new beani scratching off of gravel please help

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caribemob

Piranha
MFK Member
Feb 24, 2008
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philadelphia
Hi i have a pair of beani cichlids and there about three inches yesterday i noticed that evry now and then there scratching themselves off of gravel and other objects, the tank levels are fine and theres no signs of ich, im wondering are they just scratching or is there a major problem, i need some good advice thank you:(
 
You sure the water parameters are fine? Its possible that you might have elevated ammonia, nitrate, or nitrite levels. Its also possible that they might have ich, as it starts in the gills of the fish.

Do a water change, bump the temp up a little, and keep a close eye on them.
 
in all cases with mine they have developed ich very soon after this
start salting and bump up the water temp now and get it early
 
i bumped up the temp to 84 degrees from 80 degrees and i added the proper amount of aquarium salt for a 75 gallon , hopefully my beani's make a good turn around, because like i said before i cant see any signs of ich but just to make sure i followed those steps:)
 
Do they scratch themselves on the substrate purposely? They might be skittish and need some time to settle in, try to dim the lights and leave them alone for a few days to see if that’s the problem.
 
caribemob;2935206; said:
yes they scratch themselves several times a day, i do have flousrecent lights during the day though
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Try doing what I stated above could help solve the problem!
 
they may just have an itch. I have a theory that sometimes fish mark their new surroundings my brushing their body on it, leaving a trace or "scent" in the water...much like all animals. Keep an eye on them and unless things get worse I wouldnt do anything drastic like suddenly raising the temp 4 degrees, thus stressing the fish and making them more susceptible to ich.
 
Just don't panic and overreact until you know what you're treating. Fish flash naturally, if no other symptoms of Ich present themselves then it shouldn't be of to much concern.

Keep up with your water changes and make sure the tank is well aerated.
 
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