Gas Bubble.. Now What?

[louu]

So my story goes I was cleaning gunk off of the heater and I still don't know what the gunk is... But anyway I was scooping fallen bits up with a net when I bumped the sponge filter that was accumilating bacteria when as I bumped it this small cloud of what I can only guess was liquid gas? It was a small hazey cloud that looked like clear smoke in water.

I then recalled a post I had read ages ago, that toxic gas can collect under untouched surfaces quickly scooped priscilla up and put him in a bucket of new water and all was well though he got very sluggish and confused (got stuck in a corner) and had signs of poisoning (red scales, rapid breathing).

So my question is what do I do now with my tank? How would you clean it? Or am I completely wrong about what happened?

[paul]

My first thought when I read the topic heading and subheading was: "open a window and hope that no-one was around to notice, plus maybe a change of diet is in order" .... however, sponge filters will pick up tiny waste particles, these aren't necessarily toxic, but the sponge will need a clean out/rinsing off every now and then (it is collecting the tank's rubbish afterall). When you bump/squeeze the sponge it will release some of these particles looking like a cloud. This is the most likely thing you have seen when cleaning your tank.

I wonder if your fishes reaction was to the shock of a sudden change of environment, rathervthan poisonig. Did you dump priscilla into a cold bucket of water? Have a chance to acclimatise? How is he now?

Although unlikely, in case there was a toxic build up in your filter, I would suggest a 100% water change and squeeze out the sponge from the filter. Rinsing the filter in aged/treated water will dilute any potential toxin without destroying the beneficial bacteria that have colonised the sponge.

[Bettarazzi]

Ditto. I doubt it could have been a toxic cloud.

[louu]

Hmm your probably right, but I was so sure that it came from underneath the foot and it wasn't in use since I first turned it on for 30 secs and it scared the bajeebas out of my fish. It looked like gas does in the air but in water and my fish instantly got red speckles on his side. I suppose he could have gotten tired when I caught him but how I caught him was he got stuck (as in couldn't go forward and didn't turn there were two ways he could have gone) beside the filter in the corner. The water I put him in was water from another tank heated and aged/dechlorinated.

I am not trying to discount what your saying, like I said your probably pretty close to the mark but I am just left a bit confused especially about the red marks which he used to get if I was late on a water change from ammonia (old little tank).

When fish are stressed and are being chased by a net do they ever break out in these? This is what I am wondering happened because I actually noted that part of his body that morning as he had just recovered from ammonia burn (cycled tank not so cycled) but he is really sensitive to that sort of thing.

So considering it's very likely to be something trivial would you say it is safe to dump the water just in case keeping the gravel in a wet with tank water and then filling it up agian and fingers crossed I can quickly cycle it and put my fish back in?

Thanks for your help I seem to come out with the silliest things :embarrass:

[Bettarazzi]

Those red speckles sound a bit odd. Don't suppose you could take a pic of what you mean.

[louu]

Okayyy. Unfortunately my computer won't recognise my camera so no photo. He occasionally gets these speckles instead of red streaks though I have only seen them one at a time. What it is, is One scale turns bright red very deep like red ink from a ballpoint, just a single scale. The red is the same as the streaks only a bit more intense (he doesnt currently have streaks or any marks aside from the speckles) he has about six of them and they appeared sometime between bumping the filter and the moment I put him in new water I know this because I checked his body for signs of ammonia burn (we had had a spike but healed fully) and the as he was swimming out of the net into new water I noticed them

So I am hoping this is descriptive enough to depict what's going on without photos.

Just so you aren't wondering I have been quite sick recently for some time and I wasn't in a good position for bi-weekly 100% water changes so there were many times it was left a little late and he got ammonia burn this only happened few times over a maybe 9 months but often enough that I can use words like 'usually' when refering to the situation

Sorry about the massive ramblingness apparently I can't write small posts...

[Bettarazzi]

And these red speckles come and go? I haven't experienced anything like this in my fish. Nor does it sound familiar from anything I've read. Sorry.

[louu]

they only appear if ammonia is high as far as I know, I just figured it was normal... He never seems to mind them they go dark after a day or two and then fade away.

Maybe he is just 'special'? I can't think of what else it might be though once One of his scales turned very dark indeed almost black a day or two after a water change but it also faded away it happened once more very soon after the first one appeared.

I have only seen speckles a few times.

I am now wondering if maybe the sponge filter was leaking fluid. Because I did check for ammonia just a couple days before and it was at 0

Maybe it is just a strange coincidence or the speckles show up when he is stressed and isn't actually ammonia burn that would fit