Fish Itching On Rocks And Sand

[jamesmacc]

hi folks,
since i got my fish they occasionly rub against rocks or the sand, i read it can happen in new tanks as they are stressed and getting used to each other. had the tank running with fish in for about 2.5 months now, my brown algae has just about finished clearing. i have just had my first 3 fry spat from a ndumbi red top. i have read about gill fluke and ich and its all getting me worried now. is there anything i should dose the tank with to make sure there are no nasty pestasites or illness.
cheers,
james

forgot to write ammonia,nitrite and nitrate all normal

 

[Sammy1911]

My fish do it from time to time (not so much now they're settled in i.e. no recent changes), I think it's a 'marking' thing myself. My cichlids and the male danios do it, more often when I've made some changes - i.e. new plants, moved the hardscaping etc. I find stress tends to show itself when the fish swim up and down, up and down continuiously and at a fast pace usually if I've been a bit out with the temp during the water change.

I'm no pro compared to some people on on here though - I am just giving you my opinion Maybe someone will have a different experience!? IMO don't do anything, just leave them be - maybe leave the lights off for today and if their behaviour is ok again tomorrow resume your normal routine

 

[butch073]

Im No expert but ive had a few tanks. Just a word of warning to watch the fish who are rubbing for white spot in the next few days ... i have had some do it before and whitespot or ich not show for little while ...... keep your eyes peeled ! It may just be nothing just thought id let you know.

 

[onidrase]

A lot of things cause flashing (the rubbing against things) but it's usually general discomfort. A rise in ammonia/nitrite can be the cause, as can ich, as a few people have said, and many other diseases. most general changes in water conditions can be the cause, as well. Such as adjusting to a different level of hardness, pH, temperature, or even adjusting to a different kind of dechlorinator.

If your tank is not quite established and the fish are relatively new, take the benefit of the doubt and just assume you've got some itchy fish that are still adjusting to the new tank. If it's a pretty old tank that has been running stable with older residents, it's more likely to be parasites or the like.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

It could be nothing to worry about, sometimes fish "flick" after water changes.

However, I'm currently experiencing the flip side... My secretive nocturnal Synodontis suddenly became unsecretive midweek, revealing completely covered fins and body. Despite medication, I lost the last of the six decora last night, plus I lost my Lionhead Cichlid "dad" and a Synodontis nigriventris over Friday night.

 

[jamesmacc]

i think they have little white spots, it looks like little air bubbles stuck to the skin. how do i clear it?

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Do they look like mini anchors or "J"s, with the horizontal top line hooked into the fish's body?

 

[onidrase]

i think they have little white spots, it looks like little air bubbles stuck to the skin. how do i clear it?

it may very well be little air bubbles stuck to their skin too. Did you do a water change recently? Sometimes if the water temp changes significantly the bubbles will stick to the fish for a good while.

However, if it does look like ich, which will look much more solid white than bubbles (more like salt than bubbles) then it's probably ich.

Best way to treat it is to get some medicines and dose it, it's really not hard to get rid of. I've found Kordon Rid Ich Plus and API Super Ich Cure liquid medicines to be effective if used correctly. And Rid Ich won't kill your filter media or plants.

 

[OldMan47]

If you have tiny white spots over the body, chances are that you have white spot, aka ich. In that case a treatment for ich is in order. The basic approach to that treatment is to raise the temperature in the tank in order to speed up the ich life cycle and to add the correct amount of salt until the parasite is gone from your tank. Have a read through of the article that you can reach using the Ich Info link in my signature area. It gives a short story describing the disease organism and the only definitive description I have found of the disease and the treatment process. One thing that I must emphasize is to follow the advice about treating after all signs of the parasite are gone from your fish. If you fail to do that simple part, you will see the disease in your tank again. I think that is why so many people believe the disease is always present in a tank. They have simply failed to completely eradicate it in their tank.

 

[jamesmacc]

If you have tiny white spots over the body, chances are that you have white spot, aka ich. In that case a treatment for ich is in order. The basic approach to that treatment is to raise the temperature in the tank in order to speed up the ich life cycle and to add the correct amount of salt until the parasite is gone from your tank. Have a read through of the article that you can reach using the Ich Info link in my signature area. It gives a short story describing the disease organism and the only definitive description I have found of the disease and the treatment process. One thing that I must emphasize is to follow the advice about treating after all signs of the parasite are gone from your fish. If you fail to do that simple part, you will see the disease in your tank again. I think that is why so many people believe the disease is always present in a tank. They have simply failed to completely eradicate it in their tank.

thanks for that. it says to continue for at least 3 days after all signs of gone. im goin to dose the tan today after the water change. it may not be ich, it looks like little air bubbles and i have done a water change a few days ago were the temp dropped a few degrees so maybe the bubbles are just clinging on?

 

[FishBlast]

If you have tiny white spots over the body, chances are that you have white spot, aka ich. In that case a treatment for ich is in order. The basic approach to that treatment is to raise the temperature in the tank in order to speed up the ich life cycle and to add the correct amount of salt until the parasite is gone from your tank. Have a read through of the article that you can reach using the Ich Info link in my signature area. It gives a short story describing the disease organism and the only definitive description I have found of the disease and the treatment process. One thing that I must emphasize is to follow the advice about treating after all signs of the parasite are gone from your fish. If you fail to do that simple part, you will see the disease in your tank again. I think that is why so many people believe the disease is always present in a tank. They have simply failed to completely eradicate it in their tank.

thanks for that. it says to continue for at least 3 days after all signs of gone. im goin to dose the tan today after the water change. it may not be ich, it looks like little air bubbles and i have done a water change a few days ago were the temp dropped a few degrees so maybe the bubbles are just clinging on?

If they are air bubbles, they should be gone within a few hours. I only see those on my fish if I do water changes of 90%.