then I start filling up the bucket with temp-matched water and add the StressCoat+ for each bucketful. Then I slowly pour that water back into the tank. I have a strategically placed rock in the tank that I pour the water onto so I don't disturb the substrate.

I don't add any other chemicals except the StressCoat.

 

[Louiseness]

What everyone else has said - just add some hot water from the kettle to your cold water to make it the right temperature. You don't need to boil it to get rid of chlorine or whatever and you certainly don't need to leave it sitting around to warm up if you just put a bit of warm water in in the first place!

 

[pandamonium86]

ive just done a 50% water change using some boiled water and the rest with aqua safe

that was the most i could do at once with available tank and vessles and with the fish still in. my tank is long not tall so to take out more would leave the fish with nowhere to swim. they seem more active already so hopefully this helped. in future i will do more big water changes,. i had no idea that 20% was not enough.

thank you. i will keep posted how they are doing tommorow.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Is there a reason you don't just fill the vessel with warm water from the tap and add Aqua Safe to that? Why do you boil water? (And no matter your answer, the boiled water should have dechlorinator added to it as well.)