Loaches Online Forum

I need some advice. I purchased a group of 8 B. kubotai about 3 weeks ago. They've gone through a round of levimasole treatments and seems to be doing well except for a few that seems to be flashing for some reason.

They all eat and are active. And there are no visible signs of disease other than the flashing. Of the 8, I believe only 2 or 3 regularly flash. So what should I do? Should I try to treat for parasites without any sign of them other than the flashing? If so, what course of treatment would be best?

Thanks

If there is no sign of ich or velvet then flashing can be indicative of high nitrates or deteriorating water quality. Test your water before you do any further treatments as long as you see no signs of external parasites.

Is flashing when the fish tries to scrape it's side on the gravel?

Hmm, I see them do that now and then, but not often. I'll keep an eye on my nitrates this week but so far, its low at 10ppm and I don't see any bugs...
I usually see them do it when its almost time for a water change.

If your water is ok you can use a UV sterilizer, that would help.

I had the same problem. I didn't see any external symptoms except flashing. But I did see it in my rainbow fish in white patches.

you can use aquazole too
http://seachem.com/products/product_pages/AquaZole.html

Well I checked my water last night.

Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates ~20ppm

Nitrates are normally lower but I was out of town this past weekend and missed my normal water change.

I'll continue to keep an eye on them. They'll be in the QT at least 2 more weeks until their permanent home is up and cycled.

Is flashing when the fish tries to scrape it's side on the gravel?

Yes, Rocco. That's flashing. Usually a sign of irritation. Often the first signs of ich or velvet, also a good indicator of deteriorating water quality. Loaches require high quality water. As soon as it begins to decline, they will present you with behavioral signs.

Flashing
Lethargy
Color fading
Gill function changes
Feeding changes
Aggression level changes

stuff like that.

I am guessing you use a water conditioner during each water change.

I'll keep an eye on my tank then. Thank you Shari, that was very helpful.

so far, ammonia and nitrite at 0, nitrates as of the last reading were 10ppm post water change.

I use aged water that passes through a foam filter to do my changes.

Yes. I use Seachem Prime for each water change.

Shari mentioned color fading...Out of the 8 kubotai there are 2 or 3 that don't have deep color. Most of them have 'black' markings but there are a few that look faded. I'm going to do a water change tonight then observe them. I'm not sure if the ones that are flashing are also the ones that are faded or not...

some chemicals placed in water systems doesn't "age".
Chlorine does breakdown eventually.
What most cities use now is chloromine which doesn't breakdown.
Use a water conditioner...
do a search and check my spelling

Every night, the fish in my 50gallon tank lose their color. The Yoyos become pale, and the corydoras become a little yellowish.

By morning, they're all back to normal. Any idea as to what this is? I've also noticed an increase in flashing.

So far, I've done a 50% water change twice this week and it's still happening.

Is this normal where the cories are just copying the loaches or should I look out for something?

Rocco wrote:Every night, the fish in my 50gallon tank lose their color. The Yoyos become pale, and the corydoras become a little yellowish.

By morning, they're all back to normal. Any idea as to what this is? I've also noticed an increase in flashing.

Fish do fade when they become inactive. Increased flashing could be a sign of various factors. What is your temperature?:? Any other unusual signs?

The overnight fading should not be an issue if during the night is their resting period. As long as the color returns with normal activity levels, it is fine.

As for the increasing flashing, have you added anything new to the tank in the last month?
Have you lost any fish?
Could there be a pocket of decaying matter anywhere?
What are your test kit results?
Is the temp stable or has it been varying much? If so, what is it, and how much?
Has your water source changed in any way? If the increase in flashing seems to be related to the recent increase in water changes, test your water before you add it to the tank to see what's up.

Increasing flashing is a sign that something is irritating the external layers of your fish enough to make them 'itch'. Try to investigate to see what could be the problem.

I'm looking into it.

Here is what my tank registers.

Temp is 28 degrees celsius and has been for a couple of days. It was 26 to 27 degrees when we had some rain.
ph is 7.0

ammonia is 0
nitrite is 0
nitrate is around 15 as of last check

I have not lost any fish, I don't think there is a pocket of decaying matter as I checked and found all fish to be doing well. Water source is the same.