# Fish gasping after water change?



## Wö£fëñxXx

Start with the obvious, increase surface agitation by lightly breaking the water surface for a few days or after the scenario that has been causing the symptom.
Sounds like an 02 issue.
How much Excel do you actually dose?


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## Rod Hay

Myself, I have found that my Golden WCMM are very sensitive to Prime when I'd change their water. It is very strong stuff! I am now very careful to understand the dosing and use a medicine droper to properly measure the dose. 

Although it could be something entirely different; and I do agree w/ Craig that it seems to be related to oxygen being limited. Perhaps two things combined? While I don't understand the chemistry, I think too much Prime can also cause oxygen problems. Here's a link to where a Seachem rep states that all conditioners have reducing properties:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/seachem/44178-how-long-does-prime-stay-tank.html


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## BSS

My tank had what sounds like the same problem a while back. I tried a number of things. The problem went away when I started injecting O2 into my tank after lights outs via a small air pump (bought one of those AM/PM outlets so my air comes on when my CO2 goes off and vice versa). Increased surface agitation could accomplish the same thing. You might also try doing water changes earlier in the day so that pearling plants later in the light cycle could help with the O2 levels.

I figured if my tank was that close to being O2 depleted, that the air pump was the best alternative.

Good luck,
Brian.


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## chaos theory

Thanks everyone for the replies! 

I adjusted the spraybar on the filter to ripple the surface of the water and that seems to have helped.

I dose Excel at one capful twice a week (because I don't inject CO2) and I dose the regular Flourish at just under one capful twice a week (not on the same days as the Excel).

Thanks for the heads up on the Prime. I usually try to be really good about measuring the dose but I might add a little more than I need to (since I use a Python to refill you have to dose the whole tank and not just the water you are adding in). I'll be more careful in the future.

I'm going to the LFS on Friday to see if I can't get a small airstone.

Does anyone have any idea exactly what those little bubbles are? I've only seen them recently and like I said I've had this tank for almost a year. It doesn't seem to bubble as much on my other two tanks (2.5 gallon Betta tank and 5.5 gallon shrimp tank) but that might just be because I don't do as big of a water change on those tanks.

Thanks again!


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## BSS

chaos theory said:


> Does anyone have any idea exactly what those little bubbles are?


Well, I can't tell you 'exactly', but the concept is called outgassing. Essentially what happens is as the water runs through your pipes and whatnot on the way to the tank, oxygen and other gases get dissolved/trapped in the running water. Once it gets into your tank and sits there, it starts to 'escape'. So, for folks who state that they have good 'pearling' right after a water change, what they are most likely noticing is the outgassing of the stuff trapped in the 'new' water, not something that the plants are actually producing.


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## chaos theory

BSS said:


> Well, I can't tell you 'exactly', but the concept is called outgassing. Essentially what happens is as the water runs through your pipes and whatnot on the way to the tank, oxygen and other gases get dissolved/trapped in the running water. Once it gets into your tank and sits there, it starts to 'escape'. So, for folks who state that they have good 'pearling' right after a water change, what they are most likely noticing is the outgassing of the stuff trapped in the 'new' water, not something that the plants are actually producing.



Ahhh thanks for the explanation! 

So what it amounts to is that the little bubbles are something bad for the fish? This hasn't happened before this month... I wonder if the city changed something in the water.


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## dekstr

Bubbles that come out from the tapwater is not all bad. There may also be oxygen gassing out in the water.

Lots of possible factors that might have caused your fish to gasp near the surface. I am also suspecting some related to oxygen.

Some factors I can think of:
- O2 is very hard to dissolve into water, especially at higher temperatures like for discus. 
- You said the fish were gasping when you turned on the lights. High temps, not enough surface agitation to encourage water/air exchange could lead to not enough oxygen at night time. Why? Plants reverse oxygen/CO2 process at night-time, taking in oxygen and releasing co2. Thus fish have less oxygen and more co2 at night-time.
- If everything has been the same, maybe some kind of change in the tapwater parameter.

But since we don't have an oxygen meter to test your water, we can only speculate to some sort of close answer.


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## BassMiesterNJ

How is your PH after the water change ?

Is it possible you are having your PH shoot up and thus causing ammonia to become harmful ? (I realize this contradicts your Ammonia test).


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