Help Dead fish- Dimond goby - is there a more serious issue i need to check for?

Franny87 · Jan 9, 2022

Diamond goby acting strange. Added to the tank Thursday and everything was fine. Yesterday he was laying up the side of the tank and swam around the top but in the evening looked like he was gasping for air trying to jump out of tank. I thought his gills looked red (but I may have been wrong) so instantly done an ammonia test, I have a couple of ammonia tests so I double checked. It's not ammonia. Done a full parameter test pH was a little low, put a pH booster in. I read low pH can cause low oxygen so done a 10% water change i didnt have enough water made for a bigger change, pored it in from a height and put the wave maker at the top so it broke more of the surface water. I have a fluvel flex 123l . He was is calmer today and gills did not look red but still laying up the tank or in the corner. I was watching the tank checking on him and looking at the other fish (who seem fine) he swam hard to the top out and hit the lid floated to the bottom on his side, darted up again, hit the lid, splashed across the tank then floated down, this time he was dead. I had an ammonia spike a couple months back from making a stupid stupid error with a bit of the the stone and lost most of my fish, so i am really worried. What are some possible reasons, is there anything else i need to do? currently i have a juvenile tang, do plan on getting a bigger tank next year for when shes bigger, couple of clowns, 2 shrimp and a hermit, and a couple tinny hermits.

Jay Hemdal · Jan 9, 2022

Franny87 said:
Diamond goby acting strange. Added to the tank Thursday and everything was fine. Yesterday he was laying up the side of the tank and swam around the top but in the evening looked like he was gasping for air trying to jump out of tank. I thought his gills looked red (but I may have been wrong) so instantly done an ammonia test, I have a couple of ammonia tests so I double checked. It's not ammonia. Done a full parameter test pH was a little low, put a pH booster in. I read low pH can cause low oxygen so done a 10% water change i didnt have enough water made for a bigger change, pored it in from a height and put the wave maker at the top so it broke more of the surface water. I have a fluvel flex 123l . He was is calmer today and gills did not look red but still laying up the tank or in the corner. I was watching the tank checking on him and looking at the other fish (who seem fine) he swam hard to the top out and hit the lid floated to the bottom on his side, darted up again, hit the lid, splashed across the tank then floated down, this time he was dead. I had an ammonia spike a couple months back from making a stupid stupid error with a bit of the the stone and lost most of my fish, so i am really worried. What are some possible reasons, is there anything else i need to do? currently i have a juvenile tang, do plan on getting a bigger tank next year for when shes bigger, couple of clowns, 2 shrimp and a hermit, and a couple tinny hermits.

Sounds to me that the goby had some issues, and the stress of moving it to a new tank caused extra stress. What you saw today could be termed "death throes".

The problem is that there is no way to tell what the goby died from, or if it will prove contagious to your other fish.

Jay