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I have made a strange observation the last couple of days in one of my big paro tanks.
I have a 60 liter with 10 P.nagyi and around 10 boraras. It has been running for around 9 months and seems quite fine. Its the tank that I described here https://parosphromenus-project.org/en/forum/26-Pictures/1312-my-p-nagyi-cherating-home.htmlA couple of days ago I noticed that some fish very going to the surface for air – they came from a hide in the bottom, I presumed a cave, rushed to the surface for air and back down again. Not that unusual I thought, – they do build bubble nests 🙂 so the air has to come from somewhere. So I thought they were probably building a bubble nest.
Then I noticed it was not just one fish, the female seemed to do it as well. I saw a male and a female.
But then suddenly there was another fish doing it from somewhere else in the tank, – okay 3 fishes now building a bubble nest.
Now 2 days after .. they are still doing it, – and there are definitely more fish, – many fish. It seems like, maybe once a minute theres a fish coming up for air.I somehow dont think anymore it for bubblenests … but then why ?
I mean, going for air regularly as many other labyrints is not what they do ??Did I change something recently, – yes, – I actually pulled out a filter which has been giving slow filtration for a while. I decided to take it up because it had ceased flowing.
And I have added fresh leaves.But to me it seems that in this tank, – the fishes are using their labyrint for getting air als any other labyrintfish..
I have a video, I might upload it, – but the quality is not that good, but it still shows the frequency of which the fishes go to the surface.
Have anyone experienced the same, or have an explanation ????
I can say that, I do not think the tank or the boraras look as if there some problem with quality, the boraras seems to act normal, – maybe a tiny bit quicker breath, but its hard to tell really. But not uncomfortably much.
Heres a clip – I cut the time together a bit. At app. 4 seconds (in the right corner) and 16 seconds (left side of tank) you see a fish going up 🙂
The real clip is maybe 2 minutes long.Might the nagyis be ill? I admit I’m not sure whether that has been stated as a plausible cause of obsessive labryinth behavior, but considering that water pollution, ph shifts, and high temperatures (all of which cause stress) will also make parosphromenus species do that, it wouldn’t surprise me if illness was stressing them enough to trigger air breathing.
I have seen this behaviour before several times, but in two situations only: (1) when the oxygen content of the water had become insufficient, or (2) when the pH has been lowered too quickly too much.
Paros are normally not used to that, since they live in slowly flowing waters with a good oxygen level. In tanks with still water sometimes the solved oygen may be reduced too much, and then they use their labyrinth. The same holds for changes of the pH. Quick changes are out in normal conditions. They can stand it, but they must use their labyrinths. They are equipped to do so, but not as a permanent method to get clear with wrong water conditions.
If this is the case one should act. The fish are not ill but the danger is given that they become ill if this situation continues over a longer period.
I have a supposition what the reason is in this tank that you describe (and which we can see now ourselves in the video):
It may have its cause in the introduction of the many new leaves. There are lots of leaves to be seen and they may have been introduced too quickly in too fresh a quality. In my view (1) the leaves are brought in too big a quantity compared to that rather small tank. in nature, there are such big layers of leaves, of course, but the water is running; its quantity is by far greater than in this small tank. But I presume (2) that the leaves were not handled before sufficiently by putting them in boiling water for some minutes. If this is done it is impossible for the pH to fall too quickly and it is equally impossible that the level of oxygen falls to quickly and too much for a fish that is not used to use its labyrinth. The Boraras breathing quicker than usual seem to indicate the same.
My proposal: Remove the leaves as soon as possible, boil them for some minutes, make a 60% water change and introduce the leaves again in half that quantity. I should predict that the strange behaviour ends almost presently.
Thank you Peter, – it does sound logic really.
I think also the fact that I took out the filtration has an influence here. The combination of things probably.
So I have taken out some of the leaves, and for the moment added airbubbles. I will prepare the old filter again and add it.
But it has somehow rocked my idea that paroes do not use their labyrint at all for these purposes, – of course they do when needed to.
The leaves by the way were not fresh, – and they were boiled, – but perhaps too little, I think that may be the case.My quindecim] once did this after I put in too much beech leaves.
According to Anton Lamboj (an ichtyologist) paros do not possess a labyrinth organ, in contrast to all other Macropodusinae. He dissected quite some of them but did not find any labyrinth organ. He said it was severely reduced also in Malpulutta, and to a lesser extent in Trichopsis, while Pseudosphromenus and Macropodus had an okay one, and Betta a good organ.
I only use a filter when I have really big amounts of leaves, to prevent oxygen deprivation. Otherwise a tank without too much fish really doesn’t need a filter. Out of my nine tanks only two have a filter running at the moment.
I would suggest you to take out most of the leaves, but don’t boil the rest. You’ll destroy the cell structure, making decomposition a lot easier. Leave in a part of the leaves and add an air pump. Wait for a week or so and put in more leaves. Repeat until all leaves are added, and then remove the air pump.
[quote=”bartian” post=2584](…) According to Anton Lamboj (an ichtyologist) paros do not possess a labyrinth organ, in contrast to all other Macropodusinae. He dissected quite some of them but did not find any labyrinth organ.(…)[/quote]
I appreciate of Anton very much but his opinion or “finding” in this case is nonsense. Paros do possess labyrinth organs which are completely developed. What Helene reports is a proof of this, and the labyrinths could be found by dissection of the body, too. Therefore, they could live for quite a long time in water with a very much reduced content of oxygen; they could not without a labyrinth. This organ seems to be be smaller as in other anabantoids (as are Paros), but it is existent and works if needed.
Maybe, the natural milieu of Paros would result in thousands of years in the complete disappearance of the labyrinth, but hitherto it has not. So far, it has only led to its non-use under normal conditions.
Greetings to Anton.
Yes, Bartian, – I understand your point about filtration, but to be honest – in the bigger tanks (60 ) of which I have 3 now with groups of paros (10-12) and where the two of them now is running with a small slow filter, the ones with the filter seem to feel better.
I only took the one out of this one because I needed it in another tank, and it seemed to also have lost a lot of power. But I will prefer this to an air pump, which makes too much noise for a living room tank.
And I think they like a small current.Its really interesting what you both write about the labyrint organ.
@Peter
Not that I don’t believe you, but did you see the organ yourself or did you read it in a scientific article?Hello, I have never see my fishes when they are going to the surface for the “fresh air” – but I had many cases when addiction of too many organic “thing” to aquarium couses “non-air” sytuation – In your case Helene, we can see why they are in the labirynth fishes family 🙂
Greetings!I can say that after I took out a lot of the leaves + put in the filter the behaviour has stopped 🙂
Unfortunately I then cant say what precisesely they reacted to, but I am happy it stopped[quote=”bartian” post=2587]@Peter
Not that I don’t believe you, but did you see the organ yourself or did you read it in a scientific article?[/quote]Bartian, I saw the labyrinth once at a large dead male (true) deissneri that was dissected. It was confirmed by Walter Foersch to me personally who had no deissneri but tweediei-like forms. But: Alas! no, I had no motive to write an article about that since it was not doubted that Paros have labyrinths. I read that opinion here for the first time. The burden of proof is with Anton, I think!
@Peter
Thank you. I was sceptical when Anton told me, and told him we all thought they do have the labyrinth. He said he dissected multiple species but didn’t find a labyrinth. Perhaps the size of the organ differs between species?
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