# HELP!! Juruparis at Top of Tank Breathing



## WaWaZat (Dec 27, 2007)

Did a 50% water change in my 110 gallon this morn... we do 40-50% once per week... and both my Juruparis are gasping for air at the top since. When this has happened in the past, the nitrates were through the roof. The juruparis are the reason we do up to 50% once per week as their tank mate is a large Oscar. Anyway, nitrates are about 20-30ppm, ammonia is 0, PH about 7, nitrites 0 and no chlorine. What is going on here?? They were flushing fire hydrants last week and I have one on my front lawn. This stirs up sediment in the tap water but the water seems clear now. Really the only change is that the temps in Chicago have gone from cold Spring to Summer overnight. My aquarium water is 83/84 degrees F right now. It usually hovers around upper 78-80.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

How is the Oscar responding?
Proper surface agitation?
What type/how old is your test kit?

I'd probably do another WC, adding cooler water. Whatever you use for a dechlorinator, it may be worth double dosing in case chloramine/chlorine levels were altered.


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## WaWaZat (Dec 27, 2007)

Thx for the quick help!

Oscar seems perfectly normal. I know from experience the Juruparis are extremely sensitive to problematic water. I don't have surface agitation... never have. I'm using an API Master kit. It's about 3 years old now.

I'm hesitant to do a water change in case the issue is something else in the water, perhaps as a result of the hydrant flush a week ago. When I woke up this morning, the 2 Juruparis are still breathing at the surface. Nobody looks bad except that Juruparis are opening their mouths more to seemingly gasp for air.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

What filtration do you have that doesn't create surface agitation?

I'd add a powerhead, HOB or sponge filter(s) to break up the surface tension ASAP


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## WaWaZat (Dec 27, 2007)

I have a Fluval FX5 but it kicks out about 5/6 inches below the surface. Puts out quite a current. I did another 50% water change this morn and the Juruparis immediately stopped gasping from the surface. No one is very interested in eating today but seem normal otherwise. What do you think happened? How old is too old for a test kit? I avoid surface agitation to keep down on noise because the tank is in the living room. How important do you think surface agitation is at this point?


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

Surface agitation doesn't necessarily mean splashing, it simply means having a circulation that moves water from the lower levels up to the top so that they can release CO2 and pick up O2. Usually this is the intake of the filter drawing from the bottom and the output flow moving the surface around. This need not make much, if any, noise.

The cloudiness suggests that there was something toxic in the water for a few days due to the municipal hydrant flushing just before you did the first water change. It probably was finally cleared out of your house system by the time you did the second water change. I would suggest that you give your pipes more time to clear next time they flush the hydrants!


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Aim one of the FX5 return nozzles slightly upward to create a rippling effect on the surface.


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## WaWaZat (Dec 27, 2007)

Ok, I pointed 1 of the FX5 outlets up and have a really good, yet quiet current happening on the surface at 1 end of the tank. Outlets are on the far end of my 6' long tank. The surface current covers about 1 1/2' on the 1 end. Is it enough to have agitation on 1/4 the surface area on the far end?

Chromedome, just to clarify, I didn't notice any cloudiness in the tank. I was just trying to think of what the possibilities were when all the water tests came up okay. Not even sure the hydrant flush was the issue. Perhaps my test kit is off. I would think that doing this a good week after wouldn't affect the water but considered the possibility.

The Oscar & larger Juruparis are back to eating normally and the Oscar is back to bullying the larger Juruparis. The smaller one gets around okay, but isn't very aggressive when eating. Poked around at the bottom during feeding time after the Oscar spit his crumbs but I didn't see her actually ingest anything. Almost as if she was just humoring me. Normally she will try to grab a piece of food from the top during the initial drop-in of food, before going after Oscar crumbs, but this time she just looked at it. She doesn't seem quite as peppy either.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

I like to see more of the tank surface agitated. Are you seeing a slight film(resembling an oil slick) on the stagnant area? I mess around with filter returns/circ pumps until I see none of this.


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## WaWaZat (Dec 27, 2007)

No oil slick on top. I'll watch for it.

I have my FX5 intake in the middle and the return on 1 end of my 6' long tank. Might there be a better orientation than this?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Is this the only filter on your tank?

Just be sure you do not have stagnant water across the surface.


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## WaWaZat (Dec 27, 2007)

Yes, the FX5 is the only thing filtering 110 gallons of water. Is it advisable to add more filtration?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

I like to overfiltrate. Not entirely necessary. The FX style filters can handle a large volume of water. The box states it can do 400 gallons. That's a stretch, especially for cichlids. Having a 2nd filter offers some peace of mind in case of failure. An AquaClear 110 would be a great addition to your tank.


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## notho2000 (Dec 8, 2012)

All Geophagus and Satanoperca have high oxygen requirements. I always keep vigorous aeration with mine in the form of an air supply. On a couple of occasions when I depended solely on surface agitation from a filter outlet, I had them suffocate. because sometimes, when there is a brief power outage, filters and power heads don't start up reliably. I recommend an air supply as an insurance against such a mishap.


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## WaWaZat (Dec 27, 2007)

I actually have 2 old Magnum 330 canisters, 2 power heads from an under gravel for an 18"x72" tank and I believe a small air pump I'm not using. Iggy & Notho, do you think I can utilize any of this gear for a filter backup/aeration? Notho, the power heads don't start up after a power outage?? Don't they just blow air (no need for priming? The FX5 is self priming and have never had a prob there.


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## WaWaZat (Dec 27, 2007)

Do the extra canisters and powerbeads not help my situation?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Sorry...

Anything you can add will help, as long as it's direction of flow is aimed at or slightly at the surface. I would add a backup filter, so one of your Magnums. The powerhead couldn't hurt.

Sometimes after a power outage a HOB filter will lose it's prime and no longer filter. Or the impellar jams up.


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## notho2000 (Dec 8, 2012)

For me, it's about 50-50 whether my power heads will start up or not from the impeller jamming. If that happens and I'm depending on the venturi feature to aerate my tank, there goes my air supply. That's why I have air stones as backup. This is also the case with some of my canister filters (Marineland C-530s / a pain in the a**). My FX5s always start up.


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## WaWaZat (Dec 27, 2007)

I will experiment with the powered heads. Any suggestions on how I might load up one of the Magnums? I've never actually used those filters as they were a part of some 125 gal gear I acquired. I did read a long time ago about using a Magnum as a secondary filter to do a fine cleaning of the water. But what do you guys suggest here? I have 2 trays of the FX5 loaded with bio media and the top tray with pillow batting.

BTW, all the fish are completely back to normal including the 2 Satanopercas! I thought I was gonna lose the smaller one for sure as he didn't eat for a week. I've had 3 sets of Satanoperca and/or Jurapari and every single time they've gotten like this in the past, they ended up not making it. In fact, the smaller guy has always been bullied and not allowed to eat so he (maybe she) would pick up the crumbs after the bullies were full. Now she is more aggressive than ever and don't take no shizz!


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