Question on Scratching?

[upstater13]

I recently acquired an Orange Flash Apisto for my 16 gallon community tank ( couple neons, pygmy cory, clown pleco)(it is lightly planted as well, crypts, anubia) I acclimated him slowly over about an hour and a half. It was also a feeding night and he ate pretty well.

This morning I noticed him dart towards a piece of driftwood and rub his jawline area on it. I only saw him do it twice and then he was swimming around fine, but I had to leave for work.

Is this the start of Ich, or maybe something with being stressed from the introduction?

I don't have a quarantine tank. I know the guys at the lfs and they are usually pretty good to me with keeping fish for a while and making sure they seem healthy before I pick up the fish.

Thoughts/recommendations?

Thanks guys and gals.

 

[Drstrangelove]

Any updates? Is the fish still flashing or are other fish flashing? Is that fish gasping (rapid gill movement)? If so, test the water and make sure you have zero ammonia and zero nitrites. If it's zero, visually examine all of your fish for ich. If you see any on any fish or if there's more fish flashing, I'd begin treating it as if it's ich.

You have plants, so salt may not be good for them. I don't know the temperature range for all of your fish species, but if they can handle 87, slowly raise the tank temp to 87 (24 hours.) Skip salt and meds for now, add aeration, reduce feeding and watch fish behavior for stress from the temps.

If the fish can't handle the temps, then you need a new plan.


If you don't see any flashing or unusual behavior, I'd just keep some observation for another few days.

 

[upstater13]

Hey thanks for the input.
So the following day I didn't see him flashing anymore. He was never gasping, just scratching his jawline against the driftwood. Water conditions are/were ammonia-0, nitrites-0,nitrates-~10-15.

I raised the temp a bit as I forgot that I turned the heater down when cleaning a few weeks ago for some unknown reason. I have been watching all his tankmates and they don't appear to have any outward signs of ich (knock on wood).

I am hoping that it was just a bit of stress from the introduction even though I did it fairly slow/gradually. During any feedings he always just hangs out around the bottom 1/3 of the water level (where he just about always is) so he would only get the food that fell to the bottom (not much) as the others know what time it is when I open the lid.

I found that pouring in a bit of water seems to peak his interest and gets him coming right up to the surface to check it out. I can then drop in a bit of frozen (but thawed) food that he is now tearing up, so that is good.

Thanks for the help.