Surface Agitation - How much is enough? Or maybe disease?

[GalaxyBenny]

Hey all -

I'm brand new to reefing and have our first 2 clowns in a QT tank (14 gallon biocube). I'm concerned the fish aren't getting enough oxygen since their little mouths are opening and closing all the time. I guess it's also possible its a disease, but the LFS I purchased them from seems well respected in the area for the 3 week QT (with meds) they do on all their fish before putting them up for sale). So I'm not saying it's impossible, just potentially less likely?

Currently in the biocube all I have is the standard return pump, pointed at the surface.



It is making some light ripples, but I don't know if that is sufficient. There is also splashing in the back sump as the water falls down onto the filter media (some bio balls). I guess I'm just trying to determine if I should take my Nero 3 out of my display tank (no fish in there, these are our first 2) and really get the water churning to make sure they can breathe.

I attached 2 videos. One shows the ripples on the top of the tank (just to see if you think that is enough agitation). The second attempts to show one of the clown's mouth moving. They're pretty little though, so it's hard to get a good picture.


Let me know what you guys think. I really want to keep the little guys safe.

Cheers!

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hey all -

I'm brand new to reefing and have our first 2 clowns in a QT tank (14 gallon biocube). I'm concerned the fish aren't getting enough oxygen since their little mouths are opening and closing all the time. I guess it's also possible its a disease, but the LFS I purchased them from seems well respected in the area for the 3 week QT (with meds) they do on all their fish before putting them up for sale). So I'm not saying it's impossible, just potentially less likely?

Currently in the biocube all I have is the standard return pump, pointed at the surface.



It is making some light ripples, but I don't know if that is sufficient. There is also splashing in the back sump as the water falls down onto the filter media (some bio balls). I guess I'm just trying to determine if I should take my Nero 3 out of my display tank (no fish in there, these are our first 2) and really get the water churning to make sure they can breathe.

I attached 2 videos. One shows the ripples on the top of the tank (just to see if you think that is enough agitation). The second attempts to show one of the clown's mouth moving. They're pretty little though, so it's hard to get a good picture.


Let me know what you guys think. I really want to keep the little guys safe.

Cheers!

Rapid breathing can be caused by low oxygen, high carbon dioxide, gill diseases or water quality issues.

In my opinion, your tank doesn't have enough surface agitation. You need to break the surface tension, else the carbon dioxide can build up. This can be made worse of oils form on t he surface, further cutting off gas exchange.
You could install an air stone in the back of your tank. I have a protein skimmer in mine and that works even better.
Bubbles breaking the surface handles oxygen and CO2 problems. For water quality, you need to monitor your ammonia level for sure. Then, gill disease can be an issue. I didn't see any evidence of that in your video, but it is sometimes tough to see.

Jay

 

[GalaxyBenny]

Thanks for the reply Jay. I revised my return pump flow (rotated it 90 degrees) and it seems to be agitating the surface a lot more. Please let me know if you agree. And as I mentioned, there is a lot of "falling" or "trickling" water in the middle sump chamber of the biocube as it falls down onto the bio balls. So hopefully that is helping with the oxygenation as well. I don't see any oily film, so I'll take that as a positive.

I've been checking ammonia 2x times per day (morning and night) since I'm so new to all this. If I see it creep up at all I will do a 10-20% water change.

Again, I really appreciate the advice. We've only had them for 2 days, but we're already quite attached to the little dudes.

Cheers! - David