Fish going to surface

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

From the list you gave. The highest likely to be is low dissolved oxygen. I can almost certainly rule out the rest. Temp is 78.4, tank has been up and running for over 5 months. I QT all my fish due a velvet outbreak over 2 years ago and still have ptsd from it. I QT everything now.

I will have to move the mp40 closer to the surface. Thank you sir!

This could be low dissolved oxygen OR high carbon dioxide, or both at the same time. Aeration (not just water circulation) is the best way to ensure proper gas exchange. If you add a good air stone and the symptoms don't improve after 24 hours, then something else is going on.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hello,

Unsure what could be happening here…..any ideas?I noticed my hippo tang after being feed and eating like normal. He was going to surface repeatedly for what appears air. The skimmer is on and nothing has been added to the tank: no new fish, coral, or CUC. What caught my attention is the consistency and the big splash he made in one of times he went up for air.

I thought maybe they needed more oxygen and I cranked up the MP40 to 80%. But 80% is way to strong for my corals and not a setting I have kept my pumps at ever.

Thanks

I added a video of him:

I went back and re-read your post. Fish popping at the surface can be a behavioral thing - a misdirected feeding response where they make bubbles and then try to eat them. I had a genicanthus angel that eventually did that ALL of the time. Many reef fish are never really exposed to the air/water interface in nature (they live too deep) so they can have odd reactions to that in some cases.

 

[Luisn17]

I went back and re-read your post. Fish popping at the surface can be a behavioral thing - a misdirected feeding response where they make bubbles and then try to eat them. I had a genicanthus angel that eventually did that ALL of the time. Many reef fish are never really exposed to the air/water interface in nature (they live too deep) so they can have odd reactions to that in some cases.

Thank you sir.

I think this is the case. I was concerned to the low oxygen, so I cleaned the MP40s, return pump, orbit 2, and raised outputs so they further break the top. I even increased the flow slightly of the MP40s. He was normal after all this.

I then feed them dinner and bam! Dude thought he was in Jaws again. The “movie” ended about 5 mins later.