Aquarium owners struggle with fish health and tank conditions
97 posts across 2 communities in the last 30 days; 99% from r/Aquariums.
“Hey everyone, I attached a video of my guppies above. I’m trying to figure out if this behavior is aggressive/fighting or if it's normal social behavior/hierarchy establishing. Tank Details: Tank size: 10-Gallon Column Tank Tank mates: 3 Male Guppies (1 Mixed Yellow Leopard…”
“Something is acidifying my tank to a point where my fish are showing distress. My tap water is around an 7.8-8.2 range. I have a heavily planted 10g, about 2 months old, “cycled” for about a month. Water parameters below, tested with API freshwater masters. Ammonia 0.0 Nitrite…”
“I didnt know i cant post videos in comments so here i am. Here is the main post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Aquariums/s/pHsWlnNyVH”
Multiple posts indicate confusion and concern over fish health, including shell condition, pH levels, and behavior (e.g., aggression vs. mating). Owners seek clarity on proper care, suggesting gaps in accessible guidance for aquarium maintenance.
SOURCES (60)
“I just watched my red lipstick goby slowly eat a fully alive, healthy adult cherry shrimp. Wtf man. I now have trust issues. Anyone else seen this happen before?? submitted by /u/grkexien [link] [comments]”
“So as you can see in the video, the fish seems as though it's struggling to swim and i'm wondering why. I did do a water change yesterday, but i made sure water was at correct temp, and everything before i added it to the tank (it was also only a partial water change, i took only 30% out). the two other fish in the tank are more active than normal but this fish in particular keeps sinking to the bottom, laying there for 5-10 mins and then swimming back up, but obviously it's struggli”
“They’ve been with me for about 2 months already, and they’re pretty chill for the most part. They usually ignore other types of food like grindal worms or bloodworms, but now they seem quite active, but not hostile, after I added baby brine shrimp to my tank. Today I learned they want baby brine shrimp. submitted by /u/RichMax18 [link] [comments]”
Are my fish happy submitted by /u/Icy-Rock-7593 [link] [comments]
“One of the Congo tetras enjoys camping near the filter output and catch teensy weensy snackbites that come flowing out. Everyone out and about enjoying the evening! submitted by /u/Onawhiskeyhigh [link] [comments]”
“I’ve noticed a tear in the fin, looks like bullying to me. He’s a small little male who looks frail compared to the two big fat females, seems they won’t let him eat. I’ve stuck him in fish jail for the moment to separate them and to fatten him up, do you think he’ll be okay in here for a while? Thanks submitted by /u/Mysterious_South5536 [link] [comments]”
“So I started about 2 years ago with 4 angelfish in my 75 gallon tank. All from babies. Now the male is extremely aggressive. The other two angelfish were attacked and I had to euthanize one. Is it just a lost cause at this point? Is there anything I can do to help with this aggression? I planned on adding fish to the tank before they started happening so now I’m stuck with two angelfish that want to kill everything. They even try to attack the glass if we touch the tank or even come near it  ”
“Hey everyone, I attached a video of my guppies above. I’m trying to figure out if this behavior is aggressive/fighting or if it's normal social behavior/hierarchy establishing. Tank Details: Tank size: 10-Gallon Column Tank Tank mates: 3 Male Guppies (1 Mixed Yellow Leopard, 2 other Guppies [Cant remember species]) + 6 Neon Tetras History & Timeline: 1. Original Setup: I started with just 1 Black Guppy (who loved swimming with my 6 Neon Tetras). Added Yellow Guppy: I added the Mixe”
“Is there anything I can try? I was thinking a salt bath? No similar behaviours in the other corys yet. submitted by /u/TheLasyMum [link] [comments]”
“King Missile, my rescue fish. Brought back from the brink of death and living it up in his vintage 50s metaframe tank! His friends are 2 ghost shrimp, a few blue dreams, and 2 freshwater clams. Just did a vacuum, water change, and moved around the decor. Looking forward to the new java fern growing in and getting some more plants in here!! Does anyone have suggestions for low maintenance plants? I dont do CO2, no ferts in the substrate, i do dose the water once in a while. Im thinking something”
“Only just noticed it. He's sitting on the bottom breathing very heavily. pH 7 ammonia and nitrite zero. Other fish acting normally. I just trimmed a few plants I wonder if I knocked him but I think I would have spotted and they're so skittish I'd be very surprised submitted by /u/barrygrintles [link] [comments]”
“I just bought two Mollies to go in my tank which currently has guppies in, and they both seem to be together swimming up and down. Is this normal behaviour or is something wrong? submitted by /u/SpagBol25 [link] [comments]”
“Hello everyone, I really need some advice. I have a 90 gallon planted tank that until this morning housed an adolescent angelfish, 10 pristella tetras, 12 rummynose tetras, 6 julii cories, and 6 amano shrimp. I have been looking for a second centrepiece fish and settled on a young threadfin acara. I added him this afternoon and kept the lights off for a while so everyone could settle down from the chaos of adding. However, once I had the lights back on after a couple hours, every time the angel”
“Please see my original post above - desperate for some insight. submitted by /u/Healthy_Purpose4974 [link] [comments]”
“I have always been keen on keeping a predator and see it's behaviour, like how it hunts, stalks, and it's growth, maturity and all. Never had a big enough tank for one but may eventually, so would like to know how others feel. Would love to read about your monster as well🤍 submitted by /u/No-Television-4122 [link] [comments]”
“Believe it or not this is a green phantom pleco that I almost never see. submitted by /u/Zampano85 [link] [comments]”
“I went over to a friend’s house and we noticed their angel fish had something coming from its gills. Google is unsure of what it could be. submitted by /u/under-reverts [link] [comments]”
“Hey everyone, I unexpectedly became the owner of a pair of African Butterfly Fish today after a friend gifted them to me! They are absolutely fascinating, but I want to make sure I'm doing right by them. My main priority right now is establishing a solid feeding routine. I prefer using a pellet diet as their primary staple. Because they are strict surface insectivores, I know the food needs to float and be highly nutritious. Thus, • Which specific pellet brands and formulas have your butterf”
“My tank is a work in progress but I love these glow in the dark rocks. Hope they don’t kill my fish. submitted by /u/Rough-Ingenuity-4209 [link] [comments]”
“So I'll start by giving my test results NO₂: 0 NO₃: 15 GH: 8 KH: 6 pH: 7.0 Cl₂: 0 Ammonia: > 0.05 Temp: 23°c / 73.4°F Tank size: 179L/ \~47.3 gallons I have one peppered Cory that is very concerning. His body looks visually normal, no abnormalities at all. But he is not really moving much. He did eat but not much, mostly just stays in one place. He has tried swimming to the surface once or twice but doesn't reach the surface and just stops and sinks back down. He is very big, so he is”
“He was fine just last night but now it seems he can’t swim properly and kinda just does a loop if he moves. submitted by /u/Fuz090 [link] [comments]”
“Rate it if you like I'm cool Dwarf gouramis big gouramis albino Cory's couple of patties black and orange some angel fish too submitted by /u/Fun_Tax_9463 [link] [comments]”
“recently bought these white cloud mountain minnows for my tank. noticed that this one is noticeably larger and more plump than the rest. unsure whether just female or also carrying eggs submitted by /u/L04B04 [link] [comments]”
“I usually check my tank at night and I noticed this tetra doing this weird spazzing thing while it was sleeping last night. I have a school of 11 and it’s the only one doing it. Does anyone know what this is Tank: 10 gallon Inhabitants: 5 amano, nerite snail, honey gourami, 11 ember tetras. Nitrite/ammonia:0 Sponge filter submitted by /u/brandoncrowlope [link] [comments]”
“Okay so I got this fish tank app a while ago because I really want a real aquarium someday but I’m terrified I’ll just kill everything. Figured if I can keep these virtual ones alive and actually learn the whole process then maybe I won’t be a total disaster when I get the real thing. Yeah… not going great. The app texts me to feed them and I somehow still miss every single one. Like I’ll glance at my phone later and realize three notifications came through while I was at work and I just never s”
“Not sure if the texture on the edge of his pectoral fins are a sign of Velvet. Can anyone help me out? submitted by /u/glaciergary [link] [comments]”
What could be wrong submitted by /u/Alert-Gift-8716 [link] [comments]
“Something is acidifying my tank to a point where my fish are showing distress. My tap water is around an 7.8-8.2 range. I have a heavily planted 10g, about 2 months old, “cycled” for about a month. Water parameters below, tested with API freshwater masters. Ammonia 0.0 Nitrite 0.0 Nitrate 10.0 pH 6.0 In the tank is a moderate amount of plants, some driftwood from my lfs, one dragon stone rock, emmersed potho, 3 amano shrimp, 6 Pygmy cory, 10 chili rasbora, and a honey gourami. I cannot find the”
What should I do? submitted by /u/Silver_Bullfrog_3375 [link] [comments]
“Since yesterday my female sajica cichlid (tbar) has been behaving differently. She breaths faster and harder. Moves really slow. Hides much, to the point where i thought she must’ve jumped out. She has a bit of old damage presumably from the male which she had fry with before but i havent seen him hurt hurt her or chase her and she doesn’t seem scared of him either. None of the other fish in the tank behave differently. Can anyone please help me? submitted by /u/AnnualRip8834 [link]”
“Warning: pictures of both dead fish at the end. All pictures have been taken a few days before the fish died and as you can see (or as I can tell, at least) they weren't showing any signs of illness. Hi everyone, I have had both my ancistrus die less than a month apart, 26 days to be exact. I have had this tank set up for over a year and the two male ancistrus since December. I got them as babies and they grew together, they never showed signs of aggressivity towards each other. They also ne”
“I have this aquarium with 10 tetras rest but this one fish is swimming alone and showing constant chewing motion submitted by /u/universal_daddy_ [link] [comments]”
“Exactly how dangerous is this for the fish? Obviously its horrible but can the fish just be put back in its original tank or is being housed in the jewelry a death sentence no matter? submitted by /u/USCSS_Nostromo_ [link] [comments]”
“My Pygmy Corydora and my Yellow Shrimp eating a Freeze dried tubifex worm submitted by /u/NatiBlaze [link] [comments]”
“This morning I found my 55 gallon tank like this. Assuming it has something to do with my little fuckass cat sometimes jumping on it. I have a Blood parrot cichlid inside. I know this is a ticking bomb and I need to go get a new tank today, and I can’t leave him In there for the time the new tank will need to cycle. Would he be okay to go straight into the new tank if I put all the water, gravel and sponge filters directly in the new tank? submitted by /u/cheetothebish [link] [”
“Chernobyl = //Rescue// Snowflake Clownfish [1⅜ >> 1¾] Bucky = Normal Ocellaris Clownfish [1¼ >> 1⅜] Chie = Cherub Angelfish [⅞ >> 1⅜] Hank = Fiji Blue-Spotted Puffer [2 >> 2⅛] Chernobyl & Chie are really putting in size rather quickly. submitted by /u/MesugakiBratTamer [link] [comments]”
“Are my garra rufas fuckin or fightin? submitted by /u/ambahjay [link] [comments]”
“Warning: dead fish description :( I'm looking for ideas because I’m struggling to understand what is happening with my rose tetras (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus). Tank: Juwel Lido 200, set up on 19 August 2026. Stock: 16 neon tetras, originally 12 rose tetras, plus nerite snails. The rose tetras were added on 16 September. Current temperature is around 25.5 °C. Recent water tests: NO2: 0 NH4: around 0.02–0.05 mg/l NO3: low/moderate pH roughly 7.2 on a test strip The neon tetras currently appear n”
“A quick review: A while back I posted about wanting to rescue a bala shark which was being kept in a coldwater 30 litre aquarium with one goldfish (and previously a plecko). I did a mountain of research and weighed up the pros and cons of getting her and doing a temporary smaller set up for just a few months. Of course this would be controversial, because bala sharks grow to be over a foot long and as a shaoling fish they need TONS of space to house a good number of them, not to mention them bei”
“This gourami likes sleeping on the sand with its Cory friend what a cutiepie submitted by /u/ambrosia234 [link] [comments]”