Yoyo loaches flashing

[Kailala]

Help!
I have 3 yoyo loaches and 9 neons in a 10 gall tank. I know! It’s bad but hear me out. I do water changes 1-2 a week and there haven’t been a problem for 2 months. I’ll transfer them when I can afford a larger tank.
But recently my yoyos are flashing against decor and gravel. They just started this today.
I recently put in new aquatic Amazon sword plants that I didn’t quarantine. Is that the cause?
The thermostat also kept going above the set temp. So I kept watch tried to keep it below 82F. It kept changing between 76-81F for a whole week. I was able to obtain a stable thermostat recently. Is the temp change the reason their immunity is low?
I can’t add videos but they bash against gravel and decor as if they’re itching. It’s a on and off thing. They’re resting more than usual(usually barely see them sleep)
Water parameters:
Ammonia: 0
Temp: 77-81F
Nitrate:20
Nitrite:0.3
GH: soft
KH: 80(moderate)
pH: 6.6-7.0 (neutral)

 

[TNG]

They *might* have ich / white spots. You could search this forum or google for treatment options.

 

[GaryE]

Watch for ich, which is a tough one with loaches.

It could be other parasites as well, which is why I won't suggest starting ich treatments. You have to see the little white spots that parasite produces. You are still at the watch and see stage.

 

[Guyb93]

I’ve found if it’s ich the flashing is just a confirmation of what you already know and see , if there’s no evidence of “white spots” on the fish and flashing is daily I would suggest flukes , either way I’d treat with malachite green for a week or two

 

[Byron]

I must take a different approach here. I have two or three times had ich with no external spots at all, just increased flashing. Ich attacks fish in the gills first where we cannot see it, and this causes the flashing. Obviously flashing can be due to other factors like water conditions, flukes, etc, but it can also frequently be the first indication of ich.

Stress causes ich. The parasite obviously must be present (and often is, without being noticed) but it is the stress that weakens the fish's immune system causing the outbreak. Fluctuating temperature is stressful. The small tank space is highly stressful. Only having three is highly stressful. These causes are clear from the information in this thread, but there well might be other issues causing stress.

I had Botia kubotai in a group of five (this is minimum for these loaches) in a 90g tank for several years. Suddenly, flashing. On Neale Monks' advice I raised the temperature to 86F/30C and it worked.

 

[Steve2717]

I must take a different approach here. I have two or three times had ich with no external spots at all, just increased flashing. Ich attacks fish in the gills first where we cannot see it, and this causes the flashing. Obviously flashing can be due to other factors like water conditions, flukes, etc, but it can also frequently be the first indication of ich.

Stress causes ich. The parasite obviously must be present (and often is, without being noticed) but it is the stress that weakens the fish's immune system causing the outbreak. Fluctuating temperature is stressful. The small tank space is highly stressful. Only having three is highly stressful. These causes are clear from the information in this thread, but there well might be other issues causing stress.

I had Botia kubotai in a group of five (this is minimum for these loaches) in a 90g tank for several years. Suddenly, flashing. On Neale Monks' advice I raised the temperature to 86F/30C and it worked.

Forgive my ignorance but what do you guys mean exactly by flashing? Im still new to keeping fish and have already encountered and treated ich but ive never heard of this and just want to know what to look out for

 

[Byron]

Forgive my ignorance but what do you guys mean exactly by flashing? Im still new to keeping fish and have already encountered and treated ich but ive never heard of this and just want to know what to look out for

Here is a link to an article by Neale Monks about flashing.

What is ‘flashing’ in fish?

Neale Monks explains the meaning of 'flashing' and how to prevent it becoming a problem for your fish.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk