Will my IT ever stop flicking/scratching?

[robroy]

My 7"+ IT flicks/scraches itself on a near-constant basis. Only stops when I move near the tank or feed it. It hits the intake on my external really hard with its body-you can hear it in the opposite room. It has had Velvet in the past which I successfully treated. I realise all fish carry this to a certain degree but surely the treatment shoulkd quieten the parasite and stop regular occurences. I also have a true Climbing perch in the tank (A.testudineus) and have read that labyrinth/anabantoids can carry the Velvet pathogen more than other fish but only my Indo ever got Velvet.

I've read the past threads about this behaviour and water parameters-these are 0 Amm, 0 Nitrite and 20 ppm Nitrate in the tank. The other Tigers (2 large NTT's, arge AT and NGT) re all fine and don't do this at all just my Indo. Its a 100G filtered by a FX5 filled with Matrix and ceramic rings. There's also a Koralia 2 pump in there and I do weekly 40% WC's.

I just can't seem to stop this-the damn things doing it now as I type-and wonder if this'll always be the case?

 

[Ade]

It shouldn't be doing it consistantly...

If u sit and watch it over 1/2 hour, what is the frequency of flicking.
Mine is roughly 1 and very occasionally 2 times. Occassionally they'll do it 3-4 times in a row.

If it's constantly doing it like all the time, then something not right..... Your other tigers don't do this....
But if there is no white spot forming, no heavy breathing with mouth open all the time (nit to be mistaken after a heavy feed), no redness around gills or any where else in body, then I wouldn't do anything the tank or fish.

 

[robroy]

It shouldn't be doing it consistantly...

If u sit and watch it over 1/2 hour, what is the frequency of flicking.
Mine is roughly 1 and very occasionally 2 times. Occassionally they'll do it 3-4 times in a row.

If it's constantly doing it like all the time, then something not right..... Your other tigers don't do this....
But if there is no white spot forming, no heavy breathing with mouth open all the time (nit to be mistaken after a heavy feed), no redness around gills or any where else in body, then I wouldn't do anything the tank or fish.

It doesn't seem to do it as much when the lights are on
Its weird-no visible signs of any ailments or abnormal appearance. I guess it does it around dozen times or so in half hour period

 

[T1KARMANN]

i found they do it less if they eat pellets when they eat salty foods like prawn mussel or white bait they flick more

 

[robroy]

i found they do it less if they eat pellets when they eat salty foods like prawn mussel or white bait they flick more

Think you've hit the nail on the head-I can't get this thing on pellets and it'll eat cockles, prawn & lancefish only. I recently fed it some cockles too

Why do you think the saltwater foods cause this reaction?

 

[Bigfish909]

Aome of mines do the same thing!