parasite or ick?

[bmk]

Hi
I am new to this site and tropical fish keeping (6 months) and i have a problem you might be able to help me with. I have 6 cardinal tetras and about 12 platties (they keep breeding). Some of the platties rub themselves on the plants/rocks etc, i have taken advice from my lfs and treated first for ick and then internal parasites/fungus and then for ick again, but all to no avail, they are still flicking. I have lost 2 platties due to this. There are no visible signs on the fish and this is not affecting the tetras.

Any help is much appreciated

Bmk

 

[Fiddlesticks]

Couple questions. What are your water paramiters? ammonia,nitrite ect.
How long has the tank been set up?
Have there been any new additions to the tank?
By answering these we may be able to help you better

 

[semper fi]

are the fish showing any other signs other than the flicking? loss of color, red or inflammed gills? ich, or whitespot, is caused by a parasite attaching to a host fish. the symptoms are usually what appears to be grains of salt on the fish.

 

[snowyangel]

Could be related to poor water conditions. Fish will often flick if there's ammona or nitrite(products of the Nitrogen cycle ) present in the water since these are toxic to the fish. Just remember "flicking" doesn't always mean Ick is present, so next time test your water before medicating them. Adding medications when they're not needed can further stress a fish.

 

[bmk]

Hi
The water test results are as follows
ammonia =0
nitrite =0
nitrate = 25pm (this has always been between 15 and 25)
ph =7.4
temp =24
I do a 20% water change every week, the tank has been setup since February, there have been no new additions (ie fish, plants etc) since May (thats when i added the tetras), and there are no other signs of illness (colour, loss of appetite etc)

Bmk