How do I know if my fish are getting enough oxygen?? Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question. I had a clown loach die today. He was new to the tank so I don't know if he was sick before I got him.. He looked like he was breathing hard.


Thanks

What kind of filter are you running? What size is your tank? Do you have an air-stone? (Sorry for all the questions - just need a little more info' to get some ideas).

I found this statement on an advice site: "In addition, Loaches need a lot of oxygen in the place they inhabit most (the bottom of the aquarium), and if the fishkeeper has not provided adequate filtration (eight to ten times the tank's volume per hour)." The site also said that for 4 adult Clown Loaches, you need a 100 + gallon tank.... not sure how many you have or the size of your tank. (Just trying to think of anything that could have caused the death).


I would maybe suggest turning your filters output up (if you can adjust it), making sure your filter is appropriate for the size tank you have, (slightly bigger than you need is better than slightly smaller than you need). Consider maybe adding an air stone (or two), or a bubble bar.

Could it have been shock? (Did you test the water params in the water in the bag they came in and compare them to your tank water?) Sometimes putting them in the tank too quickly can cause them to go into shock.

I really hope this helps! Keep us posted!

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Also need to know readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

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Sorry, it is a 55 gal. beaslebob build. no filter, I just added the air stone because I have ick and had to turn the temp up.. I thought there was a test for oxygen or something.

ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0

tank has been up for about 3-4 weeks

*Just edited my post and added some stuff - like size of tank for loaches and acclimating fish - not sure if you saw it or if I edited after you replied.*

Not sure if there's an O2 test..... I would consider adding more air stones or bubble bars. (Also test the other water params like susankat said). I've never done a 'no filter' tank, so I don't know how good the O2 is in them..... if in doubt, add more air until you can test the water params.

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Don't plants release oxygen into the water? Anything that disrupts the water at the surface should increase the O2 content of the water. Here is a link to Foster/Smith to the page with a O2 test kit.

Tetra Test O2

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Clown Loaches need perfect water quality or they die. Oxygen isn't usually a problem unless your tank is over crowded or you overfeed. Some fishes will gasp at the surface when oxygen is low. Many fishes are designed for low oxygen environments, like Cories and Gouramies. Aeriation can help with the oxygen interchange and is often used when fish are overcrowded.

Generally, if there's not enough oxygen, your fish will be near the surface or by areas of surface agitation like filter outlets or bubble columns. That's where the oxygen first enters the water. If your fish aren't near the surface, especially if you have healthy live plants, you don't need to worry about the O2 content in your water.

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

Sorry the hear.

what are your values for KH Gh and pH?

Heavy breathing is a sign or high co2 values or amminia. Neither of which should be a problem in a beaslbob build.

my .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

PH is 8.2, I don't know what KH and Gh is, my API master test kit didn't come with those tests.

My other fish seem to be breathing fine, but I lost all my clown loaches. ammonia has never gone over .25, and nitrites have always tested 0. I think I am getting a little nitrate reading now, but not much.


My ick is pretty much gone from the fish. I will leave the temp up for a couple more days. I think I need to be more careful when adding fish..


Thanks

PH of 8.2 sounds like you are sucking out the co2 just fine.

Don't know about the loaches but otherwise it sounds like the fish are fine.

FWIW fully planted tank IMHO are one of the best ways to have healthy fish. Ich is just not as much of a problem because the fishs' immune system is strong.

You can buy a kh/gh double kit for not much and those are not part of the master kit. I did find that when I use peat moss in the substrate kh was 4 degrees, gh was 9 degrees and both stayed there for years. Plus neon tetras thrived. But with just a sand substrate kh and gh both rose to very high values and neons (and some other fish) did not last long.

just my .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

Loaches don't really tolerate ich treatments very well. Normally for them you would use half doses.

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Usually it is on the label to only use half dose for scaless fish. You also do the treatment period twice as long.

Actually, I didn't use any treatment except raise water temp, and add aquarium salt. Do you think ick killed the loaches?? I've read they like water flow. And I have no flow. I really like them, but am scared to buy any more..

Treating for ich with loaches can be iffy. They don't tolerate meds or salt to well. Most scaleless fish won't. And your tank isn't big enough for 4 clown loaches anyway. If you want to have loaches in a 55 I would look into yoyo loaches or some of similar size.

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