Cheon has contacted his water supply company and received an "unsure answer"....
Even if chloramine is being added to the water supply, your treating it with water changes anyway i presume with water conditioner. My reccomendation to find out if it was being added, was based on Chloramines being mentioned in this thread.... A simple call would have cleared that up, but to be expected, Cheon did not receive a for sure answer.
Its not chloramines anyway...
Adding additional supplements and medications to the tank is a horrible idea if you dont know what your treating. Unless you know for sure that it is a parasite, or have no other choice, then the "shotgun" method is best. Basically a combination of meds.. used to combat a range of problems
My first question would have to be, have you added any live fish to the tank within the last few months? (2-4 months)
The biggest causes for Heavy breathing are as follows:
Water Quality (ammonia topping the list)
Low Oxygen content in the water
Parasites
Gill issues
stress
Water Quality seems to check out... if it didn't, usually other fish would be effected in one way or the other.
Low Oxygen content doesn't effect all fish the same, as not all fish need the same amount. So this one ray may need more O2 that is currently in the tank.
Parasites..... could be some sort of parasite... to determine, you'll need to remember if you have added anything within the last few months. not just fish.. used equipment, plants, deco, ect
Gill Issues... Possible damage to them making them not as efficient at extracting O2 from the water, making the breathing a more labored task. This may have been brought on by past ammonia issues in the tank, or previous tank. How long has she been in your care? have you ever had any issues with water quality?
Stress can lead to heavy breathing as well.
All of these causes can also cause a lack of appetite.
To narrow it down, first discover if it is in fact a parasite. I'm not sure if your treating right now or not.... but you'll need a reason to do so.. so figure out if a parasite could have entered the system somehow threw something new. AFTER you have eliminated other possible issues.
Unfortunatly, treating with meds can also cause labored breathing.
So what i would do is this:
Cooler water temps have the ability to hold more O2. So set your tank temp around 26-27c, unless its already there.
Second, add more air to the tank. A couple of air stones will work fine. If you dont have any, then point your returns to the surface. Cause as much agitation as you can. Dont point them all up there, as you still want circulation in the tank. This should solve the question of Low Oxygen content in the water.
Third, if you can, eliminate some of the other bottom dwellers. Other rays are fine, but some of the others may be leading to stress.
Keep up on water changes and insure you do the other things mentioned.
She should get better within 24-48 hrs...
Then again, could be parasites.... but we'll know as soon as you answer the "new additions" question.
. Now keep it to yourself! Not everyone looks through the same bottle as you! Lol
