Scratching Fish

[pinkdolphin_113]

ok well i have noticed my fishes keep scratching (if you will) themselves on the rocks and gravel. never on the drift wood.
could anyone please tell me if there is anything wrong and how do i solve it?

thanks x

 

[xJake]

Fish scratch when they're skin/gills are irritated just like humans. They could simply have some debris in their gills or on their skin. Fish also do this when they're exposed to skin and gill irritating chemicals such as ammonia and nitrite. Repeated scratching every few minutes or even seconds, however, should raise an alarm that there is seriously something wrong with the fish, but be sure to catch the suspected fish and do a gill/skin examination for red, inflamed gills or excess mucus around the gills or on the skin.

 

[voo]

This can sometimes be an early sign of Ich. Check in the emergency section of this forum. Also check your fish, see if you can find any white spots on them