Fish Eating Air

[lenacara]

I have an oranda named Fernando that has always had eating issues. Every once in a while he swallows air and ends up floating to the top of the tank for the next couple of days. Once I noticed what was going on a few months ago I started mixing some tank water and food together then pouring it into the tank. Lately I have noticed that even when I do this there are little air bubbles attached to some of the flakes (I use tetra fin goldfish crisps). After reading around on this site I founda post that said to let flakes soak for a min. I tried that this morning and the crisps never really sunk and when i mixed them they fell apart which worried me because I don't want them breaking into little pieces and sinking into the gravel before the fish find them. Anyway what do you suggest as a way to treat the food so that Fernando stops having issues and should I dose the tank with Aquerium salt to help him out? As of now I'm planning on skipping tomorrows feeding and getting them some peas on saturday when I have a chance to get to the store again. Any other suggestions? Thanks

[Cynders]

If you could answer all of these questions here it'd be great so we can help you further

[*]Test Results for the Following:

[*]Ammonia Level?

[*]Nitrite Level?

[*]Nitrate level?

[*]Ph Level, Tank (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines)?

[*]Ph Level, Tap (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines)?

[*]Brand of test-kit used and whether strips or drops?

[*]Water temperature?

[*]Tank size (how many gals.) and how long has it been running?

[*]What is the name and size of the filter(s)?

[*]How often do you change the water and how much?

[*]How many fish in the tank and their size?

[*]What kind of water additives or conditioners?

[*]What do you feed your fish and how often?

[*]Any new fish added to the tank?

[*]Any medications added to the tank?

[*]Any unusual findings on the fish such as "grains of salt," bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus?

[*]Any unusual behavior like staying at the bottom, not eating, etc.?

I would try switching to sinking pellets like Omega one, or even better Hikari, or progold off of the goldfishconnection. Those crisps and flakes really have no nutrional value and don't sink as easily.

[lenacara]

[*]Ammonia Level 0

[*]Nitrite Level na

[*]Nitrate level na

[*]Ph Level, Tank na

[*]Ph Level, Tap na

[*]Brand of test-kit used and whether strips or drops? tetra lab kit - drops

[*]Water temperature? na

[*]Tank size (how many gals.) and how long has it been running? 75 gallon - since Sept 15th

[*]What is the name and size of the filter(s)? Fluval 350 - I know I have to get another one but I listed to the pet store guy and spent $179 on this one. Lesson learned unfortunately this put a crimp in my fish budget.

[*]How often do you change the water and how much? 1/2 once a week

[*]How many fish in the tank and their size? 6 - 1 oranda 2.5in, 1 black moore 2.5in 1 commet 3in, 2 commons 2.5 in and a big common at 3.5in

[*]What kind of water additives or conditioners? Nutrafin Aqua Plus Tap Water Conditioner

[*]What do you feed your fish and how often? tetra crisps once a day

[*]Any new fish added to the tank? no

[*]Any medications added to the tank? no

[*]Any unusual findings on the fish such as "grains of salt," bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus? nope

[*]Any unusual behavior like staying at the bottom, not eating, etc.? one fish floating to the top - happens ocasionally

I did check out the fish connection pro gold food and would love it but the shipping cost is a little high, same as the small size so I'm going to just look around at some of the pet stores around here and find some of the omega one or hikari pellets. How long should I soak those for?

[Cynders]

See if you can get your nitrite and nitrate tested for us. Nitrate can sometimes make a fish float, you're also a tad overstocked so the wastes might be contributing to the surface gulping. It looks like you'll need an 100 gallon minimum, but I know money is tight and this should be fine for now.

If you get Hikari make sure it's for goldfish and the sinking kind. Saki Hikari will be your best bet, if not go get some Omega one. You should soak it for a minute or two and they should be soft. I actually never soak my saki hikari.

[lenacara]

Thanks everyone. He is all better today, he must have passed the air bubble cause he had no problems staying at the bottom. I did take the day off feeding them just in case though. I also turned of my air pump to my bubble wall. It was rated 30gal+ so I thought it would be fine for a 75 gallon but it may have been to much. I noticed that in certain parts of the tank my black moor was getting caught in the current. Is a bubble wall really necessary or should my fluval 350 canister filter provide enough oxigenation?

[johann_pond]

My use the Omega one sinking pellets, and my goldies love them.

The bubble wand is a good idea to help with water airation, I would not stop using it, maybe just put it against the back or one side. My guys like to play in the bubbles.