dwarf guarmi sits down and is vertical in tank

Question
QUESTION: Hi Chris,
I just added a dwarf guarmi to my 20 gal tank and the 2nd day i had him i noticed very stange behavior. He actually sits on his back end on the bottom of the tank. He almost looks dead until i move someething near him and he then swims. But once again he slowly drifts to the bottom of the tank and just sits there. Almost like a mermaid at times with his back end to the side. I tested my water and my Ph was low about 6.5 we just raised it to about 7.0.
Here are my other readings- Nitrate is always a problem- cant figure it out- it is high safe around 40
Nitrite is safe, hardness is moderate about 60, Alkalinity is low between 0-80 and the Ph is around 7.0. Please help me get an idea of what i can do for my little friend and please give some advice on lowering my nitrate and raising my alkalinity. Water temp is 74 degrees. Thanks for your help! Cariann

ANSWER: Hi Cariann;

Your new little friend is probably experiencing the effects of shock from getting a new home. It sounds like a problem with his swim bladder too. Give him a chance to rest and see how it goes. Hopefully he will recover and do okay.

It's best not to alter the pH chemically in any aquarium. It causes fluctuations that happen too quickly to be healthy for the fish. What you are looking for is a stable pH, not a certain reading. A pH of 6.5 isn't necessarily bad at all. You just don't want to see it continuously dropping much lower than that. Making weekly 25% water changes and gravel vacuumings is the best way to help keep your water chemistry stable. Once a week, every week, remove 25% of your aquarium water while vacuuming the gravel. Fresh new water replaces buffers and other trace elements to keep the tank on a more even water chemistry on a long term basis. If necessary, do them twice a week. Especially if your tap water tends to be on the soft side and can't seem to hold the pH.

Water changes and gravel vacuuming is the way to lower nitrates too. Nitrates are the end result of your biological filtration. As the beneficial bacteria consumes wastes it produces nitrates as a by-product. If there is a lot of crud coming up out of the gravel when you vacuum, that's where the excess nitrate comes from. The bacteria is continuously trying to break down any excess as well as trying to remove the new waste made by the fish. The more waste that is being processed, the more by-product (nitrate) there will be. If you have already been changing water and vacuuming the gravel, take a look at how much you feed the fish. Your fish should be able to totally consume all food from all areas of the tank within 5 minutes after the food goes in. Feed once a day. Avoid overcrowding too. They both lead to the excess waste that makes nitrate.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Chris- I am very worried about my little guy. Another way of describing what he is doing is he sits or lies down on the bottom then fights his way to the top -sucks some air and then as he tries to swim his back end falls down below him. I don't think he is going to make it and i just feel terrible- hes so cute. He sure is a fighter- he is giving it his all. His back end just keeps bringing him down. I put him in a separate netted area in the tank- a breading net so the other fish don't pick on him. He is just peacefully laying on the bottom- the strange thing is he still has an appetite and still eats???
Any other suggestions?  Thanks for all your help! I truly appreciate it! Cariann

Answer
Hi Cariann;

Poor guy. It's definitely a swim bladder problem. Separating him is about the best you can do. It will help him rest without being picked on and be able to get to the top without struggling so hard. Here is a link to information about it;

http://www.netpets.com/fish/reference/freshref/swimbldr.html

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins