×
Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Fishes Scratching and a Cleaning Question

More
09 Mar 2011 12:54 - 09 Mar 2011 12:54 #1 by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe)
Hi guys, just have a couple of questions that I was hoping that you could help with. Some of my fishes, every now and again, seem to scratch themselves off the leaves and substrate. I have tried googling it to see what it could be. The obvious answer seems to be ich but its two weeks on and there is no external indications that it is. All the fish look healthy so not sure what to think. All the ammonia, nitrate, nitrite levels are fine, tested them the other night. Any ideas? The fish that are doing it are danios, molly, and a GBR.

I also had a question on cleaning. I have two fairly big pieces of bogwood in my tank. I was wondering should I be moving these out every now and again to clean under them? They have anubias and java fern attached so don't really want to move them. I just don't want any nasties lurking under there! Thanks
Last edit: 09 Mar 2011 12:54 by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • stretnik (stretnik)
  • stretnik (stretnik)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
09 Mar 2011 13:53 #2 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Fishes Scratching and a Cleaning Question
Ich can be present but not obvious as the pest goes through various stages, I think that if it is Ich and you want to speed things up, increase your temps to 32 deg c but make sure the occupants of your Tank can endure the increase as some fish from cooler waters won't appreciate it. Increasing the temperature will speed up the development and you should see the familiar specks of white....however, velvet is another bug of tropical Fish and the offending pest is smaller/less visible, keep an eye on things and keep us posted.

Kev.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
09 Mar 2011 13:58 #3 by dar (darren curry)
should the temp be raised gradually Kev, over a few hours or a couple of days?

Check out the angling section, it is fantastic

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
09 Mar 2011 14:04 #4 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
I would say gradually,depending on what temp the tank is at right now, if its at say 23c, then raise it over the course of the next few days and leave at the higher temp for a week. Also increase aeration as O2 content will drop with the higher temp. Keep an eye on any corys who I find often struggle at higher temps.

Gavin

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • stretnik (stretnik)
  • stretnik (stretnik)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
09 Mar 2011 16:37 #5 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Fishes Scratching and a Cleaning Question
Now, this only aids the confirmation of the fact something is bugging your Fish, next you have to decide what to do. The increase in temp will make the bug appear on the surface of the fish but it's up to you what you do next, without going into detail and having this post get longer and longer I'd suggest you use the search box on the forum , see what's involved and get back to the forum to see what you need to do next. Don't worry, questions are welcome and the only way to find answers.

Kev.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
09 Mar 2011 17:23 #6 by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)
Iv seen some of my fish doing this from time to time with no white spot or velvet present in the tank, no fish have ever died now what's that all about?



Mark

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
  • stretnik (stretnik)
  • stretnik (stretnik)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
10 Mar 2011 11:26 - 10 Mar 2011 11:36 #8 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Fishes Scratching and a Cleaning Question
Could simply be an Itch, after all you get an Itch and it doesn't mean anything malevolent.

But I could be wrong, if you lie with Dogs you are likely to get Fleas !!:crazy: :crazy:

Kev.
Last edit: 10 Mar 2011 11:36 by stretnik (stretnik).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
More
10 Mar 2011 11:31 #10 by dar (darren curry)

Could simply be an Itch, after all you get an Itch and it doesn't mean anything malevolent.

Kev.


cheers Kev, now ive just to explain that to the missus, or sure i'l just show her your post

Check out the angling section, it is fantastic

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
10 Mar 2011 22:38 #11 by pkearney (Phil Kearney)
potassium permanganate will cure this problem. dont know if its available now but i have a small amount and i could let you have some. send me a p.m.
phil

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
11 Mar 2011 12:57 #12 by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe)
Thanks for the replies guys.

I have a few cories in the tank as well. Should I still raise the temp up even with them in there? Or maybe give it a go, see how they react and stop if its bad?

@pkearney - Thanks alot of the offer. Should I confirm ich before PMing you or just go ahead with it anyway? Where are you based? I don't drive so have a limited range!

Any suggestions on the question about the wood? Does it need to be taken out to clean the substrate beneath? They are two fairly sizable pieces - one the width of the tank the other nearly the height.

Thanks again for the replies, always get great help on here.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • stretnik (stretnik)
  • stretnik (stretnik)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
11 Mar 2011 15:51 #13 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Fishes Scratching and a Cleaning Question
The effect higher temps have on corys is dependent on where in the World they are from, some are from cooler Water while others can handle higher Water temps, you need to id your corys first.

Re the Wood, if you don't overfeed it shouldn't be an issue, what I do, if I remember is to just pull the wood slightly above the substrate and wave it gently to stir up the gunk and the flow of the water will move it away, that way you can siphon it off, whatever you miss should be sucked out via your Filter.

Kev.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
11 Mar 2011 15:57 - 11 Mar 2011 15:58 #14 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Keep an eye on the corys, majority dont like high temps. The temp will make the possible ich come to the fore. And if it does then you treat accordingly. After that Id consider PKearneys offer however I dont know enough about that stuff he is speaking about. Pkearney...can you advise what exactly it does and why they would be flicking?

Gavin
Last edit: 11 Mar 2011 15:58 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
11 Mar 2011 16:32 #15 by pkearney (Phil Kearney)
potassium permanganate is an oxidising agent and is used to treat bacterial, parasitic and fungal infections in fish.it is not suitable for inverts or plants.if caught in time it can save having to use antibiotics etc. the fish flicking sounds like a build up of bacteria in the tank. i live in glasnevin dublin 11
phil

Please Log in to join the conversation.

Time to create page: 0.068 seconds
Powered by Kunena Forum