Not enough oxygen?

[BigBAWZ]

I have a 40 gallon breeder set up with a Fluval 306 and a 300w heater. My temperature is steady at 78 degrees F I have 3 guppies, 6 zebra danios, 8 neon tetras, 2 cory cats, 1 red platy, and 2 sunburst platys, and a bristlenose pleco. The cory cats have been going up for air lately, but ive read this is normal. My pleco has been randomly rushing to the surface for air then rushing down. My guppies and only one sunburst platy has been hanging out on the top of the tank. They look like their gasping for air to me. And this worries me. I feel like i need more oxygen in my water. i have three live plants in there right now and plan to get more. My danios and tetras are acting normal like always. I do 20% water changes and do my regular aquarium maintenance. Someone please let me know whats going on so i can fix it as soon as possible.

 

[angelmisty]

Air pumps stats? And how many inches if stone?

 

[BigBAWZ]

i dont have an air stone or pump. i personally dont like the look of the bubbles. But if i need one ill get one as soon as possible.

 

[myhobs]

you probably need it., so get one as soon as possible, hehe..

 

[Newkeeperotis]

You need one as soon as possible I turned mine off for a single night and lost 2-3 fish I forget I have about 10 inches of air stone I'm my 125 litre tank

 

[Rivercats]

Since you have a canister try aiming the outflow up towards the surface to get a lot of surface movement, which will increase oxygen levels. A bubbler is good for a quick fix but you shouldn't have to run one permanently. What is your ph, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates? Is the tank planted? How often do you clean your canister?

 

[angelmisty]

IDK if thats wise. Ive got a 55g with a 40g air pump. For stones i use just 2, 1 inch bulbs and a powerhead w/ venturi. Oxygen diffusion is small in aquariums but not running any air at all harkens to more of a euro style care of tanks.. Its seems risky with all thos fish...how long has tank been established?

 

[Mudfrog]

Air pumps do not add air to the water. They create a disturbance in the top of the water that allows the water to aerate easier. If you aim the outlet of your canister towards the top of the water a little this should solve your issue.

Extended exposure of high Nitrates can also cause fish to have a harder time at processing the oxygen in the water.

I haven't ran an air pump in over 10 years..

 

[blert]

Since you have a canister try aiming the outflow up towards the surface to get a lot of surface movement, which will increase oxygen levels. A bubbler is good for a quick fix but you shouldn't have to run one permanently. What is your ph, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates? Is the tank planted? How often do you clean your canister?

Air pumps do not add air to the water. They create a disturbance in the top of the water that allows the water to aerate easier. If you aim the outlet of your canister towards the top of the water a little this should solve your issue.

Extended exposure of high Nitrates can also cause fish to have a harder time at processing the oxygen in the water.

I haven't ran an air pump in over 10 years..

+1 to both.
Don't waste your money on an air pump unless you want one for aesthetic reasons.

 

[Mudfrog]

I must admit that I did buy an air pump today though.. we've lost power 3 times this year and I'm tired of stirring the water every 20 minutes..

A battery operated air pump is going to be handy to have on standby, just not for full time use.

 

[blert]

I must admit that I did buy an air pump today though.. we've lost power 3 times this year and I'm tired of stirring the water every 20 minutes..

A battery operated air pump is going to be handy to have on standby, just not for full time use.

12vDC water pumps on battery backups.
Even my garage door is on battery backup. LOL

 

[Rivercats]

Air pumps do not add air to the water. They create a disturbance in the top of the water that allows the water to aerate easier. If you aim the outlet of your canister towards the top of the water a little this should solve your issue.

Extended exposure of high Nitrates can also cause fish to have a harder time at processing the oxygen in the water.

I haven't ran an air pump in over 10 years..

I haven't actually had one in a tank since the 70's. Even then I was not a fan of the bubbles.

We actually have a generator. Just last Friday we got hit by an F1 tornado and was out of power for 3 days. In 06 we were down 8 days. It's always good to have some type of back up for you tanks.

 

[Mudfrog]

12vDC water pumps on battery backups.
Even my garage door is on battery backup. LOL

I bought the strictly battery pump. I'll only use it during power outages and transporting fish.

 

[Mudfrog]

I haven't actually had one in a tank since the 70's. Even then I was not a fan of the bubbles.

We actually have a generator. Just last Friday we got hit by an F1 tornado and was out of power for 3 days. In 06 we were down 8 days. It's always good to have some type of back up for you tanks.

I was down for 7 days last year when the Dorado (or whatever you call it) hit the east coast last June. Lost everything. We have a generator now but most outages are less than a day so its not worth dragging the generator out.

Hope the tornado didn't mess y'all up to much.

 

[thomasina]

I have lost 2 cory last night and today I have noticed my biggest cory is going up to the top. I have a bubbler, infact I have two. The outflow of my canister creates bubbles when the water comes out, and I am still not to sure about all this. My tank is planted heavily, I use liquid CO2, use GLF fertilizer ( macro and micro), and my numbers are great. I do WC every 5-6 days, and keep the tank at 78-79. So what do you all think?? I do like the bubbles...

 

[Rivercats]

I have lost 2 cory last night and today I have noticed my biggest cory is going up to the top. I have a bubbler, infact I have two. The outflow of my canister creates bubbles when the water comes out, and I am still not to sure about all this. My tank is planted heavily, I use liquid CO2, use GLF fertilizer ( macro and micro), and my numbers are great. I do WC every 5-6 days, and keep the tank at 78-79. So what do you all think?? I do like the bubbles...

Sometimes we just lose fish and never know the reason. If you were losing fish after fish then I'd be worried. If nothing is any different there is no way to know what happened to them.

 

[BigBAWZ]

My tanks petty established its been running for about 6 months now. It is a planted tank. All the parameters are fine. I did a 20% water change and they seem to be fine now.