HI, i seem to have a problem,i recently bought a blue tang, and i feel he is in some real distress, when i introduced him to my tank he acted shy, wasnt feeding. i put it down to him been in new surrounding, to just a minute ago he seemed to go a little crazy, he seemed to find it hard to swim and was fighting to break the surface, my other fish seem fine, however my little clown does often visit the surface but doesnt seem stressed, my ammonia is zero and my nitrate is 12.5 mg, i only have live rock , so not sure wat else to test for, or am i been paranoid, coz i have never had one before, however i am not expert but hes does seemed stressed and worried he wont make the night plkease help:question:
Urgant help needed
- Thread starter mdottyp
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Wes888
Reef enthusiast
Maybe he just freaked out. Turn off the light for a few hours or let it pass the night. They'll feel more comfortable afterward.
yote
In Memoriam
This is just a stab in the dark.But what kind of water flow do you have,and does it give the surface a good ripple? And do you have glass tops on your tank?
With your fish going to the surface,it sounds like a low dissolved oxygen problem.
With your fish going to the surface,it sounds like a low dissolved oxygen problem.
yote
In Memoriam
One powerheads not gonna do it in a 125,neither is the airstone.You need more water movement to get more oxygen in there.
Get yourself at the very least,2 Koralia #4s and I'd about bet that'll fix your problem.
Get yourself at the very least,2 Koralia #4s and I'd about bet that'll fix your problem.
yote
In Memoriam
Sorry to hear that.
Melosu58
Reef enthusiast
I am sorry to hear that. Air stones do very little in aerating a tank. Yote had a very good suggestion in pointing a power head up slightly to cause surface aggitation which is how we aerate our SW tanks. Again I`m sorry for your loss.
Wes888
Reef enthusiast
Yea, have the power head point up the surface works well. I really have my water return point right underneath the surface. It creates some very nice wave like surface agitation.
dcantucson
Reef pro
It happened so fast, wow. I'm so sorry about your Tang. That sucks.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
You definitely need more than one powerhead. With too few powerheads, your fish are basically suffocating. In saltwater, the airstone serves no purpose. Eventually it will clog with salt, but even before that, the microbubbles it creates can be harmful to the fish's health.
Ted
Living one day at a time
Ok i have a quick question about oxygenation. Doesnt a protein skimmer pretty much do enough for most tanks? (As far as oxygenation goes) I know you still need flow to keep from having stagnate areas. I do have a return that causes a ripple effect on the surface and i have Power heads that are deep in the tank to give a deep flow but i did this just to prevent dead spots.
dcantucson
Reef pro
Yes. I learned that the hard way. One night my skimmer in my Red Sea was making a noise so I turned it off for the night not knowing the consequences. In the morning my 3 prized fish were dead from suffocation. Duh. I didn't know. :frustrat:
Wes888
Reef enthusiast
From what I've read somewhere, the bubble themselves serves little purpose on oxygenate the water. it's the burst of the bubble at the surface that breaks the surface tension and allow the water having the air exchange. I think there are just not enough fresh air Inside the skimmer. Not enough surface area to have enough air exchange neither. But, still better than no surface agitation at all. In short, the skimmer helps, just not a lot. The water agitation on the tank opening surface helps much more.
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Ted
Living one day at a time
lol typical in this hobby ask a question get two completely different answers. Well I guess I am covered either way it goes. When all else fails do everything lol.
dcantucson
Reef pro
Ted I think my problem was because the tank is so small and has no sump. It has the filtration built into the back part of the tank. I think with a tank with a sump it's a completely different story. So I think both answers are correct.
Wes888
Reef enthusiast
I'm getting one of those oxygen meter. I'll test it out with and without skimmer for a day or so to see what the readings are.
Oh, by the way, I had my skimmer off for over a week when I switched to a big external Octopus but it started to leak. My tank is way over stocked as well. My fishs were all fine. I do have tremendous surface agitation on top of my tank though. One side of the tank got a K5 slightly pointing up along with the water return barely underneath the water surface. The other side got a MP40w going against all the current. The surface looks like a real ocean reef with all the random wave.
Oh, by the way, I had my skimmer off for over a week when I switched to a big external Octopus but it started to leak. My tank is way over stocked as well. My fishs were all fine. I do have tremendous surface agitation on top of my tank though. One side of the tank got a K5 slightly pointing up along with the water return barely underneath the water surface. The other side got a MP40w going against all the current. The surface looks like a real ocean reef with all the random wave.
Wes888
Reef enthusiast
Look at the water surface up there. :)
Wes888
Reef enthusiast
Oh, that too! The sump has water splashing into the mechanical filter, and then going through the wet/dry bio ball. That's a lot of air exchange opportunity.
Ted
Living one day at a time
nice, mines not that much. Its right next to my bed so I try not to have to much water sound. If I do I end up having to go to the bathroom all night. I dont have a sump no room but I do have a hob fuge so i get some flow on the return from it also.
