on top

[speezer]

How come my fish are all swimming on the top like they want to gasp for air? I added a couple of new fish today, and my blood parrots and acaras as well as a few others seem to be on top for prolonged periods...

[rich311k]

Are you running an air pump? Do you have surface movement? You either have an O2 problem or an ammonia or nitrite problem.

[speezer]

did water test yesterday, no nitrite or ammonia levels whatsoever. no i don't have an air bubble machine..

[Brhino]

what kind of filtration do you use? If nothing's breaking the water surface or bubbling, oxygen could very well be the issue like Rich says.

[speezer]

question, why would i need an air pump? for more oxygen flow into the tank? isn't sufficient oxygen being pushed in by the filtration system? i have a fluval 405 which is reletively brand new. i just put in a new heater and my water has been increased in temp by 2 degrees from 80 to 82 degrees . the suggested temp for the fish i own is between 80 -86 degrees according to my supplier.

[Brhino]

oxygenation occurs when air and water mix. If you're injecting air into the water with an airstone or bubbler, that's a good way to do it. If you have a hang-on-back filter that is "waterfalling" water back into the tank and agitating the surface, that's a good way too. However, if you don't have either of those and the water at the surface is calm, there's not a lot of mixing going on. Canister filters like your fluval are excellent filtration, but they're NOT very good for oxygenation, because typically both their input and output are well underwater, so they don't agitate the surface any.

[Demjor19]

How long has the tank been running? I only ask because you said the filter was "relatively brand new".

[ElmosR3v3ng3]

You can get a descent air pump for about $10 - $25 depending on the size you need. A gang valve (which is optional) for about $5, and some air stones which can range from $0.50 - $6.