Brasiliensis breathing heavy

[JamezMan]

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 8:28 pm Post subject: Brasiliensis breathing heavy.

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Hi, I posted this in the geophagus section too but this area looks more suitable. I have a very happy 22 cm Geophagus Brasiliensis which has been acting a bit strange over the last 24-48 hours. I am pretty sure he is a male because he has been very aggressive towards other fish in the past. He seems to be breathing heavier than usual and he has cleared an area of the tank down to the glass and is very particular about it, biting at the bottom of the tank. My thoughts are is that the temp in the room may be warmer than usual due to the summer heat which is causing the temp in his tank to be hotter for longer periods than earlier in the year. This could be influencing the possible breeding behaviour or a decrease in dissolved oxygen causing him to breath heavier than usual. Nitrate, nitrite, pH, KH and GH are all very good and the water is very well oxygenated.

Any thoughts would be helpful.

[JamezMan]

Behaviour hasn't changed but he has been breathing less heavily since I added some extra aeration. Any ideas? His eyes and coat have gone dark and he seems quite unhappy for some reason.

Cheers.

[fishgeek]

can you see his gill colour , are the operculum flared

a water change cant hurt, darkening f the fish is stress related and really just lets you know he isnt happy

water borne or parasitic issue's are possibilties for respiratory problems

general first aid involves slow cooling of water and increased aeration to aid dissolved oxygen levels for fish

ideally once more stable you need to examine the gill
visually for olour texture an larger parasites
then scrapes and or biopsy for magnified examinations are useful

if the gill looks visibly norma then water issue's maybe more likely.. ammonia,chlorine,certain organics(malachite green?VOC?etc)ozone

pale gill suggest anaemia and a reasn for loss of blood should be investiagted, internal parasites? poor blood production- nutritional?

grey or mucoid gills suggest chronic exposure to irritant water or parasite again

andrew

[JamezMan]

Thanks Andrew for the reply. He isn't overly dark, but his colour is less bright than usual. It's more in his behaviour. He has spent most of his day biting at the filter out take and being a bit distructive and he has pretty much gone off his food altogether now.

The chlorine levels in the tank should be good because I dose a generous amount of prime on water from the tap, which I mix with tank water. All my fish have tank water mixed in with tap water and are all treated for chlorine etc and never show any signs of discomfort.

I will examine the gills very soon when I do a water change and have a look for the symptoms you describe.

Thanks again.

Luke.

[JamezMan]

Gills look clean to me, nice and red with no visible signs of mucus. It's like I own a completely different fish now because he is acting so different to usual.