Fish scraping...?

[Jim2982]

I've had my fish in the aquarium for a week now and a couple of them are starting to scrape their sides against the rockwork and on the gravel on the bottom. My SAE did that before in the old community setup and has started doing it again. I went to Fish N Chirps (Denton LFS) and noticed some of their fish doing it, too. When I asked the guy working there he said they just itch or something and they're scratching it, just like we would do, and it's nothing to worry about. Is this true?

[ElijahTurtle]

Typically there is some irritant that is bothering them. Sometimes it's ich or other parasites. Try adding some aquarium salt. Typically this will sooth the irritation from whatever source, & most parasites react negativly to it like ich. You might also bump your tank temps up a few degrees as a precaution incase it is ich or some other parasite.

[Jim2982]

OK, I keep the aquarium at 75 degrees. So I should up it to...78? Also, I've never added salt to the aquarium, so should I just treat the entire aquarium as per the directions? (i.e. 1 teaspoon per gallon or whatever it is?) Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.

[biggin]

80ish seems to be the magic number for temp increase.... at least from what I have read....

[ElijahTurtle]

Yes 80-82 degrees & dose according to the guidelines.

[lellison]

yea atleast 80. I would try 82. It is not normal to do that and is probably Velvet or Ich. I would treat with salt and see if that helps. There are also meds to help like Coppersafe but I would try the salt first.

[mrsbiggin]

so should I just treat the entire aquarium as per the directions? (i.e. 1 teaspoon per gallon or whatever it is?)

I'm surprised blake didn't answer this question...I think he needs to sit in the corner with us outcasts!

You don't add the recommended amt of salt that's on the box - that's too much, but I don't remember what it is...Blake does it all the time....blake you answer (I'd ask him but he's sleeping).....

[biggin]

Huh? I think you are thinking about marine salt and making brackish.... use the dosage on the box for aquarium salt....

I'm surprised blake didn't answer this question...I think he needs to sit in the corner with us outcasts!

You don't add the recommended amt of salt that's on the box - that's too much, but I don't remember what it is...Blake does it all the time....blake you answer (I'd ask him but he's sleeping).....

[Goathead]

If you are using crushed coral as a base, it can irritate their gills and they will scrape.

[Jim2982]

No, just pea gravel for the base, and all limestone and a couple lava rocks for the decor. I'll raise it up to 80 and add the recommended amount for aquarium salt, not saltwater. Thanks everyone for your help.

[lellison]

Hope all goes well, let us know. Oh, and do u remember who it was that you talked to at Fish-n-chirps. They hired a new kid/guy. Don't know much about him yet though. Well I don't know how new he is, but I haven't seen him in there until lately and haven't caught his name yet.

[bra8ndy8]

What kind of fish is it??? I have peacocks {African's}.....and A LOT of them will turn sideways on a piece of slate that is in their tank.....when they are doing the mating dance!! It's only the males.....and the ahli's more than the others!

[Jim2982]

I did talk to the new guy, his name's Josh, and he seems really helpful so far. He told me about his 150g of Africans he has and gave me lots of suggestions before I switched my tank over. He isn't, however, the person I talked to about the scraping. I don't know that guy's name, but he's older, with a beard, one of the owners I think.

And Brandy, yes one of the fish doing it is a yellow peacock, but it's the only peacock I have. The others were a Kenyii, Yellow Lab, and Livingstonii that I noticed. I put the salt in and raised the temp to 80 yesterday and I sat and watched the aquarium for 20 minutes or so tonight and didn't see a single fish scraping, so hopefully whatever was bothering them has been taken care of. Thanks again to everyone for their help. I'm REALLY glad I found this site, everybody is so helpful and encouraging. It's awesome.

[kewlkatdady]

My fish do this all the time...
My temp is 81 and I add rock salt to all my tanks...

I've ALWAYS seen africans do this...I've never worried about it.

[bra8ndy8]

I have my tank about 80 and add salt....and I also see them do it all the time! I wouldn't worry about it at all! And they aren't going to do it when you watch and want them to!! LOL it's like watching water boil!

[Jim2982]

LOL, good point. But I love watching water boil! OK, maybe not. I guess I just won't worry about it as long as they don't have any visible ailments.

[lellison]

If it is a parasite, you should see white spots or something on them already I would think. Hope all is well with them. And yes, the man you talked to is one of the owners. Honestly, I haven't ever dealt with him much over the years. I miss Amy. She worked there for a while and she knew her stuff.