All of my fish, for one reason or another for the past few weeks tend to flick a lot. Every time I see it I watch them extra closely for signs of disease, there are none. I test the water perimiters with an API test master kit, always 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 20 nitrate. I perform a big 20-50% water change, no help. The pH usually rests between 7.6-7.8. I'm going to be adding a lot of driftwood in order to help a bit in lowering this. The temperature is 78 degrees, steady.
The stocking is 10 tiger barbs, 1 firemouth, 5 upside down catfish. 37 gallon tank.
I used to dechlorinate the water with "Top Fin Tap Water Dechlorinator" but today I picked up API Stress Coat + under the idea that maybe the top fin stuff is not quite doing its job.
I added the Stress Coat + at full dosage without doing a water change after picking it up, which didn't seem to help.
Other factors, I have play sand substrate, lots of plastic decorations, filtered with a 75 gallon cycled filter (but sorta newly cycled)
I'll also be adding a lot of real plants in place of the plastic ones.
Does anyone know what else causes fish to flick other than diseases and bad ammonia and nitrite? Is there something in the tap water that my test kits aren't picking up? Will the use of stress coat + instead of top fin dechlorinator help at all?
I'm getting worried that there's something going on that I just cannot see. Any advice is appreciated.
The stocking is 10 tiger barbs, 1 firemouth, 5 upside down catfish. 37 gallon tank.
I used to dechlorinate the water with "Top Fin Tap Water Dechlorinator" but today I picked up API Stress Coat + under the idea that maybe the top fin stuff is not quite doing its job.
I added the Stress Coat + at full dosage without doing a water change after picking it up, which didn't seem to help.
Other factors, I have play sand substrate, lots of plastic decorations, filtered with a 75 gallon cycled filter (but sorta newly cycled)
I'll also be adding a lot of real plants in place of the plastic ones.
Does anyone know what else causes fish to flick other than diseases and bad ammonia and nitrite? Is there something in the tap water that my test kits aren't picking up? Will the use of stress coat + instead of top fin dechlorinator help at all?
I'm getting worried that there's something going on that I just cannot see. Any advice is appreciated.