# African cichlids flashing/gulping



## Gettycent684 (Mar 20, 2021)

Hi everyone looking some advice as my tank is 1000liters with 3 fx6s I put a kg of crushed coral in the other day and my rostratus seems to be gulping all water tested all ok after 4 days I do 50% water change as nitrates are 60_80 ppm during water changes fish flash and twitch no tap ph is 7.2 cold and 6.8 hot I use mixer tap to fill tank to right temp 26c


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Post your test results for pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. If you change 50% of the water when nitrates get to 40ppm then you will be at 20ppm afterwards. Get a test kit with regeants and test tubes for this if you don't already have one.

I like to change 50% of water when nitrates get to 20ppm so that the nitrates never get higher than 20ppm.

If you normally do 50% water changes I would do one right now to gradually get the nitrates lower. However gasping for air at the surface may not be related to high nitrates.


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## Gettycent684 (Mar 20, 2021)

This is the test I done before water change


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## Gettycent684 (Mar 20, 2021)

This is the test I done before water change


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I can't read the card and your's is different than mine. What is the test item on the right? Is the nitrite test missing?

Definitely change 50% of the water, if you have been doing 50% all along. Change less if you have not been changing 50% every week for a while. Too abrupt a change, even though the water is cleaner, can kill your fish.


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## Gettycent684 (Mar 20, 2021)

The red one is nitrates and fish not gulping at surface just when swimming around


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

All the test results are important, not just nitrates. Ammonia and nitrite are also toxins...and more dangerous than nitrates. Too many toxins for all tests. Change 50% of the water as soon as possible, if your fish are used to 50% changes every week.

How did you cycle your tank?


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## Gettycent684 (Mar 20, 2021)

Ave had it going for years now 3 fx6s with biohome


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Something has caused toxins to overwhelm the beneficial organisms. It seems you are in a mini cycle.

**All of the 50% recommendations are dependent on whether you have been doing 50% regularly in the past.

So, please post the numbers for ammonia and nitrite and nitrates after your 50% water change to see where we are.

Plan on doing 50% again tomorrow morning and probably 50% again tomorrow night.


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## Gettycent684 (Mar 20, 2021)

Ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrates 10 ppm this is after 50% water change at 4 o'clock fish are still flashing and rubbing of substrate and rostratus is still breathing heavy???


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

It wasn't mentioned in your posts but are you using or do you need to use a dechlorinator for your new tap water? If so, what product are you using and how much are you adding to the tank?

Is the only thing that changed was the addition of the crushed coral? Why did you add it in the first place?

Are you adding anything else to the tank such as buffers, plant fertilizers or anything else?


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## Gettycent684 (Mar 20, 2021)

Yes I use seachem safe I use 1/8 of teaspoon before I put water in the another when full the only buffer is my substrate added crushed coral just to help with buffering as my tap water is 7.2 ph tank sitting 7.8 atm


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Whatever is causing the problem (and we are still figuring that out together) the fish will take a couple of days or more to heal and show improvement. If your nitrates went from 80ppm (in picture) to 10ppm) in your report of test results after the water change, that drastic of a change can harm your fish.

How much did the pH change when you added the crushed coral, if any? pH is a parameter you also want to change slowly...less than 0.02 per day. A drastic change in pH can also cause fish distress, which is why it is so important to monitor.


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## Gettycent684 (Mar 20, 2021)

Didn't change I just put in to give more buffer in water changes ph still 7.8 could it be gill flukes or ich not seeing any white spot ??


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Even if you had gill flukes or ich or another disease, first you need to remove the toxins in your water. Are you saying you put in more water? How will that help, by diluting the toxins?

You probably have no disease at all, just the poor water quality.


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## Gettycent684 (Mar 20, 2021)

No I put crushed coral in so when I do water changes it buffers up to ph and no swings nothing wrong with water as I change 59% twice a week


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## Gettycent684 (Mar 20, 2021)

No I put crushed coral in to help buffer water when doing big water changes I change 50% twice a week now as my nitrates after 4 days are 40/60 ppm not water quality


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## Gettycent684 (Mar 20, 2021)

Also tested kh is 5 and Gh is 9


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Nitrates of 40ppm are marginally safe. I still think it is water quality.

Also if the nitrates were over 40ppm for any length of time, from the point when your nitrates are 20ppm or less, it will take days for your fish to recover and for symptoms to stop.


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## Gettycent684 (Mar 20, 2021)

I done tank with fluke slove last night and this morning no gulping or flashing but flashing was always worse at night could of been nitrates mabe imeed to keep up 50% water changes twice a week I have 36 fish peacocks and predator haps


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Sounds like a lot of fish, especially if some are large like your rostratus. They can be tricky to keep with some other fish...is he fully colored? Is the tank 6 feet long or 8 feet long or another length?

Flashing can be showing off or skin irritation. When you add medications, skin irritation can become worse before it gets better.


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## Gettycent684 (Mar 20, 2021)

Yea he can change sometimes he's light when enjoying flow then when in domanance mode he's like full on colour my tank is 7ft long 1000 litres


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You may have to change more than 50% weekly with that number of fish, especially since some of them are larger predator haps. I like 18 individuals in a 6 foot tank that mature <= six inches and this works to keep nitrates between 10ppm and 20ppm with 50% weekly changes.

With a 7 foot tank 22 individuals that are less than six inches at maturity could work the same, but you have 36.

Hope the treatment ends your flashing and gulping, even at night. And your fish enjoy their water with lower nitrates.


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