lol no idea dude. i couldn't even recognise a stomatella today... i'm slacking! my mind is going or something...

I took some of the fish out and put them in a separate bin with water from my other tank. I have the bin aerated and there is no detectable ammonia in that bin. I checked my main tank for ammonia and my test says it is 0 but my tomato clown is still struggling for air. I have been battling this since this morning do I stand a chance or is the damage already done? All of the fish are still alive(other than the wrasse which perished last night)Should I continue with water changes or stop?

I'd be tempted to do another water change. Just to dilute whatever is potentially causing any problems.

Just my 2 cents.

Christy :)

Thanks to everyone who has posted here and if anyone else has any suggestions or experiences with this don't be shy. Everyone is still alive and my fingers are crossed. I will update as more information is available. BTW what kind of timeframe do I have here?

What do you mean?? I wouldn't keep those fish in buckets forever :wink: Do your water change, aerate the living crap out of it and put the fish back in. See how it goes.

Have you got some good aeration in the bucket as well??

I have aeration everywhere! They have only been in the bin for about an hour(with heater,airstone and powerhead) I meant what kind of timeframe for survival.

Well if it was an oxygenation problem thats a hard one to call. Sometimes fish can survive that sometimes they survive it for a few days and then languish. If it was something else, then I'd say by doing some water changes and getting them out of the tank you're helping to fix the problem. I'd say that if they're all alive tomorrow morning you're safe?? I call that one the "christmas morning" test :neutral:

Well, I'm pretty sure it was the ammonia spike and not an oxygen problem. Can they recover from the ammonia spike?

I think so, if the ammonia spike wasn't too great. Sometimes it can cause gill damage and burn through mucous (usually only if there is a lot of ammonia present). The gill damage can heal quite quickly if it isn't too extensive. The lack of mucous on the fish can sometimes leave them open to secondary infections though. Keep an eye on any skin lesions you might see. And aeration, aeration, aeration. That will make it easier for the potentially damaged gills to do their job if there are high levels of oxygen present.

Thank you very much Christy. I think I have done all I can do now so I guess all I can do now is wait. Wish me luck