Fish swimming at top

Question
I changed the water in my 10 gallon tank Saturday. My 4 tiger barbs are swimming at he top alot and around the fake plant in the tank. I used aqua safe (1 teaspoon) when I changed 75% of the water. So I put some more in it today. By what I've read online the ammonia in the tank could be off. I used ammonia clear. (Tablets that fizz like alkaselzer) I'm really worried. What do you suggest I do?

Answer
Hi Vicki;

Poor guys. They're in shock. It was just too much for them to change 75% of the water at a time. The new water coming in may have been just enough different in chemistry to bother them. All you can do is wait and hope they recover okay in the next day or so. Always make sure the new water is the same temperature as the old water too. Temperature shock can be just as devastating as water chemistry shock.

Change only 25% at a time and the fish can usually handle it okay. Smaller changes made more frequently will help to avoid this problem in the future. All tanks really need a weekly 25% change so that the water chemistry is more consistent. Tank water chemistry will change over time as fish live in it so the new water coming in can be quite a bit different.

I hope they do okay...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins