Ram Rubbing On Rocks.....

[mattlee]

hi i have a reletively new set up of about 3 months or so and have a nicely stocked tank, but recently one of my blue rams sometimes rubs himself on a smooth rock i have just been watching him and in the last 2 minutes he has rubbed about 6 times. is this normal? i have not seen him or any other fish of mine do this before, have i got a disease on the way? in the tank are - platys, rams, tetra, polkadot loach, corys, gourami, shrimp, snails, do i need med for scaleless fish due to the loach if there is a disease in there?

thanks, matt

i did about 35% water change yesterday using api conditioner

 

[glolite]

Rubbing against rocks can be a sign of nitrite poisoning, do you test regularly for ammonia and nitrite?

The other cause could be a disease called ich. Any white spots on the fishy's skin?

 

[mattlee]

since putting my tank in i have tested everyday for nitrite, ammonia, nitrate and pH. the nitrite and ammonia levels have stayed at 0, my nitrate stays about 10 it has reached 20 but after a water change it drops to 5. my test results just taken are - nitrite = 0 ammonia = 0 nitrate = 10 pH = 7.8. just had a look at all the fish and cant see any spots or anything out of the ordinary..... whilst checking them out i didnt notice him rubbing on anything, but i was looking at all my fish and may have missed it...

 

[glolite]

If there's no other symptoms then just keep an eye on him. Sounds like you're doing all the right things.

 

[mattlee]

just noticed 1 ram is breathing faster than all the others and hanging around the surface of the water and occasionally hiding behind the pump, he is a bit smaller than the other 3 and does get chased around a bit by them, is it stress? the other 3 seem to get on fine and the 4th gets on with them most the time.

 

[glolite]

Could well be stress if he's getting chased a lot. Which water conditioner do u use?

 

[mattlee]

i have always used api stress coat+ and added api stress zyme after each change, although i have read on other topics that its not worth the money or time (stress zyme) but i have a bottle so may as well use it...... as long as its doing no harm the ram in question normally is out and about i have never seen him hide like this before

 

[glolite]

Stress coat won't do any harm at all, in fact I like it as a conditioner. He's probably hiding because he's stressed. Not a lot u can do so just keep an eye for now.

 

[mattlee]

ok many thanks glolite for your quick responses ill post again if it gets any worse. i am looking to get a larger tank as i have the fish bug now maybe this will give them more space to do thier own thing......

thanks again, Matt

 

[WILDER]

is there enough aeration in the tank.
Added any new fish or plants to the tank.

Any excess mucas on the gills or body of the fish.
Do the gills look red and inflamed, or pale with excess slime.
Any greyish patches or blue patches on the fish.
Any red pin prick marks on the fish or red sores.
Do any fish look skinny.
Any signs of darting, or erratic swimming.
Do the fish swim in a jerky movement.

 

[mattlee]

i currently have a 12 inch air stone in the tank. there are no obvious signs of red, blue patches etc although the blue rams are very colourfull..... the fish in question is a bit jerky/ darty and seems slightly unstable sometimes and is hiding alot which is unusual for him. like i said earlier in post he does get chased abit by the other 3 rams but sometimes gives it back.... not sure if this was normal for rams as they can be teritorial i understand, but he is chased by male and female tank buddies of the same species

the latest fish added were 4 corys last monday so nearly a week ago

 

[WILDER]

Sounds like there could be a parasite involved.
Need to answer more of the questions I have asked.

 

[mattlee]

no new plants added all my plants are silk or plastic.
cant see any excess mucas anywhere.
its hard to see the gills but they seem ok not inflamed.
no obvious blue/grey patches, although the rams are blue in parts anyway.
cant see any sores/ pin pricks.
no fish looking skinny although the ram is smaller so not as fat anyway.
there are darting/ eratic swimming going on and he is now flicking/ rubbing himself against the heater, he almost looks drunk compared to the other rams.
it is swimming slightly jerky.
it is hiding away behind the pump which is unusual and his fins are nearly always tucked in not on display.
he is breathing faster than normal and his front fins (sorry not sure what they are called, but the ones near his belly) are a bit frantic.

i hope this helps, i will keep looking for any coloured patches/ sores etc but its quite hard as he hides in the back corner of the tank alot now.....

thanks, matt.

 

[WILDER]

Is there only one fish in the tank showing signs of - there are darting/ eratic swimming going on and he is now flicking/ rubbing himself against the heater, he almost looks drunk compared to the other rams.

 

[mattlee]

its only the one fish that i have noticed rubbing although another ram has now gone into hiding and lost a bit of colour it looks quite pale