Flicking

LilyRose Tank · Feb 21, 2011

Hello there, one or two of my fish ( corydoras) are flicking. Its the only symptom I can see. They are mobile, eating, poo is normal, water parameters are all 0's. What can be wrong?

Proxo · Feb 21, 2011

They have an itch maybe? :lol:

A few of my fish do it every now and again (never constantly) and sometimes after waterchange but they've been fine for along time now.
It's common sign of ich/white spot though so i'd personally just keep an eye on them and it they do it constantly then i'd worry!

loraxchick · Feb 21, 2011

agreed with above. Do a nice waterchange and then just keep an eye out.
cheers

sXeLifer · Feb 21, 2011

Thanks for posting this, one of my loaches do it and I wasn't sure whether or not it was detrimental to their health but this has cleared my mind

LilyRose Tank · Feb 21, 2011

they don't have any white spots, but i did have ich about 6months ago. Is it possible they became dormant and reawakened.....as i lost over 100 fish last time. shall i remove all decor including gravel for a week and see what happens....rather get rid before it gets worse

anon02 · Feb 21, 2011

LilyRose Tank said:
they don't have any white spots, but i did have ich about 6months ago. Is it possible they became dormant and reawakened.....as i lost over 100 fish last time. shall i remove all decor including gravel for a week and see what happens....rather get rid before it gets worse

It has been proven that ich cant lie dormant as such for more than a few days at tropical temperatures but there is a theory that ich can be active in your tank in very small numbers then when conditions are right there is an explosion into a full blown infection

LilyRose Tank · Feb 21, 2011

oh great, ok i shall strip the tank... actually, one thought, i have quite a thick layer of gravel, could this cause problems#?

I just checked the fish and noticed that my betta who had a cloudy eye about 10 days ago now has a clear eye, plus his grey scales are becoming purple......chances of this being a scale/fin problem ( Betta has been grey in colour since i got him, even though i was told hes a mustard gas? see left pic in my sig, thats him

mattlee · Feb 21, 2011

if the gravel is course then it could well be the issue. as corys sift through the substrate it will filter through their gills and if whats going through them isnt smooth or rounded then it will cause irritation making the fish flash.

this is why everyone says that sand is by far better for the fish when keeping bottom feeders.

if no other fish are doing it then hold tight before stripping the tank. if it is white spot then you will see it as its very obvious. just be warned that flashing can be due to water issues, velvet, ich, parasites, worms etc etc etc so dont go treating a certain disease without knowing as much as you can. the wrong medicine may well do more harm by stressing the fish even more and not effecting the problem.

if it is whitespot then try turning the temp up to 29-30 degrees and do plenty of water changes. the extra heat will make the ich reproduce faster and the water changes will remove the spores from the tank. worth a go before treating with any meds. :good:

but just be as sure as you can before any treatment.

have you added any new fish recently?

LilyRose Tank · Feb 21, 2011

the newest fish was added about a fortnight ago. I havn't seen any white spots yet. And as for course gravel, i think the type I have is far too large for them to sift through their gills. each piece is about 3/4mm in diameter at the largest end, and on close inspection they are tiny smooth pebbles, if you get my meaning. I am wandering if this grey layer on my Betta's scales is the culprit though. what could that be?

mattlee · Feb 21, 2011

LilyRose Tank said:
the newest fish was added about a fortnight ago. I havn't seen any white spots yet. And as for course gravel, i think the type I have is far too large for them to sift through their gills. each piece is about 3/4mm in diameter at the largest end, and on close inspection they are tiny smooth pebbles, if you get my meaning. I am wandering if this grey layer on my Betta's scales is the culprit though. what could that be?

have you googled velvet?

LilyRose Tank · Feb 21, 2011

no, i havn't. I shall now, thanks x

LilyRose Tank · Feb 21, 2011

Hi Just looked it up, turned off lights and shone a torch. I think the only one with a gold/ rust colour is the betta, but hes very active, normal behaviour and is supposed to be yellow, so I am unsure. the other one that is actually flicking is a panda cory, and I think there is a tiny bit of rust colour around the top of his head. I shall treat for velvet all the same..i have some treatment here
should i get rid of the gravel,
this is a pic of him the day i had the betta

and here are some I just took

I have turned off the lights, and removed the decor...only thing in there is gravwl...should i remove that and buy new later once they are better

mattlee · Feb 21, 2011

Sand is much better for the corys. Just use argos play sand its dirt cheap

LilyRose Tank · Feb 21, 2011

yeah, I have done the sand thing before, but i find it difficult to keep clean. as I'm syphoning, I'm taking up most of the sand. and I am thinking of changing to sand, but can anyone tell me how to keep it clean.....

does it look like velvet to you?