If your fish are swimming to the top of your aquarium and gasping for air, this is a sign of trouble. Here are ways to remedy this situation before it's too late.

No Air Gap at the Top of the Aquarium

If you are doing a water change, you must always leave a gap between the top of your tank and the water level. Oxygen is put into the water by the movement and splashing caused by your filter. The first thing to check is if you have a gap and your tank is not too full. If this is the case, either remove some water or try adding an air stone to take care of the problem.

Aquarium Water Not Conditioned

If you used tap water and didn’t let it condition long enough, your fish could be suffering from chlorine burn. It attacks the gill area of your fish, making it harder for them to bring in oxygen for breathing. If this is the case, go to your local pet store and pick up some chlorine remover and water conditioner. It is advisable to let the water sit for at least 24 hours before using it. It would also help to add Stress Coat to the water. This helps the fish replenish the slime on their bodies.

Aquarium Gravel Too Dirty

If your water remains cloudy for any length of time after a water change, then you most likely could have a problem in your substrate. It may have released ammonia which leads to the poisoning of your fish. This causes them to rise to the top of your aquarium seeking air. This problem could lead to an algae bloom.

The solution to this is to vacuum your gravel more often. You should ensure you have a more efficient filter that can capture more of the debris before it settles in the gravel. Staying away from under gravel filters is a good idea because you never know what gets trapped under them. You can also get several products at the local retailer that remove ammonia and seem to work really well.

Overcrowded Aquarium

Another cause for lack of oxygen is not enough air and filtration for the amount of fish in your aquarium. The solution is to reduce the amount of fish down to 1 inch of fish per gallon, or add more air and filtration. This is a problem faced in most African and South American cichlid tanks where the hobbyist adds more fish than what should be in that size of tank in order to curb the aggression of cichlids.

Too Much Fresh Water Added to an Aquarium

Scale down the amount of water changed to 10% - 25% every two weeks. Large water changes of over 25% take away too much of the good nitrifying bacteria that turns ammonia into less harmful nitrite and nitrates.

Using Sand as an Aquarium Substrate

If using sand as a substrate, the debris will eventually settle into the sand forming a barrier which prevents oxygen rich water from passing through. This causes the debris to decompose and build up harmful substances until they are finally released into the tank either from a water change or from any disturbance of the sand. The solution is to clean the sand when doing water changes, thus not allowing the sand to compact. It looks horrid to vacuum sand but if you want your fish to have a healthier life, it’s a must.

These are some of the more common causes of fish suffering from oxygen deprivation in an aquarium. If none of these recommendations seem to work, you have to do more intense research on the Internet. There are occasions when even the most advanced aquarists have to seek out answers.

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