gasping fish

barreltwist

barreltwist

Member
I just bought a 90 gallon aquarium. I switched the crushed coral substrate for live sand and got it going, and had 2 tomato clowns and 1 striped damsel. They were doing fine. I got a few new fish and they seem to be gasping for air. The clowns are fine, but the new fish seem really stressed. My ammonia and nitrite/nitrate levels are great, so I'm really confused as to what would stress them out so badly.I did cycle the tank, and am not just using test strips, but API tests. I lost one fish, and don't want to lose more. I have 70 lbs live rock, powerfilters, protein skimmer. PH 8.4 temp 76,
 
barreltwist

barreltwist

Member
Cycled 5 weeks, had 2 tomato clowns and one damsel from day one, I bought the tank from another person, added 3 cardinals and one lawnmower blenny, and one tang. We added the lawnmower blenny earlier and he was fine.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

By removing the CC you took away allot of the good bacteria, the new "live" sand may not of been all that "alive" if it sat for a long time in the bag.
Do the ammnia test again, because that sounds like the problem. Other than that..did you ronse your hands real good, before messing with the tank?
I really think something was off with the sand..how did it smell?
 
barreltwist

barreltwist

Member
I rinsed my hands well, and even bought a new test kit to make sure since mine was old. The guy at the store said if mine was old it might not read right. So I got a new one and it also read zero for ammonia, and nitrites and 10 for nitrates. A cardinal died, and the others are gasping, except for the tomato clowns and striped damsel that were there before.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Let me get this straight
you bought used tank that was already set up.....it had cc....when moving it you changed from cc to live sand....you already had the 2 clowns and damse, but let the tank cycle (after move) for 5 weeks with these fish in it
you then went out and bought the 3 cardinals, LMB, and tang (all at once)???? What type of tang?
I think you added too much too soon......do you have any cuc (clean up crew) what exactly is your filtration? Do you have any powerheads, and if so how many and what kind? Do you have a lid? if so what kind? What type of protein skimmer do you have?
 
levinjac

levinjac

Active Member
LMB is to big for a 90 unless it eats frozen or you have a big fuge and many pods, Most tangs cant go in a 90 exept the yellow iffy but it can and i think the achillies tang iffy also
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
I don't agree with the lmb being too big (too soon for it maybe).....w/o knowing more about the tang, I won't comment on that
I just want to know the time line on this tank, and the other info I asked about first
 
levinjac

levinjac

Active Member
but but in my stock list for the 90 you said that you wouldnt go with a big blenny like a lmb but a barnicle would be ok
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by levinjac http:///forum/thread/381219/gasping-fish#post_3319547
LMB is to big for a 90 unless it eats frozen or you have a big fuge and many pods, Most tangs cant go in a 90 exept the yellow iffy but it can and i think the achillies tang iffy also

LOL...what do you think a LMB is? Lawn Mower Blennies eat algae..ONLY algae, not mysis or pods. They don't get huge either. I have had one in my 90g for 6 years and I have never had a refugium. I also have a Kole tang and a Hippo tang in my 90g. Most "new" fish are sold as babies and then out grow the tank.
I don't think that is the problem at hand...The question on power heads was a good call..the fish can't breath, ammonia spike, poison released in the tank, or not enough oxygen will make a fish gasp for breath.
 
levinjac

levinjac

Active Member
hehe sorry i messed up with the LMB And meowzer sorry i re read the thread and u didnt say that i got Lawn Mower Blennys mixed up with mandrines u can keep tangs in a 90 im just saying tangs like kole tangs yellows and achilles can be kept in there forever some tangs cant
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by levinjac http:///forum/thread/381219/gasping-fish#post_3319562
hehe sorry i messed up with the LMB And meowzer sorry i re read the thread and u didnt say that i got Lawn Mower Blennys mixed up with mandrines u can keep tangs in a 90 im just saying tangs like kole tangs yellows and achilles can be kept in there forever some tangs cant

Getting fish mixed up happens to the best of us...However it is not the problem at hand. For some reason the fish can't breath, that's why they are gasping for breath, they don't have enough oxygen, or something is poisoning the tank like an ammonia spike.
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
The PH looks good at 8.4 which kinda rules out the lack of surface aggitation to let Co2 escape, But just for grins, do you have a powerhead pojnted at the surface of the water to crate waves?
If not this could be the problem.
when I first set up my QT I made that maistake and lost my fish, had a powerhead in there nad didn't even think about getting surface aggitation.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

12 posts later and still no answer. Interesting..only the new fish are stressed, the clowns and damsel that was already with him are fine. So it makes wonder how he acclimated them....After all it's a 90g tank and in that amount of water for 3 little cardinals, a young tang, two small clown fish and a small damsel...ammonia would climb slow not instantly. Since everything is reading good for water tests, and only new fish are affected, that leaves improper acclimation.
Rgardless, we seem to be talking to ourselves.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Clown and Damsel aggression to new tank mates possibly, mixing Damsels with cardinals is listed as caution on the compatibility charts.
 
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