# Erratic, fast swimming..



## Burd (Apr 10, 2011)

Jabu-Jabu seems to be swimming around frantically, crazily... crashing into other fish, always stuck at the side of the tank ramming his head into it. He'll do this for 10-20 seconds and then stop for 5-10 seconds to breathe heavily with his gills flaring.

Is something wrong? What should I do for him?


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## Canuck Fins (Oct 5, 2010)

Can you give us more details on your tank? There's a sticky with information: size of tank, tankmates, temp, etc. All those good details will help. Have you tested the water for ammonia, etc?

Turn out the light over the tank. It may help calm him down a little too.


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## Burd (Apr 10, 2011)

I turned his light off several hours ago.

He's in a 10 gallon tank, heated, lit, filtered. It has an aeration stone but I don't turn it on but once a day for a few hours and it hasn't been on at all today. I haven't tested the water but the ammonia alert thing I have on the tank is between .05 and <.025 so I have to assume at least he's fine there. The other fish also seem fine.

He's got 6 zebra danios and a few ghost shrimp in there with him. Tank has plants, all live.

I'm kind of leaning towards he's choking. :/


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## roypattonphoto (Mar 19, 2011)

sure hes not seeing reflection and going into attack mode?

put a piece of paper on the side of the tank see if it stops..


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## chelsmarie23 (Jan 3, 2011)

I agree with roypattonphoto. He might be seeing his reflection. He may also be itching for some reason too.


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## Pekemom (Jan 27, 2011)

Any improvement, Byrd?


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

I would do a water change. Ammonia should ideally be at zero, and never above .25

Does he see his reflection anywhere?


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## Burd (Apr 10, 2011)

I think he either must've been seeing one hell of a reflection (he never has acted like THAT before) or been choking on his food. He's fine this morning it seems.

Thanks for the help guys.


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## Harley (Mar 20, 2011)

Harleys done the similar things with his reflection. I also recently put up one of those plant looking wallpapers on the back of his tank. He went super insane, flaring like I've never seen. I eventually couldn't take seeing him like that anymore and took it off. He calmed down in about 5 minutes.


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## Thunderloon (Feb 6, 2011)

Burd said:


> I haven't tested the water but the ammonia alert thing I have on the tank is between .05 and <.025 so I have to assume at least he's fine there. The other fish also seem fine.


The in-water submerged ammonia sensor reads UNBOUND ammonia, it does not read the actual level. You can have an actual level of 7.0ppm but using prime have that little sensor only read light green-yellow. If that sensor is not cold-and-bold yellow you have an ammonia problem that must be immediately addressed.

High ammonia levels can stall the nitrate cycle because the bacteria that eat the ammonia go to sleep until the ammonia goes away.

If you use anything that says it makes ammonia "safe" and that sensor goes off of yellow you should immediately start water changes as if your bio-filtration died.

The API liquid test kit is the simplest to use to measure ammonia, store it in cool room temp.


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## Burd (Apr 10, 2011)

Interesting. That's actually good to know. Perhaps my little sensor is broken or doesn't work properly. I've stuck it in a completely 100% new water, fish-free tank and it's been a very pale green ever since it touched water. Doesn't seem to change. Thanks for that.

Either way, both of my fish seem to be doing just fine now. I did a 40%ish water change on the tank to clean out some of the plant debris and it seems to perhaps have helped, too. I think Jabu-Jabu must've just over stressed himself from seeing his reflection or something. He's fine today and very much back to his charismatic self.


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