acara making strange twitching movements!!!!!!!!!

Question

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Followup To

Question -
About 3 days ago my fish have started rubbing against the sides of objects and start what it looks like twitching for no apparent reason.
They dont have white spot or fin rot or any illness i am aware of.
Have you got any idea what this is?

I have had them for 2,1/2 weeks and have had no problem until this.
they are male and female and are about 4-5cm.
thankyou!!!!

Answer -
Hello,

This could be a symptom for a couple diseases, but with fish its not as important to pinpoint the exact disease as to find the cause of the disease.

First, if they are simply swimming odd, it may not be a disease at all. Continue to closely observe them. If you see any other symptoms such as not eating, weight loss or bloating, any signs of deterieration or loss of color, then it could be an illness. Unless you see obvious white tufts or fin rot, then its not a fungus and if you see no parasites then that is ruled out as well. In that case, it is either a virus or a bacteria. Nothing can be done about viruses, they usually clear up on their own, but since it is hard to tell the difference between a virus and bacteria you should stay on the safe side and treat it as a bacteria.

To treat bacterial infections, I usually recommend a combination of Melafix (a great antibacterial product) and aquarium salt. If you can not find Melafix, try another general antibacterial which a pet store assosciate should be able to help you find. Also test your water for nitrites and ammonia at least and also chlorine if you can. Any of these being at dangerous levels could cause your fish to act odd. If you find they are at dangerous levels, you should remedy them immediately. If you need help doing that, feel free to contact me again.

I hope this has helped.

Good-luck,
From Stephanie


Thankyou for the advice!
I think i will not treat the water with what you advised me to use for a few days to see if they just stop the twitching because last night they did not do it as much as i seen them do it in the past.I will do a 25% water change as usual on saturday and that could do the trick.
I tested the water 3 days ago and the nitrite, nitrate and ammonia was low.I will check it again a bit later.
Have you ever heard of fish having this twitching movement before?


Answer
Hello,

It is a good idea to hold off on the medicine for a little while.

Yes, I have heard of this twitching before. It can sometimes be called 'shimmying' or 'flashing'. Usually those two are a sign of disease, but it can also be that your fish simply have odd swimming styles. The best way to know for sure is continue your regular watching of the fish and the nitrite, nitrate and ammonia.

Sincerely,
Stephanie