Fish acting strange

[Tigerbarb12]

Ok, I posted this is unhealthy fish but not much help. I have a 45 gallon with the following

Added last wednesday
7 tiger barbs
5 cherry barbs
1 blue gourami

Added monday
5 bloodfin tetra

It was fishless cycled for about 6 weeks..

My current readings are..
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: ~20 ppm
pH: 8.2
Temperature: 78°F
Acclimation: 10ml of aquarium water added to bag every 5 minutes for 30 minutes

One piece of driftwood i found years ago that was boiled for about 6 hours and soaked for several days. No chlorine in our well water so no dechlorinator or any other chemicals in tank. I have an Emperor 400 and a Penguin 150, and a large air pump connected to a bubble curtain. 150w heater. I think thats about it.

Ok so my problem is that a few of my tiger barbs, one cherry barb and one bloodfin tetra are all just sitting around the tank, still as boards.. its been a few days now and they are just sitting still.. what should i do about this and are they going to survive?

 

[ImACoolguy]

If they are showing no physical signs or abnormalities s(uch as not eating) other than just being shy I wouldn't worry about it. If anything I would say an off balance M/F ratio...


Caleb

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[Tigerbarb12]

They are acting like fish would if there was ammonia in the tank... one cherry barb has red gills.. tiger barbs arent typically shy I've kept them for years now... just seems strange that 4 of them just sit in place, like they dont want to move, and one of them wont eat, he doesnt even acknowledge food around him

 

[Glene20]

Maybe add dechlorinator just to be safe. Might help. Romeves heavy metals in the water also. What are you testing your water with?

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[Tigerbarb12]

I test with API test kit, solution kit not test strips.

 

[Glene20]

Yeah there usually pretty accurate. Untill u see a fish die or show signs of illness i wouldnt worry about it too much

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[Tigerbarb12]

I wouldnt worry except the fact that they sit still completely and face same direction the whole time. If they kind of spun around and what not id overlook it, but to sit still, facing the same direction and even sometimes letting nose dive a bit concerns me

 

[Glene20]

When you changed the water last time did u match the tempature. Sometimes fish can go into temp shock. Can lost up to two weeks with some fish

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[Tigerbarb12]

Ive never been sure exactly how to match the temp of water adding during changes

 

[Glene20]

I just use the thermometer from the fish tank. I fill a bucket of fresh water and put the thermometer in it for 2 mins and make sure its matching the tanks temp

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[Tigerbarb12]

Lol never thought about that, embarrassing

 

[Glene20]

Nahh. We live and learn ☺

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[Tigerbarb12]

So are these "lazy" fish going to be okay?

 

[ImACoolguy]

May have sounded a bit harsh after I reread my comment. But really, unless you wake up to a dead one or noticeably diseased, I wouldn't worry about it. I had a cherry barb that hid in a rock cave for weeks before she finally came out and joined the group. Nothing wrong with her, she was just shy to the tank at first.


Caleb

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[Tigerbarb12]

No i didnt take it as harsh, kinda laughed a bit. Im just concerned lol

 

[Gillie]

I would start using prime during water changes for the next few months. The expansion from the ground warming tends to release trapped elements that may throw your fish off. I went through the same thing years ago and finally got an answer when I spoke to a ground water surveyor that worked for the DNR.

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[Tigerbarb12]

Ill have to do that, but are these fish okay?

 

[Gillie]

Ill have to do that, but are these fish okay?

That, I can't say for sure. All you can really do is keep an eye on them and keep the water clean.

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[Tigerbarb12]

Should i put some dechlorinator in the tank today? Or just during next pwc

 

[Gillie]

Should i put some dechlorinator in the tank today? Or just during next pwc

If you have prime then go ahead, but most regular dechlorinators don't neutralize toxins or heavy metals

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