# Stressed out? Fast-breathing Tiger Barb



## Sunshine (Jan 20, 2011)

We had some Tiger Barbs in our big tank with turtles, and they did fine for about 8 months. Suddenly (possibly due to cold -cold being upper 50s- temps in the house when our heater broke while we were on vacation), the turtles got all bloodthirsty and our fish started disappearing. They got 3 one day, but took them 2 months to eat another one.

With one Tiger Barb remaining, the kids were freaking out that his life was in danger, so we decided to take him out.

I had a 3 gallon tank laying around. It had had some sick fish in it in the past (actually, was named the "death chamber" because nothing could live in it - either the tank or the south facing window, who knows which), but had been sanitized with bleach solution and put in storage in the garage. I rinsed the tank, filled it with tap water and treated with AmQuel+ to remove chlorine, chloramine and nitrogenous compounds. I did not let the tank cycle, since we thought the fish's life was already in danger as it was.

This fish had not been seen eating in the week before it was moved, so it may have been stressed already. Well woudln't you be with a predator chasing you? During the move, this fast fish JUMPED out of the bowl and plopped onto a nearby couch. I scooped him up as soon as I figured out what he had done and where he had gone (!) and plopped him unceremoniously into the tank. He has been in there 2 days, but doesn't swim around. He is just hanging out about 1 inch from the top of the water and breathing very fast. He looks fine - shiny scales, clear fins and eyes, no signs of disease except not eating, not swimming and breathing super fast.

Today he was either hiding or floating (can't tell which) behind the filter thing. He's right side up and did swim quickly away when I made a noise near the tank. The water coming out of the filter seems too strong for him to resist and if he swims to close to it, he wooshes into the side of the tank. I tested the water today: ammonia 0.25ppm, Nitrite 0.25 ppm, nitrate 0, pH 8.2 8.2?? That seems high. Is that problematically high? I added a squirt of AmQuel in the hopes of bringing down that ammonia.

So what I'm wondering now is: what can I do to make his life easier? What could be wrong, other than stress?

I have thought about some bacteria hiding in the filter from the death-chamber-days. I have thought about temperature, but we do not have any heaters and don't want any. I have left the light on all night both nights, because I wasn't sure if it's good to turn it off or leave it on. I figured maybe it would help keep him warmer? (The thermostat is set to 68 daytime and 66 at night.) Today I got him a bunch of anachris so he'd have some cover in there, maybe will make him feel less exposed? Is he lonely? Is he just freaked out and stressed, or is something physically wrong?

I've decided I like this fish. He survived the turtles, even losing half his tail in the process, which was growing back nicely. He's cute, and he's the last one left. I'd hate to lose him now, in trying to save him!


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## Scuff (Aug 10, 2010)

Ammonia and nitrite at any levels is a dangerous setup, especially with an already stressed out fish. Your pH is also very high; does it come out of your tap like that? Adding the live plants was a good idea; it'll give him some cover and relieve some stress, and it will also suck up some of the nitrogenous compounds. Hanging at the surface, combined with the fast breathing, indicates that he may be having issues breathing due to the ammonia and nitrite in the water. If you can, put a small air pump on the aquarium to help increase the gas exchange at the surface and bring up the oxygen content of the water. It should help out a bit.

You didn't mention, but is there a filter on this tank?


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I want to add to what scuff said,that hes a schooling fish and will be nervoue until more of his kind are with him.He needs to be with at least four more to feel secure,but until you can set him up a proper larger tank,then the addition of live plants,as many as you can get for him so he is able to hide but still swim,will do him wonders.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Make sure you're not adding too many chems to the tank water as they rob the water of oxygen (hence the fast gill movements). The anachris and a bubbler will solve this problem, but be careful on overdosing water treatment chems.

I would leave the pH alone. Fish can adapt to it, and TB's are notoriously resilient fish. I would consider adding a few TB's once your little guy is feeling better, and then putting them back in the turtle tank when they're ready. In my opinion, three TB's can handle your hospital tank en masse, but don't add any more than 3 until you give them some more space.


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## Sunshine (Jan 20, 2011)

Thanks, everyone! That's all good-sounding advice. I don't have any kind of bubbler, and the stupid pump won't work unless the tank is completely filled, so I don't get much air in from that, either. I'm planning on a 20% water change today - I didn't do it yesterday because I was afraid to stress him out more with the water, but I think since the N is so high, it's probably a good idea. I'll test first and see if the N has gone down at all after the AmQuel. Just a side note - AmQuel is what my aquarium store sold me last time when I went in to buy water treatment. I have used NovAqua in the past, and I only noticed a difference because this stuff was twice the price. My main concern at that time was chlorine, and he said it would remove the chlorine, so ok. Is AmQuel a satisfactory product to use regularly to treat tap water for water changes?


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Sunshine said:


> Is AmQuel a satisfactory product to use regularly to treat tap water for water changes?


What you want from a tap water conditioner is a dechlorinator and one that breaks the chloramine bond. Everything else on top of that is exteraneous and might be useless. Some (like a nitrifying bacteria supplement, ammonia neutralizer, or phosphate pH buffers) might downright screw up your tank by offsetting natural cycles in the tank.

Not sure about AmQuel, but if it says dechlorinator and breaks chloramine bond, you're good to go, in my opinion.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I assume Amquel+ is the product. It dechlors also. Okay to use. Very similar to what Prime does.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

I wouldn't add any extra though because as mentioned if you use too much it will rob the water of oxygen.


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## Sunshine (Jan 20, 2011)

Update: I did a 20% change yesterday morning, followed by another one in the evening. For the second change, I used water from the original (turtle) tank, which had 0/0/80-160 for the N readings. I thought that water would have no chlorine and since it had no ammonia, I figured it couldn't hurt. I also hoped that maybe it would help increase the bacteria in the little tank. It must have, because this morning the readings were 0.25/1.0!/80-160 in the small tank. I did a 50% water change, with half of it being treated tap water and half of it being water from the turtle tank. The ammonia stayed stubbornly up, but possibly was a little lower than the 0.25 ppm (hard to tell on the color chart). The nitrite had plummeted to zero, however, which I find unlikely, though I am much happier than when it was 1! Nitrates were the same. He's still hanging in there, but doing extremely poorly.  Is the turtle water a good idea after all? Are the high nitrates going to harm him (more)? Should I just be patient and keep changing the water, or is it time for some emergency thing like ammo-chips? Does that stuff even help in a situation like this?


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## Lil Gashog (Dec 1, 2010)

Is it still fast-breathing?I'm guessing it has since it has happened to me,the situation you're in isn't funny to you I know,but i just had to giggle when I read the part where it jumped out the tank,I had two male bettas in a small divided tank and I bought an individual tank for it when I got it with the net it jumped out the tank onto my table!I picked up put it in the net and carried it down the hallway to the tank,it was fast breathing for 5-10 min. so I think that's normal.As for heating if you have a lamp,even one with a shade I would move the tank under it or as close as I could get it.Depending on the size of the tank I might get it a companion or 2.If I were you I would stop adding chemicals too, I wish you good luck!


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