I recently added my first fish, a maroon clownfish, to my aquarium. She seemed fine for about two days, however on the third day; she seemed a lot less active and was gasping at the surface surface. My first thoughts were that there wasn't enough oxygen in the water, so I adjusted my power head so that it agitated the water more. Now there are tons of bubbles in the tank and it's quite a bit louder. Now she seems fine. My levels have been constantly Ammonia-0ppm nitrite-0pp, nitrate-20pp, and ph-8 for the past few days. Did I fix the problem? Are the bubbles going to be a problem?
fish gasping at surface
- Thread starter Caalabo
- Start date
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Gti_Leo
Aquarium Advice Addict
try and get no bubbles i the water, micro bubles are not our friends.
do the gills seem liek they are purplish in color?
do the gills seem liek they are purplish in color?
angiorn
Aquarium Advice Regular
Your nitrates are too high....should be near zero to five. You need to do a partial water change asap.
Gti_Leo
Aquarium Advice Addict
not for a fish only, fish can handle that nitrate level. when its a reef you want to aim to keep 5ppm or less
BallinCrew10
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Nitrates of 20ppm for just fish should be fine and certainly wouldn't be making it "gasp" at the surface. I would say you fixed the problem now just mess with it to make less bubbles.
Gti_Leo
Aquarium Advice Addict
is the clown bobbing straight up and down? if not i wouldn't be to concerned, my two perculas do that everytime i watch them they swim with their heads out of the water.
they are called clownfish for a reason, they do strange and funny stuff
they are called clownfish for a reason, they do strange and funny stuff
angiorn
Aquarium Advice Regular
Missed the fish only part...what is bad about bubbles? Newbie here, too.
Gti_Leo
Aquarium Advice Addict
try placing a sponge over the outlet
microbubbles cause saltcreep which lowers the salinty of the water it can also kill seahorses and rot them fro mthe inside, also can kill soft tissue corals
microbubbles cause saltcreep which lowers the salinty of the water it can also kill seahorses and rot them fro mthe inside, also can kill soft tissue corals
angiorn
Aquarium Advice Regular
Thanks for the info 
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
i never heard of the bubbles killing soft tissue corals. i have witnessed salt creep though, and it's a P.I.T.A.
i would be concerned about a sponge over the exhaust port of the skimmer, or any pump outlet. if you choose that option, i would check it regularly. i imagine a clog would empty quite a bit of water out of the tank and on the floor.
any sponge material or filter socks i had on my systems would clog in just a couple days.
it will also effect the efficiency of the skimmer.
i would be concerned about a sponge over the exhaust port of the skimmer, or any pump outlet. if you choose that option, i would check it regularly. i imagine a clog would empty quite a bit of water out of the tank and on the floor.
any sponge material or filter socks i had on my systems would clog in just a couple days.
it will also effect the efficiency of the skimmer.
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