Not sure if my fish are sick or just tired??

StarSapphire22

StarSapphire22

Senior Member and Goldie Enthusiast
May 3, 2012
473
0
0
32
Fargo, ND
Real Name
Jessica
Hey guys.

Tonight I noticed my comet is bottom sitting. Her fins aren't clamped or anything, but her gills are barely and rarely moving, though her eyes are still moving around, and in that regard she seems pretty alert. Her mouth barely opens once in a while too. My moor has been bottom sitting a little too, but is still getting up and swimming around and checking things out every now and then. The comet however, doesn't really move unless disturbed. If the moor comes to bother her, she'll get up and kinda slowly swim to a new spot, and has a few moments where she looks to be around her normal energy level. I tapped the glass to see if she was still pretty responsive and she immediately jerked and swam away, so her reflexes seem to be okay. When they bottom sit it's in between their cave and the wall.

Here's some pics:

100_0515.JPG

100_0517.JPG

I tested my water about half an hour ago and it came out pH 7.8, Ammonia is somewhere between 0 and 0.25 (couldn't tell, but I primed my tank today so it should just be ammonium if it's there), Nitrite is 0 and Nitrates are 40. Everything is pretty normal, except my nitrates are a little high, but I've been working on getting those down for the last week. Sunday I did a 30% water change, yesterday a 10% and today I added about 2 gallons just to replace some evaporation loss/some water I scooped out to prime my new filter today.

I added an AC110 to my filters today (the rest are an AC70, a Aquatech 5-15 that I'm reseeding, and 2 sponge filters), switched all the carbon out for purigen, and there is definitely some flow going on in the tank, even with the AC110 on half flow. The aquatech will be leaving in a week or so to go back to its ten gallon. Is it possible that they're just tired from the extra current in the tank? And does turning down the flow on my 110 mean that it's filtering less?

Normally, with 3 days of double doses of prime in a row (my tap reads at 1.00 for ammonia), I'd be worried about redox, but with 5 filters going, I don't think that would be an issue??

There's no other signs of illness, unless you count my moor missing a scale, but I'm pretty sure he just decided to swim through holes sideways again and got a booboo.

Right now the two are huddled together in the space between the wall and the cave, it's only about 2 inches wide, but looks like it may be pretty protected from the current. Normally I'd think that's probably just the issue, but her breathing is so shallow and irregular, I'm concerned it may be more. My moor's breathing isn't as half-hearted as my comet's but it's definitely shallower than normal.

If you think they're sick, what should I be looking for or doing? If it's current issues, what can I be doing to help them out without reducing my filtration capacity? I have 2 new fish coming from Raingarden on Friday, so I want filtration to be able to handle that and I need my 110 to start seeding.

Thanks everyone.

100_0515.JPG 100_0517.JPG
 
Please guys, anybody....I'm really starting to get worried, breathing hasn't improved. The moor is next to the cave still, the comet has moved to a different cranny. Usually if they're just sleeping they'll just float around, they aren't usually asleep on the bottom. Help guys, I don't know what to do. I'm afraid to go to bed and I don't want to wake up to them dead.
 
Not much to go on..keep watching...good surface agitation? if not maybe a bubbler to help move it more. Weird. Temp?
 
Yeah, they're just not really showing any symptoms other than being less active, hiding, and shallow breathing. Lots of surface agitation, you can't even get a clear view of the bottom when looking down from the top. Temp is 72.
 
This is really weird. I would guess either current issues or the tank is too hot. Mine have behaved this way when the temp gets over 74-ish. The pictures look like normal bottom sitting behavior-- my goldies do it often-- but the breathing that you are describing does not. Keep us posted, please, Star. I am curious about this, myself.
 
Hmmmmm- this is an odd one! I am also curious as to your tank temp? So- they could be weirded out by the extra current going on, and hiding from it, that is certainly a possibility. Did they start doing this around bed time? Are they still doing this now? How are they eating? I know my goldies breathe more slowly when they are sleeping, and a couple of them do bottom sit while they sleep. Is the behavior continuing while it's not "bed time"? I can't really say there isn't anything else going on, but, maybe the current was pushing them while they were trying to sleep and they don't like it? All of your parameters are ok- the trates are a bit high, but, not really enough to make a goldfish very ill... they're pretty tough like that. Temps getting higher can make them less active, though... if you're above 77, or so, that could be it, too. In the mean time, if you can, try moving all of the filters to one half of the tank (one on the side of the tank, the other on the back- the 10 gallon doesn't matter, they won't feel that below the surface), so the other half has less current, and see if they go over to hang out in the half with less current. It will give you a better idea as to if that is what they're doing.
 
Well I just woke up and they knew who I was and were freaking out about food, like always. Temp is at 72, has been for the last week or so...they're used to 74-76 even 78 once in a rare while, but I cranked my ac up a bit to lower their temp.

As far as current they do seem to be trying a little harder when they're swimming, but my ac110 is on half flow and that's the only thing adding more current than before...theres definitely some flow in the tank though...should I turn it down even lower? Will that mean I'm filtering less? I've noticed they kinda hang out where they were bottom sitting last night...they take a 30 second break, then swim for 5-10 minutes.

As far as breathing, the moor seems normal. The comet is better, but still is breathing less often than normal.

I'll do a 20% water change tonight, just in case it's something in the water, my diatoms are acting up again anyways. Any other tips?

Sent from my VM670 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
Any chance you can get a video so we can see how Sammi is breathing/ how they are acting? I know... I'm a pain. LOL. It might be easier to see if it looks like there is something up that way. I'm guessing it is the extra current, though, which they will definitely get used to. You could try turning off one of the filters for a couple of hours and see if they act any different without both running. I wouldn't suggest leaving it off, it would just be to see if that is the issue so you won't worry.
 
I tried to get a video but my camera is too crappy to pick up how little her gills move. If its current issues will my new ranchu and pearlscale be able to handle it? Will they get used to it?

Sent from my VM670 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
I am going to stick with temperature fluctuation. Comets generally don't tolerate higher temperatures as well as fancies do. (and vice versa.) I don't think that there is a huge problem, though. The picture of the comet looks pretty normal and her dorsal is up. A gasping goldfish is pretty obvious, and clearly a sign of distress, but that isn't what you say Sam is doing. A puzzlement to be sure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom