# fish are twitching and itching: PLEASE HELP!



## rgaudioso (Dec 2, 2011)

i have a 120 gallon tank. 25 malawi chiclids. Mostly pecocks, haps ans a few mbuna. I have 2 canister filters (eheim pro II and a reina)

tank was set up for about 5 years. all was well, but my laziness probably resulted in high nitrates. However about a month ago we lost power for about 4 days. i had 2 battery back up airpumps but i had no filter circulation and the temperature dropped. I lost about 20 fish. some fish sunk to the bottom and died but some pulled through. i am not sure if they died from the temperature drop or amonia poisining.

once i got power back i did a 40% water change. Then 3 days later I did a 75% water change, cleaned one of 2 canister filters, cleaned all my plastic plants with clorox but rinsed them thoroughly before returning them and cleaned the gravel well.

I always use stress coat when i refill the water. I also use a mix of epsom salt, baking soda and aquarium salt when refilling.

A week after thoroughly cleaning the tank (and 10 days after I got power back) i added 4 new peacoks, about 3 inches in size from a reputable LFS.

I have been doing 40% water changes 3 times a week to bring down the nitrate levels. I have some nitrates in my well water.

currently my water temp is 79 degrees, amonia is 0, nitrite is 0 and nitrates are 40ppm or less. PH is 8.0 and kh is 16. All measured using an API test kit. these numbers have been steady for about a week or 2.

BUT my fish are twitching like crazy, and some are itching on the rocks. they dont look right. My 2 cat fish who previosuly never came out from under the rocks have now been swiiming vertically up against the glass. its odd.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The itching three weeks after a temp drop in your tank is about right for ich...do you see any white specs? They are easier to see on the fins.


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## rgaudioso (Dec 2, 2011)

no i dont see any spots but i will look more closely. the catfish have some film on them. the itching is fairly random and not that often. the twitching is more concerning


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

That doesn't sound good. I would not treat with high heat until I saw the ich as it may be another problem and heat can make some diseases worse. I would just monitor your water parameters. Are they eating normally?

You may have a new onset of ich that may have came from your new fish. Did you add the water from your LFS with the fish you added? You could try to leave the tank in darkness and see if that helps with stress. You could do this for a couple days with an occasional check in with a flashlight. If you do have an onset of ICH the stress and weakness from the ICH could also cause secondary infections.

I feel for you....if you can think of anything else let us know. I am not as knowledgeable as some on this forum but will do everything I can to help. I know it is also stressful on you as well as your fish.


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## Nodalizer (Nov 7, 2011)

Pictures of the film on the catfish could only help.


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## rgaudioso (Dec 2, 2011)

yes they are eating normally although i cut back out of concern my bacteria died and my tank was not cycled. but amonia and nitrites have all been o. nitrates have been at or below 40 and seem to be dropping from the frequent water changes. but its not 0. but my tap water has nitrates so it could be from the tap or my nitrogen cycle could be fine, or both.

I will try to get some pics up but it is really hard to see. its the behavior of the cats that is so abnormal. they were always super shy and now they are out and hangin on the glass. I havnt had ich since I was a kid so i am so unfamiliar with it. and I did not not and never add the water from the lfs. I always take the fish out of the bag.

I apprevciate all the ideas. I had a really nice setup and was bummed at losing all the fish in the power outage and to lose the remainder would be terrible.

thanks again


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Since you're adding epsom and baking soda with water changes, I assume the well water is softened? Flashing can often be attributed to changes in water hardness as well as pH. Do you have a measured amount that doesn't change per water change?
If it's not being softened, what's the GH, KH and pH of the water out of the tap? Just wondering if you could get away with not buffering as stable water conditions are better for the fish than parameters that swing from time to time when buffering during water changes.


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## rgaudioso (Dec 2, 2011)

Good points.

Out of the tap my ph is 7.8. I actually turn off and bypass my home water softner whenever I do water changes. I do not recall my gh and kh out of the tap but it is not bad. I will double check tonight.

Yes, I have a line on the tank that I draw the water down to ever water change and I add 1 teaspoons per 5 gallons of epsom and baking soda and 1 table spoon per 5 gallons of aquarium salt. I have done this for 5 years with no problem.

the flashing is minimal. the twitching is totally unusual for me and the catfish behavior is odd. The twitching is not male display.

I am really thinking ich but have to study up on it a little more and then figure out the correct course of action.

thanks again.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Personally, I wouldn't be adding anything to the water, assuming the GH and KH are both good.
I view it as an increased chance of something going wrong with the water parameters, however if you've been buffering the same amounts for 5+ years, then there's likely something else going on with your fish. Unless of course your well water parameters have significantly changed recently.


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## rgaudioso (Dec 2, 2011)

I hear you. everything has been great up till now.

I got CooperSafe from my LFS today. he thinks it is clearly parasites based on the twitching and my description. I will do a water change tonight and start to med. I will also check the gh and kh of my well water once I turn off the water conditioner.

He said I have to test the Copper levels to dose the tank over the next month. the package only had instructions to add 5ml per 4 gallons of water but no directions on how often. the LFS said to keep the level at .3. More chemistry to master I guess.


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