Cichlid Flashing and Breathing Issues

[PokerFish]

I recently added five small cichlids to my 55 gal tank. Within a couple days, about half of them start flashing. They are flashing on the rocks and the substrate, then they all start swimming at the top as if they're starving for oxygen. I lowered the water level, have a bubbler, I also have a wavemaker. The wavemaker creates a lot of waves, the fish are right in front of it swimming against the tide. These are all small fish about 1 inch.

The tank was already cycled I had 15 adult male Peacocks all over 4 inch long in the tank. I removed them and added 5 small Peacocks then and about 10 more. The 10 came from Tampa Bay Cichlids and the other 5 were Peacocks that I raised that were about 5 months old. The ammonia is low maybe zero to 0.25ppm, Nitrite is zero and the Nitrate is somewhat high at 10 to 20 ppm but our water source is really hard water with Nitrate.

I’ve never seen this much flashing. I added API General Cure yesterday and it does seem to be working for the flashing. The amount of flashing has reduced since yesterday. Regarding them swimming at the top, it does not seem normal. See the video they are seeming horizontal as normal but only a few inch from the wavemaker. It looks like a salmon swimming upstream.

Any advice would be helpful.

https://sharing.oodrive.com/pfv2-sh...ixopMkPpWNpB46zv?action=view&locale=en#/files

 

[Stefan3289]

Usually if fish are added (for example store water to tank water) it could be the new water bothering them. If it continues for an extensive time, I would take a look at their gills since it does sound like gill flukes. Are their gills and base of the fins red/irritated? Does it look like there is a lot of slime there? Breathing heavy? Sudden rapid swimming? Because if there are gill flukes, they are flashing and rapidly swimming because it is uncomfortable and it also makes it harder from them to breathe. General cure helps with this as I have used it before, and you said it is working. I would say finish the treatment and then monitor them.

 

[Stefan3289]

I am not too familiar with African cichlids as I have SA cichlids, but I know usually depending on the temperament of cichlids, small and big are a bad idea. If the small ones are stressed from the larger ones, there immune system can drop and that is how they start getting sick, and it can affect yours whole tank.