Gasping?

[Jweickum]

I have 2 platys at the surface that look like they are gasping at the water surface. Should I be concerned?

 

[bigbanker]

I would be worried personally...

What are your tank parameters?

 

[Jweickum]

I have a 10g tank. Still in the process of cycling. Ammonia is a 1 ppm. And 0 on nitrites and nitrates. Ph is 7.4. I have live plants with five fish about an inch and a half in length. And five babies about a quarter inch.

Anything else?

 

[bigbanker]

The.ammonia.

That's the cause.

Do a water change and add some prime.

 

[Jweickum]

I have been doing 50% water change daily. To keep my ammonia down. How low should I keep the ammonia while its cycling?

 

[Jweickum]

And what kind of prime should I add.

 

[bigbanker]

Prime is a product made by seachem that will detoxify ammonia and chlorine etc... It will help your fish friends out. you should be using something to treat the water after a water change

The goal is to have ammonia as low as possible during the cycle.

 

[Jweickum]

I went to my LFS and got a cycling chemical(can't remember the name right now). She said it should help. I hope so.

She also said that doing water changes restarts the cycling process. Any truth to this?

 

[Fresh2o]

I went to my LFS and got a cycling chemical(can't remember the name right now). She said it should help. I hope so.

She also said that doing water changes restarts the cycling process. Any truth to this?

With a fish-in cycle, there is plenty of ammonia present from the fish to fuel the developing beneficial bacteria so water changes should not restart the process. Yes, you would like it to cycle the tank but at this point, you want to keep your ammonia down (and keep your fish alive) by performing water changes.

 

[bigbanker]

I went to my LFS and got a cycling chemical(can't remember the name right now). She said it should help. I hope so.

She also said that doing water changes restarts the cycling process. Any truth to this?

The chemical may or may not help. If it doesn't do anything to help quickly detoxify the ammonia then it isn't helping your fish.

Water changes do not restart the cycling process. You'd be restarting if you tossed your filter pad. Water changes lower the toxins that are building up in the tank.