Please Help My Fish Are Flicking?

[adingo25]

I set up a 80 gallon tank three weeks ago and used fishless cycling. Last week I bought my first fish 3 Zebra Loachs, and 2 Yellow Labs (Labidochromis Caeruleus), all the fish seem to be fine and healthy but the two cichlids are flicking on the rocks and plants in my aquarium. They only do it for about 60 seconds maybe 3 or 4 times a day, they dont appear to have any white spots or strange markings on them at all. They are all eating and acting, what I would say was normal for a fish (their still a little nervous and like to hide in the cave at times). I don't have any live plants, I'm using a Fluval External Filter (I think its a 400) and the water is kept at a temperature of 26.5 Degrees Celcius. The Ph is around 7.8 and the water hardness is 3dh. I have been keeping a close eye on the amonnia and Nitrite levels and so far the ammonia is a little high (1.2) but I have been doing a regular water change (about 15-20% thee times this week) and the nitrite is below 0.3. Does anybody know why my two Cichlids might be flicking? the 3 Zebra Loachs appear to be fine and don't flick at all?

 

[-germ-]

If you have ammonia and nitrite then your tank is not cycled at all.....
I'd sort this out first as meds can affect filter bacteria, get some seachem prime as a dechlor (see sig) and do at least 20% water change daily.
You really want to tailor your water changes to your tank stats rather than hoping it'll work visa-versa and do as many as is required to keep your ammonia and nitrite as low as possible.

 

[adingo25]

could the ammonia be why my fish are flicking?

 

[-germ-]

could the ammonia be why my fish are flicking?

It could be a number of things although this is the most likely cause, it could be anything from ectoparasitic infection, protazoan parasite infection (whitespot commonly), even dropsy, its a non-specific symptom but realistically the ammonia and nitrite is much more likely to kill your fish before any of these do, so fix it first.
Edited to exclude alkalosis, mistook the loaches as the ill fish

 

[Danno]

I would suggest a 50% water change each day until the tank is cycled.

 

[-germ-]

Have a look at this topic.....
Post #14 Link...
The more water changed the better really but 25% at a minimum, when i fish in cycled for the first time i did 3x20% changes a day, morning, afternoon and night.
Good luck.