Occasional flashing

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
B

bland

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 4, 2015
20
13
8
46
Occasional flashing



I have a 125g tank with an Oscar and 5 severums. I’ve never seen the Oscar scratching, but the severums do flash on occasion. It’s never the same fish, and never to the point that they lose scales or anything. Just every now and then one of the severums will scratch 3-4 times and that’s the end of it. Is this something I should be concerned about?



I've had the tank over a year. My water is good and I change out about 80% weekly and use a good conditioner.
 
Is the water the same temperature that you do the changes with, 80% is rather large. I wouldn't do more then a 40% change in a week because the water can't be the exact same parameters as what's in the tank.
 
No. It's completely random. Sometimes it will be days they don't scratch and other days I will catch one scratching once every couple minutes. Then the next day no more scratching.
 
Water is the same temperature when I refill. + or - 1 degree, and the heaters regulate it all again within 30 minutes.
 
i dealt with a random flashing in a planted community tank that must of been for 6-8 months before i realized my deep substrate was release toxic gas from anaerobic pockets from too much dead decaying organics and poor flow through the substrate.

Any chance this could be your issue? do a test if you use substrate. take a toothpick or something similar and turn off the filter to make the water still. start poking around and see if you see bubbles rising out. does it smell funky? rotten eggs or something similar? if so thats your cause.

either way a good gravel / substrate cleaning won't hurt.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GamerChick5567
Just river gravel for a substrate. I do a full vacuum when I do my weekly water change.

Picture of tank. Don't mind the micro bubbles. It's winter time and the colder weather outside makes the bubbles. They are gone within 30 minutes of filling.

 
It's forsure not the anaerobic pockets.

But I do think those micro bubbles could easily be the cause. I have experienced some major issues with my fish due to the same microbubbles aka supersaturated gas water.

What I have done which has pretty much eliminated the bubbles and degassing the water. Running the water through a micro sock (5micron) before it hits the tank and keep the water slightly cooler.

Those bubbles can attach to the skin, gills, and enter the bloodstream of the fish and cause major issues. Flashing is very common as well.

Try ageing the water or do what I suggested and see if that helps.

I don't have microbubbles anymore. The stock has to be out of the water to work
 
The micro bubbles only happen in the winter due to the difference in tempurature outside. In the summer I don't have any bubbles at all.

Last year I was filtering the water through some poly fill and a stocking. It almost compete eliminated the bubbles, but the flashing has been happening since I've had the fish almost a year ago, summer and winter. It's no worse now that it was in the summer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom