Please help my Dragon Fish :(

**ninny747** · 10-15-2012, 12:53 AM

Hello all! I have a dragon fish who is breathing very heavily and I've never seen it do this before. Is this normal? Should I be worried?
I also have a black ghost knife that's hiding in a skull head with a khuli loach and haven't seen either come out in days. Any tips to get them to come out so I can remove the skull? I worry because the openings it goes into have somewhat rough edges and don't want the ghost to get hurt going in and out. Eye hole openings no bigger than a dime go into a space not as big as a ping pong ball.
Most concerned with my dragon atm! Any and all help appreciated!

**Aeonflame** · 10-15-2012, 01:29 AM

Do you mean a dragon goby? These should be kept in brackish water, which is probably why it is experiencing those symptoms

**ninny747** · 10-15-2012, 01:46 AM

I have aquarium salt in the tank. It's been doing fine for the past 3 weeks and this just started today. Additional salt is only needed at water changes, right? Is there a way to add video to a post?

**Aeonflame** · 10-15-2012, 01:51 AM

There is no need to use aquarium salt for freshwater fish. For dragon gobies, you need a salinity of at least 5. It has different water requirements and should not be kept with the other fish. Is the tank cycled?

There are other problems with your stocking. Cories need to be in schools of their own species. Kuhlis also need to be kept in groups. The knife fish will eventually start eating your tetras.

**ninny747** · 10-17-2012, 01:51 PM

The 2 different cories hang out together. My ghost nibbles freeze dried blood worms from my fingers. None of my fish bother each other. I didn't know loach liked company. They don't take up much bottom tank space so I can get more. I don't want too many more bottom dwellers so my big guys have plenty of room to move about. As for it being cycled - I've 'inherited' this tank with 1 cory in it. Had been in it for 3 years and basically given up on. Ph was too high, algae everywhere, gravel filthy... I scraped glass, siphoned gravel to about a 75% water change, and fixed the Ph all over a couple weeks. Tested repeatedly. A week later added the cardinals and another cory. The original cory died presumably because it was so used to the prior bad conditions. Had to add the salt when I got the mollies and my supplier uses it in all of his FW tanks. I will have to get a bigger tank as the Bala, Dragon and Ghost grow but there is tons of room for everyone for now. Oddly enough the dragon was just hungry and I'd never seen him more than nibble!!! And my ghost is out of the skull. Skull out of the tank and put a in fake driftwood cave that the dragon loves. The ghost now chills in the fake clay pot the dragon used to hide in. I think we're all good now. Thanks!

**ninny747** · 10-17-2012, 01:58 PM

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/gobyfish/dragon.php - I also just found this which confirmed everything my local supplier told me. Driftwood Aquatics in Tappahannock VA! Family owned and operated, great people, give me stuff for free and delighted by my never-ending questions. Water babies are fascinating!

**imma24** · 10-17-2012, 01:59 PM

+1 with aeon - just because a supplier uses salt doesn't mean the new owner needs to use it also - my local Petco uses salt in all of its tanks but it's really not needed.

Whatever the history of your tank is and no matter how well the fish seem to be getting along, just be aware that if your fish is what aeon has asked about, you are apparently housing a fish in an inappropriate environment for its needs.