Caper Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 Hi all! 1 guppy and 1 (the one that looks more like a molly than platy) I noticed last night they were flashing against things. I cannot see anything noticable on them. They are in the 110L tank. I changed about 20L tonight. I don't want to add anything as yet. I'm :oops: to say that the last 2 weeks I did the water change I only did about 10% as opposed to 25%, honestly I don't know what I was thinking! Anyway, when I did the water change on the weekend I did test the only thing was the nitrites, it wasn't even .1, the water had just a hint of color to it. Could this be what's causing the flashing? I thought I would just do water changes for a few days to see if that makes a difference, what do you think? How much and how many days do you recommend in order that I don't end up with a tank that has to recycle? Unless you think I should do something else???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 Fish "do" flash occasionally if they feel an irritation of some sort.. just as we do if we feel an itch.. but if the flashing is an ongoing thing.. then you "may" have a problem. It can be a number of things... Irritations in the gills.. Ammonia buildup.. the onset of white spot.. or poor water conditions. If they only flash occasionally.. then the treatment is to "relax" and stop worrying. You can't treat something until you know what it is. Just watch them over the next few days for any other abnormal signs or behaviours.. and go from there. Meanwhile do a couple of decent water changes and think about anything you might have done different since the prob started.. ie:.. added plants.. more fish.. etc. Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted February 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 Thanks Bill...another lesson learned...I always thought that flashing indicated a "problem" that needed fixing, didn't realize that it might be nothing more than an ....lol...itch! How much and how many days do you recommend in order that I don't end up with a tank that has to recycle? Any recommendations? Nothing new added to the tank. I'll be doing another water change later, but I'll test first to see if there's anything wrong there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 How much and how many days do you recommend in order that I don't end up with a tank that has to recycle? Well.. you might have the wrong person to ask on this point.. as "Cycling" is something that doesn't exist in my methods of fishkeeping.. and never has. The only "test" item I own is a pH test.. which I think I used around three years back.. and the only Meds I own is perhaps some Methelene Blue which I bought for egg protection some years back. The last time I did a full test on a tank (for myself that is).. would have been over forty years ago he he. My "Cycle".. (if you can call it that. ) is three days maximum.. and this is just to get the temp and things settled.. but other than that my fishkeeping is based around Observation.. Instinct.. and Experience.. and a lot of Common Sense.. Regarding your question.. Nobody can give you an answer.. as the factors are too great. You are aiming for a Zero Ammonia Level... but this can change overnight by the addition of "anything".. from food to fish.. plus if your filtration system is not handling the job correctly it could also delay the final outcome. I often sit and smile about all these additives and such that people pour into their tanks.. and how they can put a "time frame" on the amount of time a tank will take to become established.. but as we always point out here.. "It's what works for the individual".. and for me, it is the simple.. no fuss, natural methods that have seen me through the years with very few probs Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted February 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 Thanks Bill! Oh boy...I'll never reach that point! But, I did check my water before I did a water change tonight pH (this test is really hard to see because of the shade of blue) but anyway somewhere between 7.2 & 7.6 more towards the lower one though: ammonia - 0, nitrites, 0. As far as the filter, I did take that & give it a cleaning tonight too. I had a post about this sometime ago, the way the water was flowing out of the filter. The flow is coming out on the side that the intake tube is on, it was just a trickle but then more, so I cleaned it because the last time I did it stopped it, but this time it didn't! Gee, hope you understand :-? :-? Anyway, I'll try to keep an eye on my fishies and if nothing else develops I may to 1 more change tomorrow then see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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