# fish flashing-flukes?



## newforestrob (Feb 1, 2010)

I have 8 tanks running,all malawi -mbuna,haps,peacocks
I age and buffer my water,all tanks get the same source
only one tank the haps and peacocks(all male) are flashing,to the point now that I am looking to add meds,problem is dont know what to get
I should add my aul.stuartgranti "Chiwindi"blue neon is the worst off,it looks like a flap of skin has developed on his left side ,between his mouth and gills,its not an open wound,and actually has normal skin color,it is obviously bothering him because he keeps rubbing in the sand,he is not very active,
all fish are eating normally,theres a mix of 11 haps,peacocks and a yellow lab(all male)
tanks been running 6 months,at least %50 water change weekly 0,0,10 trates
maybe nitro furazone or kanamycin..run both?


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Before treating the fish you want to try to determine, at the very least, whether they are suffering from parasites, (velvet and ick are the most common but there are others), a bacterial disease, or something in the water.

To get a better look at the fish's skin try shining a very bright flashlight at them from different directions--or sometimes you'll be able to see something taking a flash picture. You're looking for any kind of film or growth on the fish's skin. Velvet for instance looks like a fine talc-like covering. It may be red or orange or even grayish. 
Ick is easier to see--like grains of salt--however it may be that the ick parasite is residing in your fish's gills where you can't see it.

Nitrofuazone, (Furan 2) and Kanmycin are both meds that primarily target bacterial or fungal disease so if you've got a parasite then neither of those meds will do much however if the Chiwindi's wound is infected then it would be wise to move him to a hospital tank and treat with either of those meds. 
Few questions: 
Have you added anything to the tank in the way of fish or live plants in the last six months?
Do the fish's symptoms improve, get worse or stay the same in the hours following a partial water change?
When you say they are flashing: are they rubbing up against things in the tank constantly? Or just more than usual? 
Do the fish seem to choose places in the tank where there is strong current?
Any aggression in the tank?

Robin


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## newforestrob (Feb 1, 2010)

Havent added anything but a yellow lab last week,took out an OB that was chasing too much for my liking,fish were flashing before the addition,set up is only been running for six months

I would say symptoms stay the same,concerning WCs

dragons blood will flash from one end to the other,the blue neon will almost dig his head in the sand,all others will rub themselves on sand or rocks or the side of the tank,the dragons blood will do this every 5-10 minutes,same with the chiwindi,others a few times every half hour,all twitch and for lack of better word "flap" their fins

the chiwindi(blue neon)rests near the bottom,all others make use of the whole tank

I,m used to mbuna,so I would say no aggression,short chases,thats it

the yellow lab has started darting in quick busts around the tank,appears something is irritating him,he bangs his nose against the glass and rocks every 5 minutes,the blue neon is more reclusive and goes behind the rocks when I get too close,still eats

I havent noticed any ick or film,I,m going to bring home a flashlight from work in the morning to get a better look


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## marigoldkelly95 (Feb 9, 2012)

I have noticed mine doing a similiar thing. Except it's not too often. I noticed that my red tail does it most often when he's feeling aggressive (just eaten) as he changes his color very dark before flashing.

Do they flash as a sign of dominance as well? I'm not convinced mine have a problem as not all of the fish do this. And not often.

But I have had more severe symptoms that you have described as well. I treated with a general parasite medication and I think it helped...? These symptoms baffle me as well!


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## newforestrob (Feb 1, 2010)

just to update this thread,
I hate to admit it,but for anyone that is buffering their water to bring up their gh with epsom salts,consider evaporation in your aquarium in the equation,
I wasn't and magnesium sulfates were creeping higher and higher,
I have done multiple small water changes over the course of 2 weeks,and my tank is back to normal,I can only conclude that this tank is next to a base board heater and evaporation in this tank was significantly more than any of the others,also I am no longer adding any salts,as the Majority seem to think that its not needed,so I,m going with that and see what/ if anything happens


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