Help With Itch

[rl1oyd]

Right all my fish are itching, malawi cichlids, they dont have any white spot but itch like mad.
I have replaced my coral sand with gravel as i was told this could be the problem, same thing.
I have a bottle of Protozin which i thought i would use as it will hopefully clear it up.
Not sure how much im suppose to put in? The instructions are not at all clear? It is 2x concentrate and my tank is 720litres. Any advice guys?
Also i did a 40% water change yesterday, could that make it worse if the water has not been dechlorinated enough? This has been going on for few weeks but the way i change my water is the same all the time, empty it with a hose and fill it back up with a hose as it is such a big tank. I then put the dechlorination (stress coat) in after iv filled it up, to the best of my calculation. Think im waffling on here but some help and advice would be much appreciated

 

[doktor doris]

Right all my fish are itching, malawi cichlids, they dont have any white spot but itch like mad.
I have replaced my coral sand with gravel as i was told this could be the problem, same thing.
I have a bottle of Protozin which i thought i would use as it will hopefully clear it up.
Not sure how much im suppose to put in? The instructions are not at all clear? It is 2x concentrate and my tank is 720litres. Any advice guys?
Also i did a 40% water change yesterday, could that make it worse if the water has not been dechlorinated enough? This has been going on for few weeks but the way i change my water is the same all the time, empty it with a hose and fill it back up with a hose as it is such a big tank. I then put the dechlorination (stress coat) in after iv filled it up, to the best of my calculation. Think im waffling on here but some help and advice would be much appreciated

Hmm, Iam no expert but my understanding is that any water containing chlorine is bad news for your filter.

Are you allowing chlorine filled water to get dragged through your filter?

doris

 

[Ferris]

Just be careful here - "Flashing" is very normal behaviour with many African cichlids, especially Mbuna. What you describe is a daily occurence in my Mbuna tank and perfectly normal - it can be a sign of agression or even part of a mating ritual.

Of course, the problem with this is that it makes it difficult to diagnose whether there is a health problem or not. Have you noticed any other symptoms?

 

[rl1oyd]

Its not flashing
They are kind of twitching and you can see its annoying them untill they have to rub themselves on the gravel/rocks
Unfortunalely a couple of them are starting to get marks on there sides from rubbing.
It is not from Ammonia Nitrates as the water is cleaned 40% per week, my only conclusion is white spot/itch or something to do with the fresh water?

 

[Ferris]

Whitespot/Ich would be visible, even at an early stage - I'm guessing there are no visible signs? Like tiny grains of sugar etc?

Have you actually tested the water for high ammonia/nitrate etc? 40% water changes should be more than enough but don't make any assumptions - there could be a problem there.

 

[rl1oyd]

Well that was my asumption but i think i will agree and test the water
No there are no signs of white spot
So the only thing that would make them itch could be white spot or high nitrate levels?
Iv had a malawi tank fo 6 years so not a noob just not come across this before

 

[Ferris]

Apart from flashing, which we've discussed, I haven't seen Mbuna (or any fish for that matter) scratch themselves for anything other than an external parasites like whitespot or poor water parameters - I would definitely get the water tested asap.

 

[rl1oyd]

Ferris thanks
As you have been so helpful i will test tonight and post the parameters

 

[rl1oyd]

Hi my Ammonia is 0 my nitrite is 0 but my nitrate is bright red
I find this strange as i did 40% water change on Saturday
Is the nitrate always going to be high with malawis due to the over stocking?
I have bought some Stress Coat+ for water conditioner, some Stress Zyme+ for live bacteria boost and some Accu-clear which helps (apparently) with the water clarity.
I have 2x eheim pro 2's and aan eheim pro 3 running in this tank so it is very well filtered. I have a nozzle on the end of one of the outlets with a tube that goes above the water and pumps alot of bubbles into the tank so it is well oxygenated too!

 

[Ferris]

Nitrate should never be high - Malawi tanks are usually overstocked but the filtration has to be able to cope with it. I have 3 huge filters on my Mbuna tank with a massive turnover - you can never have too much IMO.

Sounds like Nitrate is the problem - daily water changes at around 30-40% for the next few days should bring it down. You could even start off with a 50% change - it won't do any harm.

 

[rl1oyd]

when it says treat the water with 5ml every 10 us gallon is that of the whole tank or just the volume of water iv changed? Tank is 190 us gallon which i work out at 19 cap fulls or would it be half that for the 50% water change. Yes i am officially thick

 

[Ferris]

Medication treatment doses are based on total water volume of the tank - so 190 USG in your case (I'm guessing you have a 6 foot tank or similar?)

Dechlorinator dosage is based on the amount of water you are changing.

 

[rl1oyd]

are you laughin at me or with me
Right ok well im on with a 50%er so ill check in the mornin then do 20% up till the wkend and leave for few days see how it is. It maybe because i added 7 fish on sat, i did do a change but maybe my filters need to play catch up. I will post some pics of my tank soon too for u all to see, its pretty nice tank and yes you are right its 6'6" 720 litres.

oh thanks for your help by the way, much appreciated

 

[rl1oyd]

Ok so
last night before a water change my Nitrate red 160mg/l
After a 50% water change last night, this morning it reads between 80+160mg/l still
What the hell could be making such high Nitrate readings? Guess i will have to check my tap water too when i get home.
I have a guy works with me who has 4 tanks he said his readings never go past 10 or 20 he thinks they are bad and i showed him mine today and thought it looked crazy