Help!

[Phaedra]

I've been trying so hard to ensure that my 10g is happy and healthy.
Currently stocked in the tank are
3 male guppies (2 yellow, 1 black)
1 golden apple snail
1 African dwarf frog

It is heated, filtered, lit and also has an air pump (which I just added last night).
Params are
Ammonia 0 (possibly slightly higher, but not enough to be at .25)
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 5

Anyway, I'll try to be as brief as possible. I noticed last night after feeding the guppies and my ADF that one of them was definitely rubbing on the gravel. Sort of doing a little swoop and flicking himself against them. He seemed to have picked a particular spot and would chase the other guppies away if they got near, and then seemed to get bored and forget about the idea.

I thought that maybe he was excited after eating, or maybe he'd found a bit of food there and was trying to "protect" it, or maybe stir some more up.

This morning though, I noticed my little black guppy doing the same thing, also after I had fed them, and one of the yellow ones (possibly the same one as last night) was doing it too. I've checked them closely for signs of velvet and ich, but don't see anything. They're eating well and are very active and I've never seen them do it before. I don't know what could be causing it. Any suggestions or comments on this strange guppy behaviour? I know that having only 3 in the tank is a bit stressful, but now that my nitrates are up, I'll be getting a couple more this weekend. (Provided I'm not experiencing my first bout of sickness).

Thanks in advance for any advice/help!

 

[theotheragentm]

Since 10 gallons is relatively small, is that possibly the one ideal spot in the tank for these guys? Maybe your filter return is blowing kind of hard and this is a spot they're trying to both occupy? I'm not sure about the rubbing. Are the Guppies rubbing too?

 

[Phaedra]

Since 10 gallons is relatively small, is that possibly the one ideal spot in the tank for these guys? Maybe your filter return is blowing kind of hard and this is a spot they're trying to both occupy? I'm not sure about the rubbing. Are the Guppies rubbing too?

Thanks for the reply. It's only the guppies that are doing it, and they seem fine every other time I've checked them, they seem to rub only after I've fed them.

The only thing I can think of is that maybe one of them found a morsel in the gravel and is using the flicking to try to stir up some more, and chasing the others out of the way.

As far as water flow goes, I did change the tank last night (before I first saw them do this) and added an air stone, but the water flow doesn't seem to be affected from what I can tell. In fact, it may be a little slower since I added a second filter from my 3g to get some of the beneficial bacteria on it.

 

[theotheragentm]

That's baffling. What happens if you push the the gravel aside so the bottom of the tank is showing? Will they continue to do it?

 

[jaarus]

Well flashing is usually a sign of either:
Poor water quality
External parasites (single cell I think they are??)
Stress.

Since your water results come back fine - perhaps there were some chemicals (packing chemicals etc) on say the airstone/piping that has recently poluted the tank a bit?
Remove & clean anything added to the tank recently - then try daily (small) water changes for the next week or so and see if things gradually improve.

Check for any other signs of infection (not sure off the top of my head what they are)
Of course its possible its just stress - new tank and all, in which case I would hold off getting more inhabitants until its settled.

Keep up with water changes more frequently than normal and keep observing behaviour.

 

[Rillan]

It very well could be a parasite. One in the gills. I cant remember what the infection is but it causes iching gills. But it confuses me about they only do it after feeding.

All the best

 

[lilfishie]

do they have any visible spots etc?

 

[Phaedra]

No visible spots, no gill flukes, water params seem to be a-okay. I didn't see them rubbing yesterday after work at all, even after I fed them, so maybe it did have something to do with the air stone addition. But it was rinsed thoroughly before added to the tank. Maybe they were just adjusting to the new bubbles? I'll continue to keep an eye on them though, and do a water change today after work. They're due for one anyway.

I appreciate everyone's help. I'll keep you updated on how they're doing.