Flashing Since Water Change

[PrairieSunflower]

I did a 50% water change to one of my tanks (not the one with the sick male guppy)... and I've noticed in the last hour that my largest guppy and my platy are flashing.

I've just gone and tested the water and these are my readings.

Nitrates 10
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
GH 8
KH 6
PH 6.8

Should I be worried?

I euthanized a neon last week for neon tetra disease from this tank.

 

[Stingraey]

hmmm i believe that this attitude is an indication of Ectoparasite infestation. But could (but not likely) be caused by a metal present that irritates the fish.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

There was no flashing at all before the water change. I use Nutrafin to dechlorinate and that says it removes metals as well.

 

[Stingraey]

that was the next thing i was going to ask. If you treated the water you changed. Did you put the right amount in for the water quantity?

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Yes, I always add a slight bit more just to be sure I don't under dose it as my buckets are approximately 10 litres.

 

[snazy]

If there was no flashing before the water change,then I'd do another water change in case the last one was contaminated with something.
How much dechlorinator did you put in the first water change. Maybe you put too much or too little.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

My two fish seem to have stopped flashing now. I have been putting 5ml per 10 litres (which does equal to double)... but its the same as what I've always done. I used to put less but found I had more fish issues so switched the dosage.

 

[Aquascaper]

Maybe you put too much....

Just wanted to put for others reading that it's virtually impossible to overdose de-chloinator (unless you put in more than 25/75 mix really) so always best to err on the side of caution and not be too analytical about measuring quantities.

 

[snazy]

Maybe you put too much....

Just wanted to put for others reading that it's virtually impossible to overdose de-chloinator (unless you put in more than 25/75 mix really) so always best to err on the side of caution and not be too analytical about measuring quantities.

I particularly have issue with API stress coat. I bought a bottle a year ago and used it a few times to the dose recommended to remove ammonia which is several times higher than the normal one for chlorines for the same product. Every time I did it my corys started flashing. I stopped using it but a month ago I did a big clean on my external and dosed the API stress coat in case I caused a mini spike of ammonia, it wasn't a few minutes after when my corys were playing nuts and flashing. It went away with no side effects, but that's my experience with this particular dechlorinator.
Also, if someone just tops up the evaporated water with new one without doing a normal water change, there will be build up in the water and all type of problems can occur. Also, dechlorinators can reduce the ammount of oxygen in the water at higher doses. Try putting 10 times the dose each time and then see what happens.

 

[Aquascaper]

If your dose for a full tank is say 100ml (5ml per 10 litres is around an average dosage) for your 200 litre tank then you are extremely unlikely to overdose to the tune of putting 1 litre of de-chlorinator in are you? Putting in 200 - 250ml will not have any adverse effects. Even with a smaller tank of say 100 litres you are unlikely to dose 500ml when normal bottles of de-chlorinator are around 250ml.

Your case in point with API Stress Coat isn't really what I was getting at as that is not a pure de-chlorinator as it has additives such as Aloe Vera. It is sold primarily as a stress reliever and natural healing aid.

 

[slimeneo]

In my personal experience, it's normal. I too, was worried at first but researching it online, many people say its normal because the fish are getting used to the new water, which in nature would be rain. It's probably a difference in temperature perhaps, or just something slightly difference with the water. However if your fish KEEP flashing days after the water change, then that would be cause for alarm. My fish usually stop after an hour.

 

[snazy]

Your case in point with API Stress Coat isn't really what I was getting at as that is not a pure de-chlorinator as it has additives such as Aloe Vera. It is sold primarily as a stress reliever and natural healing aid.

API stress coat is a dechlorinator that removes chlorines, chloramines, ammonia, heavy metals and the final thing is aloe vera, stress reliver and whatever else. For me, it hardly works as a stress reliever the least, quite the opposite, but I've been using the API tap safe version without the side effects the stress coat does to my fish. And I do overdose to 2 times the recommended dose too.

P.S: I buy the API Tap safe online because all 4 shops in my area don't supply a simple dechlorinator, not even one brand and this is in a city where the tap water is treated with chlorine only, no ammonia or chloramines and nitrAte below 5ppm. If you open a thread what dechlorinators people are using, you'll be surprised at how few are actually using the normal dechlorinators.

 

[cambojnr]

I use the api stuff and have corys and have never had any problems with flashing, and I do about 20% a week dosing 3 drops pre litre as it says 2 drops per litre, so I dose the extra 1 just incase and have never had any problems before.

 

[snazy]

In high temperature tanks or tanks with low oxygen levels overdosing Prime for example can deplete oxygen and even they don't deny it. The max recommended overdose on their website is 5x in emergency situations when there's ammonia or chloramines, but if temperatures are 30-ish or over, they recommend half dose only. They claim it doesn't dicrease the ammount of oxygen "signifficantly". But if you overdose and there isn't ammonia or chlorines(or their bonded version chloramines), or even if the levels of them are very low, then these chemicals have nothing to bind to and are more harmful then good.

 

[snazy]

I use the api stuff and have corys and have never had any problems with flashing, and I do about 20% a week dosing 3 drops pre litre as it says 2 drops per litre, so I dose the extra 1 just incase and have never had any problems before.

I do water changes with a siphon directly from the tap in which case I have to dose the ammount needed for the whole tank which will make a difference to the ammount of stress coat added in my case compared to normal water changes with a bucket. Same when I dosed previously, dosed the whole tank per the recommended dose on the bottle to detoxify ammonia if any occured after my thorough filter wash. That's when the flashing occured and one of the times I did two back to back water changes, the second time with normal dechlorinator because the corys went bonkers the moment I put it in, flying around and gasping at the surface.