fry_lover
Fred and the Fredettes
Problem
Fish rubbing against sand and rocks, some quite persistently and forcefully, like they are really trying to dislodge a parasite
Set-Up-
300 litre, 67 gallon tank.
- Been setup for about 3 months now i think, no new fish added in about 2 months.
- Mostly Malawi, i watch this tank a lot, the aggression is actually very limited and insignificant i think in relation to this problem.
- The tank is not technically over-stocked. Decor is sand, Ocean Rock and Lava Rock, enough hiding places, generally well set up in my opinion.
- Eheim 2028 external (mature) and Juwell 300 standard internal (mature), since day 1 i have not had any Ammonia and Nitrite readings, text weekly, sometimes twice weekly. Nitrate does creep up, often gets to about 60, possibly 70 mg/l (but always hard to tell with these d*mmed nitrate kits once the reading is over 40). I cant think Nitrate is the reason, not for these fish, i do 30-40% water changes every 7 days and my tapwater going in, is usually about 10-20mg/l of Nitrate
- I live in a hard water area and the pH is about 7.8 to 8.0 (by the way all my test kits are new). Temp is maintained at a constant 80F
- Diet is reasonable i think, mixture of flake, frozen and fresh vegetable, brine shrimp and algae pellets. Fed x1 daily in the evening.
Ever since i had the tank setup i had fish scratching around, not all of them, but a good few of them. No symptoms on skin, nothing, the tank looks a picture of health, all fish are vibrant coloured, active and feeding well. No deaths. The only thing i got is a couple of yellow labs (there is a group of 7) sometimes sitting on the bottom in active for a bit, not sure if this is behavioural or related to illness. But if you saw my tank, you would be impressed with the colours of the fish, they really do look good, hence with that and the water parameters i am struggling as to what the scratching is about
I must admit, i have done what you ain't supposed to do and added some meds, about a month ago i did x1 single dose of Flubenol, which was very effective when i had some issues with my livebearers, its supposed to treat worms and flukes. This hasnt made any difference in my Malawi Tank. I wasnt going to treat again until i got advise, but i got so p*ssed of seeing them scratch the other day i have added some Protozin, 2 days in, no difference. I know that blindly adding meds is not the done thing though.
I have heard that Malawi tend to do this scratching behaviour out of "habit", but if you saw my fish, at times they really look agitated with something on there skin.
Any advice welcomed
What about salt? although i think if the meds havent worked, whats the point in salt? but i guess its a possibility?
Fish rubbing against sand and rocks, some quite persistently and forcefully, like they are really trying to dislodge a parasite
Set-Up-
300 litre, 67 gallon tank.
- Been setup for about 3 months now i think, no new fish added in about 2 months.
- Mostly Malawi, i watch this tank a lot, the aggression is actually very limited and insignificant i think in relation to this problem.
- The tank is not technically over-stocked. Decor is sand, Ocean Rock and Lava Rock, enough hiding places, generally well set up in my opinion.
- Eheim 2028 external (mature) and Juwell 300 standard internal (mature), since day 1 i have not had any Ammonia and Nitrite readings, text weekly, sometimes twice weekly. Nitrate does creep up, often gets to about 60, possibly 70 mg/l (but always hard to tell with these d*mmed nitrate kits once the reading is over 40). I cant think Nitrate is the reason, not for these fish, i do 30-40% water changes every 7 days and my tapwater going in, is usually about 10-20mg/l of Nitrate
- I live in a hard water area and the pH is about 7.8 to 8.0 (by the way all my test kits are new). Temp is maintained at a constant 80F
- Diet is reasonable i think, mixture of flake, frozen and fresh vegetable, brine shrimp and algae pellets. Fed x1 daily in the evening.
Ever since i had the tank setup i had fish scratching around, not all of them, but a good few of them. No symptoms on skin, nothing, the tank looks a picture of health, all fish are vibrant coloured, active and feeding well. No deaths. The only thing i got is a couple of yellow labs (there is a group of 7) sometimes sitting on the bottom in active for a bit, not sure if this is behavioural or related to illness. But if you saw my tank, you would be impressed with the colours of the fish, they really do look good, hence with that and the water parameters i am struggling as to what the scratching is about
I must admit, i have done what you ain't supposed to do and added some meds, about a month ago i did x1 single dose of Flubenol, which was very effective when i had some issues with my livebearers, its supposed to treat worms and flukes. This hasnt made any difference in my Malawi Tank. I wasnt going to treat again until i got advise, but i got so p*ssed of seeing them scratch the other day i have added some Protozin, 2 days in, no difference. I know that blindly adding meds is not the done thing though.
I have heard that Malawi tend to do this scratching behaviour out of "habit", but if you saw my fish, at times they really look agitated with something on there skin.
Any advice welcomed
What about salt? although i think if the meds havent worked, whats the point in salt? but i guess its a possibility?
