Scratching/flashing/flicking - No Other Symptoms

[dazbud]

Four years of happy fish keeping and the mysterious flashing that came and went a couple of years ago is back. Its driving my fish and me crazy.
 
No other symptoms on the fish, no white spots, no visible parasites, no stringy poo, no heavy breathing, no loss of appetite, no hiding, no fin damage.
 
The fish are doing all the things they normally do, However, pretty much all of the fish are now flashing, and a few of them are acting skittish and twitching occasionally.
 
Its a 250ltr/55 gallon community. Water stats all good (ammonia 0, PH neutral, nitrite 0, PH 0). Its filtered with 1800Ltr/hour hood trickle. Plenty of live plants. Weekly dose of Easy Life ProFito fertilizer.Average stocking density, 16 platies, 3 angels, 4 Denison barbs, 2 albino bristlenose, 2 SAE, 2 small apistos. I do about 25% water change per week and use Seachem Prime decholrinator. Filter sponges get rinsed every 6 weeks or so. Normally my tank is peaceful and healthy.
 
I added 10 x new platies two weeks ago and this flashing started a few days later. I wondered if the filter needed to catch up with the increase in stock and whether there was trace ammonia. However, I would have thought it would have caught up by now and there has been no ammonia reading on the test results.
 
I also had been trying to save money and had experimented with some new upholstery foam in some of the filter trays. However, I became concerned that the foam may have had a chemical treatment and been causing contamination. So I removed it yesterday. Still flashing today. The volume of upholstery foam compared to the other media in the filters was probably less than 10%.
 
I have been using Easy Life fertilizer for over a year. However, I noticed that the liquid in the last bottle I got as brown and more watery as opposed to previous shipments that were green and thicker. I'm wondering if this is off and contaminating the water.
 
I have some unopened Esha2000 and Esha Exit in , which I intend to start dosing today. However, if anyone thinks they know what is wrong from the info I've provided please let me know, as the last time I experienced flashing I seemed to spend weeks on the problem.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[dazbud]

sorry meant to add Nitrate about 10-20ppm

 

[Akasha72]

Not sure how much I can help but I wanted to say that I also use easy life fert and yes, I noticed it was a bit more watery with the last bottle. I gave it a really really good shake up - tipped it upside down a few times and the darker brown colour came back - it would seem some kind of sediment is sticking to the bottom of the bottle.
 
Regarding the flashing, fish sometimes get an itch just like us. Sometimes my fish go and have a flash and scrape for no reason but there is nothing to see as wrong with them and so I presume they've got an itch and ignore it. But by the sounds of it it has become more severe and constant and that I would find concerning. I'd start with a fairly large water change - it may be the foam you added and something might be still present in the water. It could also be that the new arrivals brought you something extra. See if a large water change helps any and keep an eye on things for a few days and see if the flashing continues. It could also be flukes, and they can be hard to see to the naked eye 

 

[fishmanphil]

some of my fish will start flicking just after a water change, they soon settle down again

 

[Byron]

Flashing can result from different things.  In my experience, it is best to carefully observe the fish for a spell before jumping to conclusions; treatments add stress to all fish, and this will only worsen the problem if the treatment is not relevant to the actual issue.  It so happens that I have seen some flashing just this past week, in three different tanks, though no new fish (or new plants) have gone into any of them since last summer.
 
From your info, I would assume the flashing is due to one of three things, all parasitical.  Either ich, gill flukes, or an internal protozoan brought in with the new fish.  I'm assuming you did not quarantine the new platies; this is becoming very important these days.  A fourth cause though could be vastly different water parameters, as platy need moderately hard water unlike the other fish.
 
Ich first attacks the gills.  If the fish are otherwise healthy and not under stress, it may never reach the stage of appearing outwardly (the white spots).  And the fish can build up a sort of immunity, again if healthy and not under stress, in which case the flashing will likely disappear.  I have certainly seen this more than once in newly acquired fish in quarantine.  There are some who believe ich is always present in aquaria, and these occasional flashes are the only visible sign.  Others don't buy this.  Whichever, here there can be no argument that ich may well have entered on the new fish.
 
Much the same goes for internal protozoan in the gills; this is best dealt with by food medicated with metronidazol.  Ich of course has other treatments.  Gill flukes will usually also show very red gills as well as the flashing.  I would wait and observe.  If the flashing becomes very bad, with no external spots, it is more likely the protozoan issue.
 
I'm not suggesting the furniture foam was the problem, but personally I would not put stuff like this in a filter.  Stay with aquarium-intended products to be safe.
 
Byron.

 

[dazbud]

Thanks for the advice guys. The flashing is fairly frequent, so I can't wait too long before attempting some treatment. Gills aren't red btw. 
 
I've just completed a large water change and got under rocks and décor that I rarely move. Will wait to see how they are in 24 hours.
 
Unfortunately, I can't get the med you recommend, as I'm in the UK and we have all kinds of restrictions on chemicals.
 
However, the Esha2000 is a broad spectrum med that also treats parasites. All articles I read seem to point to parasites, so think you're right with this being the likely cause. And no, they weren't quarantined. I should have known better really.
 
Thanks for the tip above about giving the EasyLife a good shake, will do that.

source revealed. no sooner had I wrote the post above than sat watching them and noticed the first signs of white spot. Its taken a few days for the spots to show, but at least I know what I'm dealing with now.

 

[Akasha72]

ahh ... at least you know now. I've found Waterlife's products to be really good and are readily available in the U.K. I think it's Protozin for whitespot ...? I know it begins with 'P' (the do one called Parazin aswell and I get them mixed up)
 
Of course the other option is to turn the heat up and add salt but I've never used that method as I have cories

 

[Arcticfox1977]

I bought a krib a few weeks back. 3 days in the tank and he started flashing. He then ended up with Popeye and eventually died. I bought meds to treat the Popeye but maybe I was too late.

 

[star4]

upholstery foam would most likely contain fire retardant chemicals - not advisable to use in and aquarium no matter how small. I would suggest a large water change and add activated carbon to your filter to remove any chemicals that may have leaked from the foam.
 
If it were ich you would have seen white spots on the fish by now, however if the large water change and carbon do not fix the flashing problem you can use esha exit in combination with esha 2000, both together will eradicate most parasites. It is safe to use the two together.