# Cichlids on the surface...



## metalgeartux (Feb 24, 2010)

i just rearanged my rocks and hiding places and did a 20 percent water change. my two baby africans are floating on the surface.
i see no sign of disease i was just wondering why they arent acting normal. 

as usual any info would be greatly appreciated


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## metalgeartux (Feb 24, 2010)

my water is testing fine and now they are all dying!!!


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

What kind of substrate do you have and did you stir it up?


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## metalgeartux (Feb 24, 2010)

i have regular gravel and yes i did 

the tank is 5-6 days old


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Ok... did you just start the tank 5-6 days ago or has it been cycling a while and just added fish 5-6 days ago? 
Did you use dechlorinator in the water?


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## metalgeartux (Feb 24, 2010)

i just started the tank and yea i used stress coat as a dechlorinator


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Ok... what I think your problem is is that you didn't cycle the tank (allow beneficial bacteria to grow properly and also to allow nitrate/nitrite/ammonia levels to reach their proper levels) 
Read this. http://www.fishforums.com/forum/beg...posting-if-your-fish-dying-your-new-tank.html
I'm sorry, but you're probably going to lose the fish. They are probably dying from the water not being cycled properly. If they do, return them and get store credit, and follow the instructions in the thread I posted. Until you do, do not purchase any more fish. They will most likely die as well.


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## metalgeartux (Feb 24, 2010)

thank you very much


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## Merf (Feb 24, 2009)

hXcChic22 is right, your problem most likely lies in your tank not being cycled. Your fish are most likely unable to get enough oxygen and that's why they're all at the top.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i just don't understand why i don't kill all of my fish..i really do not cycle my tanks.(at least not like folks here do it)... i will do 100%water changes;add some dechlorinating agent (chlor-gone); and put the fish in the tank..and not just 1 or 2 fish.often 10-20..and not fry either..
i am still kind of a rookie at fishkeeping..there is so much i have yet to learn...maybe i just have dumb luck...
if it were me i would ditch the stresscoat and just use a simple 1 drop per gallon dechlorinating agent such as "Dechlor" made by "Weco products"...

i'll tell you what i do not see in your aquarium..............
aeration......water surface disturbance...it is possible that your fish are dying from carbon dioxide poisoning;seeing as fish do not die from lack of oxygen...get an air pump and an airstone..


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## NatBarry (Feb 19, 2008)

This is a sign of not enough oxygen in the tank, or too much ammonia in the water. I suggest to add an air pump ASAP and get some bubbles going....and seeing as the tank hasnt cycled yet, id add safewater daily to help the fish through the cycle.


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2010)

am with Loha and Nathan......this looks like a sign of lack of aeriation. and for the record....i have never had to cycle a tank either.....most of us dont have the need to. if u really wanna just get this outta the way....get ur self some Bacteria In a Bottle.....like Stability and add a good airpump with an pourous stone to aeriate the tank well.


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

We've never truly "cycled" a tank either... but as so many people come on here wondering why their two-day old tank has a bunch of dead fish, I recommend it because it does seem to work. 
Since our second tank (and the resulting disaster of adding too many fish too quickly) we "cycle" a tank by just letting it either run a couple days and then add one or two fish, and so on and so forth, or fill it at least halfway with tank water from our other tanks. But since we use established tank water it's kinda cheating, haha.


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2010)

LOL i TRUELY never cycled my tanks. i have always used new stuff for new tanks and Ron V and my self had this long debate on this and basically the water that comes out opf the taps are 0,0 and 25. fish ready water. am just friggin lucky


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Test the water, for ammonia and nitrite. Certainly ammonia poisoning can look like that. But I once got that effect just from a large water change with Prime. Dechlor can remove oxygen from water and water that comes out of your tap doesn't always have much oxygen in it. Add aeration. The easiest way is often to drop the water level and let the filter make a waterfall.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

This often happens after a water change if the new water isn't allowed to sit out and "breathe" before being added to the tank. Under the pressure of the water pipes, the dissolved gases ratios of water can get pretty wonky, suffocating the fish if not allowed to first stabilize.

Nitrite poisoning also has a similar effect as this, working very much like carbon monoxide does to humans, bonding to hemoglobin and preventing oxygen transport.


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## th3g0t0guy (Jul 9, 2009)

well again chic knows exactly what shes talkin about...yea thats waht happen..


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