Flashing what does it mean? Not the good kind...

[SWerner13]

I have asked about this subject for a friend before and now I'm back. (I tell him to make his own name but he is lazy) Anyway, He has one juvenile oscar and one juvenile jack dempsey. They are in a large tank i believe said 100 plus gallons. Anyway since he has gotten them he has had trouble getting the jack dempsey to eat. There are no signs of aggression whatsoever and yet as far as he has seen the jack demspey won't come to top for food. The only thing that he has seen the jack eat are flakes but that was a a while ago now in an attempt to get the jack to eat pellets with the oscar. He described to me that when he walked up to his tank the jack sort of brushed himself against some rocks just a couple times. I said this is called flashing. He is in the process of cycling but does water changes any time ammonia raises above .25 parts. So the real question is, Why would the jack flash? I have only read about flashing as a sign of something wrong or could the fish just have been feelin a bit frisky? Thanks for your help!

 

[joy13]

The stress that is brought on by cycling can cause all sorts of problems. If the JD doesn't have any white salt type of spots I doubt it is ich. Velvet is another disease that causes flashing. I found that garlic guard by seachem really works to increase a fishes appetite, it is a pain to use, so when I thaw my frozen food I just put a few drops on that. I am sure you can soak the pellets in it. Basically it is garlic flavored water to me.

Flashing is usually always because of something wrong.

You have tanks, if they are healthy and cycled you can jump cycling his tank by using the filter medium from your filter. I do that a lot with my tanks.

 

[SWerner13]

I'll see what I can do thanks for the advice.