HRP Flashing scratching gill area

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Rivers2k

Rivers2k

Piranha
MFK Member
Dec 27, 2011
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NY
So my dominant Platinum (leucistic) Honduran Red Point has been flashing around his gill area for 3 to 4 weeks now. Besides the flashing he is acting normal he has even started developing a hump and really looks like a mini midas. He is the boss of that tank so he isn't stressed at all and feeds well. 6 weeks ago I ordered some Thoricthys Passionis that came in with Ich. I started to treat with heat and salt but my L200 wasn't breathing heavy with the high heat so I lowered the temp back to normal and treated with API General cure. There has been no sign of Ich for 3 weeks. All fish are acting normal. My water perimeters are perfect. I do 50-75% water changes weekly. Just did my last one on Sunday.

The only difference in the tank is last week I added a piece of driftwood that is leaching a bit of tannins but he was flashing before that. but I do wonder if the tannins is what has him starting to develop his hump. But that is a side note. I am at a loss for what to do water quality is pristine.

Current stock list is
3x HRP 2m 1F 2"-4"
2x Rainbow Cichlids
1x Red severum 3"
1x L200
1x Firmeouth 4"
1x Nicuraguan 4.5"
 
My guess would be that Ich is still present in the tank. In my experience, the first sign of Ich is the flashing/scratching against the rocks. You probably eradicated most of it when you treated the tank, but all it takes are a few survivors to quickly regenerate in your tank.

Did the driftwood you purchased come from submerged tank water? If so, it can be an easy carrier of certain diseases. If not, it would be highly unlikely that the driftwood is causing the issues.
 
Driftwood can harbor all kinds of nastiness, but it does sound like the ick is trying to make a comeback since the flashing happened first. If the tannins are enough to change your PH they can compound the problem, but it sounds like you're doing enough water changes that it shouldn't be an issue. Given no inverts or scaleless fish in your tank, try a low dose copper treatment to knock out the last of the ick.
 
The driftwood was dry on a shelf at the LFS. I don't want to do copper with my L200 in the tank. He was so hard to find and pricey too. If ICH is coming back wouldn't it have infected other fish in this amount of time or also killed my HRP in that amount of time? I can do another dose of API ICH Cure, or should I try General cure? I really hate meds i feel they cause more issues sometimes.

Any other Ideas that I am not thinking of?
 
I think you're on the right track with Gill/Skin Flukes. I use Ruby Reef Rally (Acroflavin/Formalin) and it works really well. Prazipro (Praziquantel) is effective as well, but I have had better results with Rally.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
Aquafreak said:
I think you're on the right track with Gill/Skin Flukes. I use Ruby Reef Rally (Acroflavin/Formalin) and it works really well. Prazipro (Praziquantel) is effective as well, but I have had better results with Rally.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
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I thought so but then googled it it and it said clamped fins and gasping for air at the waters surface and he isn't doing any of that. found this list of diseases that was interesting.

http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/stressdisease.shtml

I wonder if maybe it is Ich on the gills and because he is healthy and strong it is just irritating him and not killing him. But seems as though it would have spread to the others. I think I am going to try dosing with API ICH Cure and if that doesn't work try API General Cure.

Could he possibly have something lodged in there? Shhould try catching him and inspecting?
 
Besides the flashing he is acting normal he has even started developing a hump and really looks like a mini midas. He is the boss of that tank so he isn't stressed at all and feeds well.
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It sounds to me that it's quite possible that all you are seeing is a display of dominance, by the tank boss. Flashing off objects is a common behaviour among dominant cichlids.
 
RD. said:
It sounds to me that it's quite possible that all you are seeing is a display of dominance, by the tank boss. Flashing off objects is a common behaviour among dominant cichlids.
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Wow never thought of that. Now that I think of it I have seen dominant fish do that before just not with the frequency he does. I never knew that was a sign of dominance. I really hope you are right.

I would post a pic of him but MFK wont let me it uploads then I get a red circle with an exclamation point.
 
I wonder if I might see some breeding behavior with the female. This one fish I would love to have fry from as they aren't so common.
 
Certainly could be dominance--You can usually tell the difference between painful flashing (fast, constant & random) & a more controlled dominance behavior. Hopefully he's just showing off! Just keep an eye out for new symptoms, as those new passionis could have brought in flukes or other disease along with the ick. For what it's worth, my plecos have been living in copper for years now with no issues at all, but they're not rare or expensive plecos either, just maintenance workers.
 
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