Emergency please answer

[Fish king]

My African cichlids are dying off one by one not eating and hanging out at the top of the tank trying to breathe air what is this I have three dead


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[Mebbid]

We need more information.

How long have you had them?
What are the parameters?
Whats the water change schedule?
How much surface agitation is there?

 

[treemanone2003]

What size tank ?
How long cycled/running ?
When you did last WC did you use/forget dechlorinator ?


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[Fish king]

I had them for almost a year they've been healthy I switch from prime to a cheaper tapwater treater because they they didn't have anymore prime do water changes once a week about like 10% I did 20% once I saw them doing this but it didn't help I sometimes add a bit of salt in the water because I heard it's recommended This tank has always been healthy I have seen very few Dead fish and now I'm losing at least one fish in our


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[NigelK8485]

What are the water parameters? What kind of filtration are you using?


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[Fish king]

I have an overflow filter and just use cartridges and I don't know what parameters or what do you mean by that it's a 40 gallon too by the way maybe 45


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[Fish king]

I took out my bichir eel and to cichlids that were still eating so hopefully they'll make it I wanted to put them in clean water so when the other fish die I can just do a full water change and put those back in the tank hopefully they'll make it and there in a 10 gallon bucket right now by the way


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[Coursair]

Try doing a larger water change.
Make sure your dechlorinator also does Chloramines.

You need to test your water.
Nitrites
Nitrates
Ammonia
ph

Temperature


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[NigelK8485]

What's the new tap water conditioner called? And you need a liquid test kit to measure your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH.


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[darkhymn]

Gasping for air at the surface is a symptom of both ammonia and nitrite poisoning. You'll want to test those parameters with something such as this. Also possible is a shortage of oxygen in the water if you lack an air stone or sufficient surface agitation.

 

[Mebbid]

Gasping for air at the surface is a symptom of both ammonia and nitrite poisoning. You'll want to test those parameters with something such as this. Also possible is a shortage of oxygen in the water if you lack an air stone or sufficient surface agitation.

Its also a symptom of a gill fluke infestation

 

[ppo8820]

gasping usually means ammonia or Nitrite. Something could be dead or rotting in the tank that is causing this or even uneaten food. Do you have large rocks or pieces of driftwood? There could have been a poisonous gas pocket underneath and if you moved it, it could have been released causing the spikes. Testing is key here, especially for situations like this.

 

[Fish king]

They have stopped and are doing much better and are swimming around thank gosh


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[Fish king]

Sadly the one in my profile pic is gone ?


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[ywagner]

When u said u switched from prime, did u dose the new stuff correctly cause that can also be problematic if u didn't


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[Fish king]

Yes I followed the directions carefully I think it was a bacterial infection because I treated them as of this morning they are fine


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[Mebbid]

Yes I followed the directions carefully I think it was a bacterial infection because I treated them as of this morning they are fine


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I would still like to see a nitrate reading so we can rule that out. What did you treat them with?

High nitrate levels is directly related to decreased immune response in fish making them more susceptible to infection. You can take a sample of water to a lfs to have it tested.

 

[Fish king]

I will get that in the morning


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