Swimming high

Thomas W · Post by **Thomas W** » 07 Oct 2007, 00:01

My Panaque L-190 and Baryancistrus L-18 are swimming close to the water surface.. I have alot of oxygen. What can be wrong?

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 07 Oct 2007, 00:07

Nitrite being high perhaps? Nitrite is to fish what carbonmonoxide is to humans - it prevents the uptake of oxygen.

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Mats

Thomas W · Post by **Thomas W** » 07 Oct 2007, 00:15

Yeah, i was thinking about that to. But no. the nitrit and nitrat is low

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 07 Oct 2007, 00:20

Brainstorm:
Plants, CO2, not as high oxygen levels as you think?
Early symptom of Ich?
Behaviour normal, but not previously observed?

These are just "ideas" to investigate, not necessarily what is the "problem" in your case.

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Mats

Thomas W · Post by **Thomas W** » 07 Oct 2007, 00:37

Anyway i know changed 50% of the water. I hope it will help.
Since both are swimming high i dont think they have symptom of Ich. Im sure the 50% water refill i know did will help, i hope

.
Got enough plants, 2 power heads on totaly 2000l/hr and 1 cansister filter outside..

But i started the aquarium just 2 weeks agot with bioballs.. so maybe the bacteria hasent started grow good in my filter yet, since this can take 5-6 weeks

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 07 Oct 2007, 17:37

If your tank is newly set up, then I'd bet that you have some level if nitrite in the water. It doesn't take a whole lot to "upset" the fish.

Unfortunately, making large water changes is the only solution, but also will increase the time it takes for the filter to get going.

Make sure you have the temperature around 28'C.

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Mats

Post by **Barbie** » 07 Oct 2007, 18:58

At 2 weeks, I'd assume they were being poisoned by ammonia, which you don't list test results for. It takes very little to really stress the fish out. Putting newly purchased fish into an aquarium without a fully cycled filter is a recipe for disaster, as you're finding out. If you have another established tank in the house, you can rob media from it to help jumpstart the process. You can read an article on cycling here.

As I said in the other post, please update your profile location. If you don't have a source of bacteria media, maybe someone will be close enough to you that they can lend you some to solve the problem. If you're in the US, you can purchase BioSpira to greatly help the process. We also need all of those results that are requested in the sticky at the top of the forum to really be of any help. You keep saying "almost 0", but in my experience, the fish don't act like that if the water really is "fine". We'll be a LOT more help with actual numbers to go off of as there are many hobbyists here that have been there, done that, got the T-shirt to prove it!

For now, minimum feedings, maximum water changes daily and a little prayer are probably going to be your only real hope of saving your fish if you can't find established media to help it along, I'm sorry to say.

Barbie

Thomas W · Post by **Thomas W** » 08 Oct 2007, 18:24

Ive bought sera nitrivec which should remove NH4 and NH3. I also saw ich on my panaque so i bought Sera Costapur. The L-018 was yesterday totaly weak i could touch him without reacting. Today he is abit more activ but his eyes are very sunken and so is his belly. I hope he will start eat when the NH4 and NH3 are almost away.

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 08 Oct 2007, 21:52

Unfortunately Barbie is spot on.

Putting delicate, newly imported Loricariids such as Baryancistrus into newly set-up uncycled tanks will invariably end in disaster.

These fish should only:

A) Be purchased in top health, and
B) Only be added to a mature tank at least about 3-4 months old.

Not wishing to sound sanctimonious, and I hope they get better, but this is something to learn from and not repeat I think.