fish gasping for air...

[jwalsh]

It seems as if my hefrichi fire fish and my Pakistan butterfly are gasping for air I just did a pwc and it seemed to hep. Maybe do another one? Please help

 

[mr_X]

What are your parameters?

 

[jwalsh]

Ph 8.0 amonia .25 ppm trites 0 ppm trates 0ppm but they seem to be fine now

 

[jwalsh]

I'm mixing water for another 5 gal pwc right now for tonight

 

[mr_X]

Any detectable ammonia is toxic. That's your problem most likely.

 

[jwalsh]

So just keep doing pwc till it goes away?

 

[mr_X]

Yes. you could also try some ammonia lock/amquel/prime with the water changes. Why do you have detectable ammonia? Did you cycle the tank?

 

[jwalsh]

Yeah I sure did I've had the tank running for 6+ months I have no idea why there is detectable amonia it might have something to do with being about 25lbs light on rock in the tank

 

[mr_X]

So, the bio load is too large? What size tank is this and what do you have in it?
How are you feeding (how much and how often and what)?

 

[jwalsh]

The tank is 29 gal and I have a yellow watchman goby 2 occ clowns a helfrichi fire fish and a pakistan butterfly. Butterfly is small about 1.5" and a bta. I feed mysis once a week for the bta and my michaels pistol shrimp. Then every other day I feed spectrum pellets for my yellow watchman about 6-10 pellets and flake for the clows fire fish and butterfly every other day about 4 flakes

 

[mr_X]

So, how much rock do you have? If you have 10 pounds or so, That's definitely the problem. You need that surface area for filtration.

 

[jwalsh]

I have 17lbs I'm pretty sure that's the issue

 

[Sniperhank]

It would be more likely that an increase in critter population caused the ammonia spike rather than being "light" on rock. The amount of rock in the tank is just an icrease in area for BB to grow. So, in theory, prior to additions to the tank, there is a balance between live stock and bacteria that consumes the ammonia and nitrites, which then results in your nitrates that you get rid of via PWC.

 

[Sniperhank]

Man, I run to an emergency across campus to come back and hit send and you have already figured out the issue and it isn't even my guess

 

[mr_X]

That balance you speak of Hank, can be tipped beyond the ability of the bacteria, if there isn't enough surface area.
The more rock in the system, the more nutrients it can process.

 

[jwalsh]

So long and short of it is get more rock and cure it. Until its cured do a lot of pwc's? Correct?

 

[mr_X]

no. cure it outside the tank then add it.

 

[jwalsh]

That's what I meant sorry for the confusion. Ill just keep doing weekly water changes until its cured

 

[mr_X]

The problem with that is you are taking out the ammonia the bactera needs to thrive.

 

[jwalsh]

Yeah but I don't want to poison my 300$ worth of fish