Trying To Narrow Down My Fish-Scratching Problem

[MrNiceGuy]

I added 8 white mountain cloud minnows to my mature 20 gallon tank about a month or two ago. Since I've had them they have been scratching themselves against surfaces. I see this happen a few times everyday. However, its not ich, I've ruled that out.


Its a community tank and I think its important to note that nearly all of the other fish are not being effected. i dont believe ive seen my dwarf gourami scratch himself at all. the dojo loaches, shrimp, and frogs also seem fine. My corys have scratched themselves but far less frequently than the minnows.

is there any reason why this problem would be almost exclusively with my minnows? I really don't want to medicate for parasites because ive been told that i would kill my shrimp and snail if i did. i could remove them but it would be a real hassle. by the way, the water quality is fine.

what would you do in this situation?

 

[snowflake311]

why are you going to rule out ICH??? how long has it been going on for. Just because you dont see ich does not mean its not in the gills. if left untreated you will see it on the skin soon.

Have you checked your water? poor water will cause them to flash. parasites will do it to.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

why are you going to rule out ICH??? how long has it been going on for. Just because you dont see ich does not mean its not in the gills. if left untreated you will see it on the skin soon.

Have you checked your water? poor water will cause them to flash. parasites will do it to.

the water is could be better but i dont understand why my minnows would be affected more than the rest. white clouds are some of the hardiest fish around. nitrates are at 30, theres some small trace of ammonia (about 25), and 0 nitrates. ive had ich problems before and its been different than this. this problem has been going on for a pretty long time and only the minnows and corys are scratching. generally with ich, my entire tank is scratching

 

[ian]

WCM are colder water fish. I kept WCM before i went in to tropical and i did take a small school over with me when i went over to tropical, as i have read they could be kept in temps of 26 d, however they didn't do to well. They didn't scratch though, what temp are you running your tank at?

its just a thought.

 

[Honeythorn]

White clouds are a sub tropical/cool water fish and not best suited to a tropical tank. Also, you should have NO reading of ammonia in a mature cycled tank. If the ammonia reading has appeared AFTER adding the minnows, then their added waste production will be why you are getting a reading.

You should increase the number and volume of water changes until your amminia is reading at 0 again. How many water changes do you normally do per week? And how much water do you remove?

If you know your water "could be better" then you should attend to that before even thinking of adding more fish.


You should monitor the fish closely and keep the water pristine. If the additional water changes cause the flashing to stop, then great, but still keep a sharp eye out for any visible signs of parasites or ich, or velvet disease.

If such signs do appear you will have little option but to remove your shrimp and snails to another tank , and treat the main one. If the treatment you use contains copper then it may be best to keep the shrimp and snails permanently apart. Just a trace can do them in.

 

[WILDER]

How many gallons or litres is the tank.
How many fish and which type.
What test kit are you using.
What the temp of the tank.

Flicking and rubbing can be caused by bad water quality aswell as parasites.

Check the body of the fish do see if it's pale with excess mucas.
Check the gills to see if there pale with excess mucas or red and inflamed.
Do the fish swim in an odd manor, in a jerky movement.
Any red pin prick marks or red sores on the fish.
Any signs of darting or erratic swimming.
Any signs of laboured breathing or gasping.

http/www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Lawler_some_signs_of_sick_fish.html

 

[MrNiceGuy]

White clouds are a sub tropical/cool water fish and not best suited to a tropical tank. Also, you should have NO reading of ammonia in a mature cycled tank. If the ammonia reading has appeared AFTER adding the minnows, then their added waste production will be why you are getting a reading.

You should increase the number and volume of water changes until your amminia is reading at 0 again. How many water changes do you normally do per week? And how much water do you remove?

If you know your water "could be better" then you should attend to that before even thinking of adding more fish.


You should monitor the fish closely and keep the water pristine. If the additional water changes cause the flashing to stop, then great, but still keep a sharp eye out for any visible signs of parasites or ich, or velvet disease.

If such signs do appear you will have little option but to remove your shrimp and snails to another tank , and treat the main one. If the treatment you use contains copper then it may be best to keep the shrimp and snails permanently apart. Just a trace can do them in.

i do a 30-50% water change weekly. its a 20 gallon long. i keep 2 dojo loaches in it that take up a majority of the bioload. they'll be taken out in a couple weeks though when i set up my 55 gallon. that should take care of the ammonia trace.

i try to compromise between my tropical and cold water fish by keeping the temp at 72f. i know thats not ideal but my understanding is that white clouds are incredibly hardy. in fact, ive seen them handle far worse conditions than i have without any scratching. i find it a little strange that water quality would effect them before my other fish.

i guess ill just change the water more often until i take the dojos out. the tank is heavily planted too so i dont want to effect the plants or stain the decor with medication.

thanks for the advice

 

[Bignose]

I'd research gill flukes as a possible cause of the flicking, especially if there seem to be no other indications of ich. http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/trematodes.shtml is a good start.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi MrNiceGuy

I suspect that it's a water quality problem. When corys flick, that's usually the reason. While it's possible they could get ich, unlike many other fish, it's not something they are apt to get.

What species of cory do you have?