Flashing caused by nitrates?

[Djmac]

Hi all,

One of my new fish is flashing and yawning (he arrived during the week). I havent been able to QT new fish as I dont have a tank available.

I've been using an Aquaforest test kit for nitrates, but I've recently got a Salifert test kit, and there has been some discrepancies.

Aquaforest nitrate test kit reports very low nitrates - 1-3ppm whereas the Salifert kit reports 100!

I had been making decisions based on low nitrates which is disappointing if this isnt a correct reading.

Would nitrates as high as the salifert test is reading (100ppm) be causing the fish irritation and causing him to flash and yawn?

Cheers
Dave

 

[Soren]

Hi all,

One of my new fish is flashing and yawning (he arrived during the week). I havent been able to QT new fish as I dont have a tank available.

I've been using an Aquaforest test kit for nitrates, but I've recently got a Salifert test kit, and there has been some discrepancies.

Aquaforest nitrate test kit reports very low nitrates - 1-3ppm whereas the Salifert kit reports 100!

I had been making decisions based on low nitrates which is disappointing if this isnt a correct reading.

Would nitrates as high as the salifert test is reading (100ppm) be causing the fish irritation and causing him to flash and yawn?

Cheers
Dave

That sounds more like flukes/gill flukes, but I'm not very experienced.
#reefsquad @Jay Hemdal

 

[Djmac]

 

[JGT]

Don’t think nitrates would cause that but I am suspecting testing error given the wide variance with 2 relatively good test kits.

 

[Djmac]

I've done the tests twice. Also on my other smaller tank (235L - running an algae reactor) the Salifert is reporting 1-2ppm which I believe is accurate.

I hadnt checked before but expiry on the kits:
Oct 2022 - aquaforest
Mar 2025 - salifert

I'm guessing that would explain the bad reading on the aquaforest, 4 months past expiry. I wouldnt have expected such a large deviation in results though? With such a large discrepancy today would the results 4 month ago even have been accurate? (I would have expected a gradual tapering off of accurate rather than "off a cliff").

 

[Lavey29]

High nitrate exposure can cause fish health issues but not short term exposure as you describe.

 

[JGT]

You wouldn’t think so but who knows how quickly the degradation happens and what conditions might cause it. I’d go with the Salifert as that seems to be on the money and up to date.

 

[vetteguy53081]

That sounds more like flukes/gill flukes, but I'm not very experienced.
#reefsquad @Jay Hemdal

Nitrates at Very high levels will cause a level of stress but the behavior described is Flukes which often cannot be seen by the naked eye unless neobendenia. Some signs of flukes are rapid breathing, fish acting lethargic or swimming near the water surface, hiding in the corner of tank or behind rocks, loss of appetite, shaking its head, flashing/darting, develop clamped fins, , or scratching against objects. They may also exhibit what looks like yawning from gill irritation develop, cloudy eyes and loss of color.
If you are seeing these others as well, its likely Flukes and will require treatment with Prazi Pro

 

[MnFish1]

Hi all,

One of my new fish is flashing and yawning (he arrived during the week). I havent been able to QT new fish as I dont have a tank available.

I've been using an Aquaforest test kit for nitrates, but I've recently got a Salifert test kit, and there has been some discrepancies.

Aquaforest nitrate test kit reports very low nitrates - 1-3ppm whereas the Salifert kit reports 100!

I had been making decisions based on low nitrates which is disappointing if this isnt a correct reading.

Would nitrates as high as the salifert test is reading (100ppm) be causing the fish irritation and causing him to flash and yawn?

Cheers
Dave

I would say - nitrates as high as they are - assuming the test is right - are not causing the problem - though they might be the symptom of the problem

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi all,

One of my new fish is flashing and yawning (he arrived during the week). I havent been able to QT new fish as I dont have a tank available.

I've been using an Aquaforest test kit for nitrates, but I've recently got a Salifert test kit, and there has been some discrepancies.

Aquaforest nitrate test kit reports very low nitrates - 1-3ppm whereas the Salifert kit reports 100!

I had been making decisions based on low nitrates which is disappointing if this isnt a correct reading.

Would nitrates as high as the salifert test is reading (100ppm) be causing the fish irritation and causing him to flash and yawn?

Cheers
Dave

I don’t think High nitrates will cause symptoms like that - even at >200 ppm nitrate ion I’ve not seen that.

Jay

 

[Djmac]

Thanks everyone for the input. I've setup a 130litre hospital tank to treat with praziquantel.

The tank inhabitants are:
Corination cod/grouper - flashing and yawning
Goatfish - flashing (very occasional)
Harlequin Tuskfish - no symptoms
Lime green wrasse - no symptoms

The corination cod and goatfish were from the same store.

I was planning just to treat the two symptomatic fish in the HT. I didnt want to put the wrasses through prazi if I can avoid it (catching them would also be a challenge!). Is this a bad idea?

 

[Sebastiancrab]

Thanks everyone for the input. I've setup a 130litre hospital tank to treat with praziquantel.

The tank inhabitants are:
Corination cod/grouper - flashing and yawning
Goatfish - flashing (very occasional)
Harlequin Tuskfish - no symptoms
Lime green wrasse - no symptoms

The corination cod and goatfish were from the same store.

I was planning just to treat the two symptomatic fish in the HT. I didnt want to put the wrasses through prazi if I can avoid it (catching them would also be a challenge!). Is this a bad ide

It would be best to treat all of them in your hospital tank and let your DT go fallow. Flukes can sometimes be difficult to eradicate and need multiple doses of Prazipro.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

The issue with wrasses and praziquantel seems related to oxygen deprivation from the solvent used - with plain prazi powder there are no issues with wrasse. Always have really good aeration when dosing it.
It is generally best to treat the whole tank that is suspected of flukes.
Jay