My Jack D. has been scratching itself on the rocks, I also saw my Texas doing the same. Should I be worring about any kind of parasites or what, and if so what can I do (Dip) or use (Meds) to help this? THanks in advance for any help or info.
Fish Scratching
- Thread starter g8ors
- Start date
yep he probally has an external parasite or fungus treat him soon to prevent an outbreak i would go with a rise in tank temp and adding salt
That is the first sign of several diseases and some toxins, the most common is ich, take a good look at the fish and read the ich sticky, your cichlids tolerate the elevated temp. and salt very well
Most likely and most common is ick. Look at your fish for little white spots. Salt and higher temp work best. If you raise the temp also increase air into the water. Warmer water doesn't hold as much O2. Good luck.
I have always used a little salt in the tank, as I have a "fresh water" moray eel in the tank with them. Also, a couple of days ago I found out that my son had turned the temp up on the tank. So in a round about way I have already done those things. I have looked pretty hard at the fish to see if I could see any white spots on the fish, the only thing I have seen was on the Texas, and it was more of a white patch by its tail fin. Do you think I could try a ick med or is it most likely something else, seeing as I have tried 90deg and always add 1 Tbl to 5gal at h2o changes? thank you for reply's.
First try doubling the salt, it works out to a little over 2 teaspoons per gallon the flashing should stop in 2-3 days. Keep an eye on the white patch. If it turns fuzzy or spreads reduce the heat to mid 80s and try Binox or Maracyn or Maracyn 2. Other than that just watch them for other signs such as gill flukes, white spots, or small cinnamon looking spots.
Test the water? Flicking can also be a reaction to water quality. Always test before treating or you could be treating the symptom and not the cause.