Gasping for air . . .

[david_l]

I have two red cap oranda in a 29-gallon also. In the summer time, I notice they swim on top more than in the winter time. However, they stay closely at the bottom of the tank at night when I turn off all the lights.

I have a powerhead in my tank also. Is that OK if I fill the tank full of water?


thanks all

You might want to read the beginner stickies. There may be some info in there that will clue you in to what the problem is.
Also, goldfish (the black moor is a type of goldie too) require lots of oxygen, which means they need more surface are than a biorb can provide. As well, they are very heavy waste producers, so in a tank that size you will have an incredibly tough time keeping the water healthful and the tank clean. I love goldies; I have two in a 29 gallon tank, since it is recommended to have 20 gallons for the first one and 10 for every additional one to allow for future growth. If you like the goldies, you could get a much bigger tank, but if you like the tank more, you could take the fish back and get smaller, tropical fish.
Welcome to the tank.

 

[GIS Guy]

The water straight out of my tap has nitrAtes at 10ppm.

 

[nobody]

Fish won't always gasp for air when they need it either. Sometimes, depending on the fish, if there is not enough air in the water they will hang out at the top of the tank so that they can get to air a lot easier. Once I had that problem and some of my fish were hanging out by the bubbles and some were at the top of the tank. If you have on air pump, what kind do you have and what is it running? Sometimes a filter doesn't create enough air in the water with its currents.

 

[Sooty-Bumble]

I've tested my water levels and i have the same level of Nitrates in my water, so that explains it.

Both of my fish are fine, and not gasping for air, my guess is the 1st fish had something wrong with it and thats why it died.

Thanks for all of your help!