Freshwater aquarium owners, no matter how experienced, will always get that familiar feeling of PANIC when they approach the tank and see their favorite fish laying on the bottom of the tank.<\/p>\n
There could be any number of reasons for your finned friend to be on the aquarium floor, however, and many of them can be corrected. Let’s sink into it.<\/p>\n
Why do Fish Lay on the Bottom of the Fishtank? Laying on the bottom can be caused by:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Laying on the bottom can be also signed of\u00a0 water quality imbalances: <\/strong><\/p>\n
Last but not least, Your fish is just dweller or so-called bottom feeder, and it is OK \ud83d\ude42<\/strong><\/p>\n
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From stress to imbalances in the water quality, fish can have periods of time where they lay on the bottom of their aquariums, seemingly not moving at all. \u00a0What causes this? For some of the most common reasons for this fishy behavior, read on.<\/span><\/p>\n
Fish will sink to the bottom of the tank and possibly fade in color when they are stressed. \u00a0Stress can come from both external and internal sources.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n
If your fish lays on the bottom at the same time every day or night, he could just be sleeping or napping. \u00a0Surprisingly, fish require anywhere from nine to twelve hours of sleep per night! Because they don\u2019t have eyelids it may be hard to tell if your fish is snoozing, but there are a few other signs:<\/span><\/p>\n
A fish can become sleep-deprived, as well, if his sleep cycle is disturbed due to the environment, light, or aggressive fish. \u00a0Your sleep-deprived fish will settle on the bottom, looking stressed and possibly losing some of his colors.<\/span><\/p>\n
For more information on If fish can really sleep in a fish tank?<\/a> dive in here.<\/span><\/p>\n
Some types of fish are bottom dwellers or bottom feeders. \u00a0They may stay on the bottom of your tank to camouflage themselves and gather food debris or algae. \u00a0These freshwater bottom feeder fish may include:<\/span><\/p>\n
Additionally, some eels and most snails are bottom feeders.<\/span><\/p>\n
If your fish has a mouth that is located more to the bottom of his head, he is most likely a bottom feeder and will rest frequently on the bottom of your tank.<\/span><\/p>\n
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Fish are very sensitive to imbalances in their freshwater tanks. \u00a0From overcrowding to broken filtration equipment, a fish will become dull and sluggish, eventually laying on the bottom of his tank. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
While pH levels change regularly, the most common requirements are between 5.5 and 7.5 for your fish to thrive. \u00a0\u00a0A significant change in pH levels is very harmful to smaller or sick fish and may result in death. You can protect against potentially harmful changes in pH by understanding what your tank\u2019s normal levels are and testing anywhere from twice a week, which is the recommended interval, to once per month.<\/span><\/p>\n
PH changes in an otherwise stabilized tank can be caused by big changes in the d\u00e9cor, medications or other chemical additives, the addition of new fish or plants, or the need for a water change and cleaning or replacement of gravel or other substrates. \u00a0If the pH has changed after one of these events, you can observe the tank for a day or two while testing the levels to see if they return to normal. If the pH stabilizes again and your fish are not showing signs of stress or laying on the bottom of the tank, the problem has corrected itself and you can resume normal testing and monitoring of the levels. \u00a0If the fish are still showing signs of stress, you will need to address the pH levels and get them stabilized in a more aggressive way.<\/p>\n
Increases in PH levels can also adversely affect other chemical levels in your tank, such as ammonia.<\/span><\/p>\n
The standard acceptable level of ammonia in a freshwater aquarium is less than 1 ppm (part per million). \u00a0If the levels are above this parameter, your fish can suffer ammonia poisoning. Ammonia poisoning is one of the most common problems in aquariums and usually happens when setting up a new tank, when adding too many new fish to a tank, if a filter is malfunctioning, or when parasites or bacteria die off from treatment of disease. In addition to your fish laying on the bottom of the tank, you may see red streaks across its body, gills that have turned red or purple, sluggish behavior, and decreased appetite. \u00a0Death by ammonia poisoning is neither swift, not pleasant as the fish suffers from internal hemorrhaging. <\/span><\/p>\n
If your ammonia levels are above 1 ppm, immediate intervention is required. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
Second, only to ammonia on the list of lethal imbalances, nitrites will rise if the ammonia level has recently risen. \u00a0Like ammonia, elevated nitrites are caused by overfeeding and the biological overload of the tank. Sometimes, a fish suffering the effects of elevated nitrites may exhibit no symptoms at all. \u00a0Other fish who have progressed to nitrate poisoning may hover close to the filtration water outlets, gasp for breath close to the surface, breathe very rapidly as witnessed by rapid gill movement, and have a tannish color to the gills. He may be listless, and as the poisoning weakens him, he may lay at the bottom of the tank in displaying extreme stress; his body may be curled upwards into a \u201cC\u201d position. \u00a0The poisoning occurs internally when the nitrites do not allow the fish to metabolize oxygen in his blood properly. The fish\u2019s resistance to disease will be decreased, making him vulnerable to ich, bacterial infections, and fin rot. Because nitrites are even more deadly than ammonia in smaller amounts, the recommended level of nitrites is 0-.2mg\/l.<\/span><\/p>\n
If your nitrite levels are elevated, there are a few options to lower it safely.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Nitrates can affect freshwater fish if the levels rise above 20 ml\/l. \u00a0The rise of nitrates occurs usually in established tanks, as a result of improper cleaning, overfeeding, adding new fish, or changing the fish from one tank to another, but sudden drops in nitrates are lethal as well. If the rise has been gradual, the fish will display warning symptoms such as rapid gill movements indicating breathing distress, sluggishness, erratic and bizarre swimming patterns, and laying on the bottom of the tank. If the rise or drop is sudden, fish will die without warning in as little as twenty-four hours. \u00a0Even though the nitrate level may be high, you still must exercise caution in lowering it as a sudden drop will be just as harmful to the fish.<\/span><\/p>\n
High nitrates can be lowered gradually by:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Hardness in water refers to the amounts of metal ions, like magnesium and calcium. \u00a0The water hardness can affect the pH levels in the aquarium; the lower the hardness, the lower the pH. \u00a0Acceptable levels of hardness have a wide range, from 4-20 DH (degrees of hardness), depending on the species of fish. \u00a0Products are readily available to raise and lower the hardness of your water to help you achieve the right balance of pH. \u00a0Water osmosis units, water softening pillows, driftwood, peat, and bottled or rainwater are options to neutralize the hardness of your water. \u00a0For the most part, tap water is acceptable to use for most tropical fish, however. <\/span><\/p>\n
Maintaining proper oxygen levels in your fish tank is important not only for your fish but also for beneficial bacteria and plants. \u00a0The recommended level of oxygen should be above 7.0 mg\/l.<\/span><\/p>\n
If you suspect your oxygen levels are lower than your fish require, the easiest step is to do a 50% water change. \u00a0This is a temporary solution, however, because if you have not corrected the problem the levels will drop again. Monitor temperatures, keep the tank clean to remove oxygen-consuming algae<\/a>, and do not overcrowd the tank.<\/span><\/p>\n
1 – Is the fish laying on his side?<\/strong> If he is laying on his side, he could be experiencing stress. \u00a0Remove any possible stressors and check the water parameters. If he is trying to maneuver upright unsuccessfully, he may have swim bladder disease.<\/span><\/p>\n
2 – How long has the fish been laying on the bottom?<\/strong>\u00a0 The fish could be asleep, or if he has been in the same position for an extended period of time (a day or more), he could be sick. \u00a0Check water parameters; if they are normal, move him to a quarantine tank and medicate him according to any other symptoms you see.<\/span><\/p>\n
3 – Is the fish showing other symptoms?<\/strong> If he is gasping for air, displaying faded color, or showing blotchiness or streaks on his body, test the water immediately. \u00a0Small white spots on the fish are indicative of a parasitic process; medicate the tank.<\/span><\/p>\n
4 – Does he come up from the bottom to eat?<\/strong> He may be lethargic due to an imbalance in the water or just sleeping.<\/span><\/p>\n
5 – Is he laying still, or moving slowly?<\/strong> \u00a0Fish will go to the bottom of the tank to hide their eggs and sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n
6 – Is the fish displaying the movement of the gills, fins, and tail?<\/strong> \u00a0If not, your fish could be deceased. Try to net him and see if he struggles or becomes alert. <\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n
Unless other fish are displaying the same symptoms, remove the fish if he doesn\u2019t appear to be sleeping. \u00a0Keep him in quarantine and treat for possible disease process; unfortunately, tank mates will bully an injured or sick fish. \u00a0If the other fish in the tank are all displaying the same symptoms, it will be helpful to monitor the water and medicate the entire tank if indicated. <\/span><\/p>\n
Unfortunately, your fish may be reaching the end of his natural life cycle. \u00a0Unless you bred the fish at home, you won\u2019t know how old he was when you purchased him. \u00a0His life cycle may be cut short if he was wild-caught or has been through significant illnesses. \u00a0Fish have a wide variety of life spans, and even with the best care, some may pass away earlier than others.<\/span><\/p>\n
Some fish, such as bettas, spend a good deal of time laying on the bottom of their tank.<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 For other fish, this is an odd behavior. Ask the staff in the store where you purchase your fish what activity level you can expect in that specific species of fish.<\/span><\/p>\n
Set up specific times for your daily care routine.<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 During your routine feedings, check your equipment to be sure the filter is on, the lights are working and on a good day\/night cycle, and the temperature is ideal. \u00a0Use this time to monitor your fish and be sure they are all eating and acting normally.<\/span><\/p>\n
Set up weekly routines to clean and test your aquarium.<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 This is an essential part of keeping your tank and cannot be overlooked.<\/span><\/p>\n
Make sure your fish are compatible in every way.<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>Some species require different temperatures, while some like harder water, higher pH, and longer day or night light cycles. \u00a0You can never ask too many questions when you are buying your fish, and what may make one fish happy may make another fish sick.<\/span><\/p>\n
Start out slowly.<\/strong> <\/span>\u00a0As exciting as an aquarium full of new fish can be, remember that the tank needs to adjust slowly to the fish to keep the water parameters healthy and do not overstock it within the first week.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Conclusion:<\/span><\/h2>\n
Having a fish laying on the bottom of your aquarium is frightening. \u00a0While it may indicate a problem, these problems can often be fixed if they are caught early enough. \u00a0Monitoring your fish for changes in behavior, signs of illness or symptoms of imbalances in the water may be the key to keeping him off the bottom and swimming happily in his tank.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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