I think it is just a reaction to high nitrates so you might want to start changing atleast 50% once a week.
The old scratching Dat topic again!!!
- Thread starter Col-Dats
- Start date
try even more waterchanges.. mine did scratch alot before my filter system worked properly.. now i try to change 70 percent weekly and at the end of the week i see him scratch aswell as right after the wc.. soo.. my thought is that alot of wc's keeps them lil buggers happy.. (I also had to medicate for ich with a multiparasitemed.. and that did not help at all)
please note that I only keep 1 dat and that there are tons of people who are more experienced than me!
please note that I only keep 1 dat and that there are tons of people who are more experienced than me!
Nothing new added to the tank.
Have just done almost 40% water change as Nitrate test a little high. Always have problems with Nitrates, have tried most products to reduce this with water changes. Even run to Nitrate filters but they were always causing problems with bad egg smells as difficult to maintain drip return rate.
Will try larger water changes, normal change is about a 3rd of the tank, will aim for higher.
Have also got some salt, not added any yet, never used salt in the tank before and concerned of problems. whats peoples thoughts on salt, add it only now and again, or after every water change? What are the signs of overdose of salt to look for as never added before?
Have just done almost 40% water change as Nitrate test a little high. Always have problems with Nitrates, have tried most products to reduce this with water changes. Even run to Nitrate filters but they were always causing problems with bad egg smells as difficult to maintain drip return rate.
Will try larger water changes, normal change is about a 3rd of the tank, will aim for higher.
Have also got some salt, not added any yet, never used salt in the tank before and concerned of problems. whats peoples thoughts on salt, add it only now and again, or after every water change? What are the signs of overdose of salt to look for as never added before?
Have you checked the gills inside and out for any infection, swelling or redness? Majority of times scratching can be from this. If they are scratching to the point where the eye is damaged, I assume that its around the head area that they are feeling discomfort or something is wrong. I would also pull out driftwood, rocks or anything else that the others may scratch on and damage themselves. Also when adding salt, if not properly mixed will cause them to scratch their gill areas even more. I also recommend you doing larger water changes. Eye cloud is usually a result of bad water quality. If larger changes is hard for you, try using prime or other conditioners to remove amonia and recoat the fish.
Ich can and will effect the gills of fish without showing outward signs, so I agree that it could be ich. Salt should not effect the fish, I add about 1 tablespoon/5 gallons (about 18 grams/20 liters) without any issues... you could go higher I think without any problems. Freshwater fish have no problems dealing with small amounts of salt in the water. Keep in mind that salt water fish live in salinities of around 34 parts/thousand...that is 34 grams of salt per liter of water, so the amount you are adding is no where close to that concentration.
Salts in at 1tbsp per 5g, temp is 85-86. So far not seen any of my Dats scratching other than my smallest 2-3", but i think he just now enjoys it. Shall be doing my normal weekly water change tomorrow, shall be aiming for larger change from 3rd to about 50%.
Shall top up the salt after the change. So far so good, i'll keep you updated.
Shall top up the salt after the change. So far so good, i'll keep you updated.
