Stressed after water change

[cabbysarus]

I did my first water change last night for my axies, and now some of them have their gills turned forward. Did I stress them out? How do I make it better?

 

[birdsong]

Did you dose the dechlorinator correctly many new to water changes overdose th dechlor

 

[cabbysarus]

I believe I did. I used a 5 gallon bucket and only filled to the mark on the cup for 5 gallons... if I did how do I fix it?

 

[LSuzuki]

Are you sure this is a change from what the gills were before? Many axies have their gills naturally forward, especially when they are young. Do you have pictures?

 

[silk]

How did you put the new water into the tank? If you just tossed it in the current might have disturbed them. I siphon the water back into my tanks or, on the higher-up ones, gently move the water little by little via a bowl.

Was the new water the same temp as the water in the tank?

 

[cabbysarus]

I siphoned the water back into the tank from the bucket, and had the hose against the wall so it would hopefully not make too much of a current. The new water was a bit colder than the water in the tank, but we were hoping that would actually be a good thing because the water in the tank was a bit warm. It was only like a 3 degree difference though.

 

[birdsong]

I think you did everything right what brand was the dechlorinator? That's the only variable I can think of maybe test the water before you put it in next time just to rule that out

 

[cabbysarus]

The dechlorinator is aqueon brand. Do you mean to test the new water before I put it in? I don't have a chlorine test kit nor could I find one for an aquarium online.

 

[birdsong]

I mean test for ammonia etc. it's unlikely that it is the cause but it's worth knowing. I have crappy city water and do %90 water changes weekly and my little guys don't seem to mind . If you really want to get to the bottom of it you can research different water adjustments . I.e. Hardness ,etc and try to tweak them for your axies but from a little research I've done and personal exp these things matter very little . I just check ammonia nitrite , nitrate , and ph daily to ensure there health. And aqueon should be fine as long as is dosed correctly sorry if I haven't been the best help

 

[cabbysarus]

You've been lots of help. Thank you. Its good to know I did things properly. They don't seam to be stressed out anymore, but I will be doing another water change later today. Maybe its just that they're grumpy little creatures that don't like their world disturbed lol

 

[birdsong]

I've found that we stress to much with our pets and just need to take things slow and not over react. You actually do things "more correctly" than i do even now. I don't siphon my water in i simply pour into a small strainer and they often have stressed signs but they chill out within afew minutes i find feeding them right after helps them calm down . But it sounds like you do everything correctly and just as a last suggestion make sure your water is of approximately the same temperature as the old water you can get a floating thermometer for a few bucks at any pet store