# Fish acting weird~



## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

I have performed 2 water changes with my fish left in. I used a vegetable strainer to diffuse the water. My readings today are .002ppm toxic ammonia, 7.0ppm Ph, 0ppm Nitrite, and 5ppm Nitrate. Temp is 73 degrees. I leave the light on 6 to 8 hours a day by first opening my blinds and letting the room brighten before i turn the light on. I feed them every other day sometimes with two days passing before i feed them. I still have 3 goldfish(juveniles) in a 37 gallon with two filters AC 30 and a Top fin 40. They have plenty of places to hide.

That being said~ my fancy goldfish the last few days has been hiding all the time except when fed and zipping across the aquarium like a speeding bullet. Now my ryukin is beginning to do the same thing but not quite as dramatic as the fancy and my black moor hides all day. I don't know why they are acting this way??? One of the reasons i have fish b/c i love to sit and watch them. Until this started happening I could walk into the room and sit down and watch them lazily swim around. Now even when I walk into the room they zip across the aquarium and hide

Any thoughts? I have been told this is normal..but if that is so why haven't they acted this way since I brought them home? It is very upsetting...


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## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

I had a previous post that resulted in this talking about whether I should take my fish out while performing a pwc b/c i have a tall 37 gallon and used 5 gallon water bottles which made the water rock pretty hard when refilling. And I had been worried about taking my fish out while doing a pwc. Well as a result of many people telling me to leave them in ~this is the result


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Did you use dechlorinator?


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## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

I use glacier water.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

If you blame it on leaving your fish in when you do water changes, take them out. I wouldn't, but hey.
When you say glacier water - is it bottled water or water literally from a glacial source? If it is bottled, what is the analysis on the bottle.
pH isn't that important as an indicator, but if it dips into the acid range, way into the acid range, fish will do what you describe.


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## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

Glacier water is.like culligan water.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Are you doing 100% with this water? Have you tested ph at different times of the day to see if it is staying at 7? Bottled water/RO water could have all the minerals stripped from - not always the case though. If it does and you're doing 100% water changes with that water, you're just setting a fuse to a time bomb. It will prime your tank for ph swings and stress your fish.

No way are they that way from leaving them in the tank. They would be more stressed from chasing them with a net to move them than they would splashing water. You could fill a 1-2QT pitcher full of your water and set the whole pitcher in the tank and then turn it on its side....wouldn't make any noise or anything. Also, making no disturbance is the operator challenge...if that is what you're trying to eliminate. I pour full 5g buckets a good 14" to the water surface and don't disturb my very delicate substrate and plants. There are tons of ways to do it that I could think of. If your way doesn't work, change.


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## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

I do 50% water changes. I don't use my tap water with prime because it puts my ph 8 and above. No i don't test ph at different times but i will.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Is the water you replace during your water change 100% glacier?


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## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

Yes


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## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

WOW. just tested my ph with the regular one it is showing 7.6 or higher i am about to test with the high range ph solution.

ok high range is about 7.8 to 8.0


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Then this sounds like your problem to me. A couple of things here...one, the minerals that are likely all stripped from that water your fish need. Things like calcium, magnesium, etc...long term your fish may show health issues without it. Same for humans. Two, those same minerals are your buffers in the water that hold your ph at a stable value. Without them the ph can bottom out, skyrocket, fluctuate throughout the day, etc.. This will eventually kill your fish and the way they are acting sounds like stress and nothing else possibly caused by ph.

If you have a gh/kh test kit you could test your kh to be sure that really is what is happening. You need a minimum of 3-4dkh. If you don't have a test kit then I would do no more than 50% of the glacier water and the rest would be your tap water. If your tap water is already soft (sometimes this is the case if you have a softner or it is this way naturally) then it exacerbates the issue. If your ph is 8 or so naturally, chances are you have hard enough water.

If you think you need a 7ph value for your fish, chances are you might not be correct. Although it could be optimum, most fish can adjust to other values easily as long as it is a slow acclimation.


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## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

So my next pwc should be tap water treated with prime? and then the next time glacier? or get rid of the glacier all together?

kh was 2 dkh 
gh was 1 dkh


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I would just do 50% of each, each water change. Makes it easier and more consistent. Is this your tap or your tank? If your tank...that is not high enough of a kh to hold your ph steady.


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## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

That was my aquarium gh/kh. So each time so 50 tap and 50 glacier...


about to do a pwc ..hope this will help my fish.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Yes, so for example..if your are repalcing 10g you would put in 5g of each water. Doesn't have to be exact, but you want enough tap in there. Personally, if doable I'd get the kh in the 5dkh level. Test your tap and see what it is....possible you may be able to put in less tap and still keep your ph at a lower level and attain the 5dkh.


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## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

Sounds like a plan! Thank You So Much for all your help!


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## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

How long will it be before they come out of hiding?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Give it some time. Let things stable out some. There still may be something else stressing them, but at least you know it is not a ph problem.


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## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

true. i tested my ph last night and at different times today it is staying the same. So your right it may take them a few days.


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## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

If the two that are doing the most hiding and zipping around the tank are always nosing each other from behind is that normal? They do it more when their being fed like they are trying to get each other out of the way to eat.

Could they be bullying each other or mating?


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Sounds like courtship. It's spring, seasonal spawners, I'd say it's quite possible...


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## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

Well they are starting to come out more  I really miss being able to sit and watch them...


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Thats good news.


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## simplykayla76 (Mar 10, 2012)

Yep


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