# Should I Be Worried?



## megafishgeek (Aug 19, 2008)

I have noticed that from time to time some of my fish (two in particular) will rub their sides on the gravel at the bottom of the tank. I've looked closely at them and don't see anything visibly wrong with their scales, but I'm wondering if they might have some sort of a parasite or scale disease.

Is it possible I've just got itchy fish?


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## lotsofish (Feb 28, 2008)

It's called "flashing" and is often a sign of parasites. You won't see anything on them so its really hard to tell if they have them or not. Have they been doing it since you got them or since new fish have been added to the tank?

I occasionally saw some of my fish flashing and decided to treat them with praziquantel. Since then, I haven't seen the behavior so I guess I did the right thing.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Some flashing is normal. Excessive flashing is not, and may be indicative of external parasites.

If you notice the same fish flashing several times within an hour, then you may need to treat for parasites.

Ich is usually visible, some others aren't. Gill flukes usually result in flashing focused on the gill area, and they can be quite hard to get rid of.

The first thing I would look at with flashing would be the water quality/parameters.

How long has the tank been set up?

What are the water parameters?


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## megafishgeek (Aug 19, 2008)

I've had the tank set up since last December so almost a year now. The newest fish has been in the tank for about two months now and "she" isn't one of the ones that I've noticed flashing. The two that I've noticed the most are two that I've had since the beginning, and I'm pretty sure they've done it almost the whole time (I can't remember not seeing them do it).

Water parameters are as follows:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 10
Nitrite: 0
Chlorine: 0
Hardness: 150
Alkalinity: 100
pH: 7.2

I'm really hoping to fix this because one of the fish I'm concerned about is my absolute favorite, my baby.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

So your water sounds great and the tank should be well established at this point in time. :thumb:

Now, you're just going to have to determine whether it's "excessive" or not...

All fish do it to an extent...

Try sitting in front of the tank for awhile tonight and focusing on the two fish that you're worried about. How many times do you notice them doing the flashing routine?

I just really hate to have you throw meds in a tank if it isn't necessary. If you do decide to treat with something, I'd go with the Jungle Parasite Clear fizz tabs...They won't stain your silicone and it's a relatively mild treatment to use "just in case".


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## megafishgeek (Aug 19, 2008)

So, after only a half an hour of watching my fish (any longer and I would've been seriously depressed), here's the tally:

Demonasi ("Freddie"): 49 times
Unidentified Blue Guy ("Mike"): 46 times
Other Demonasi ("Bobby"): 24 times
Red Zebra ("Oscar"): 24 times
Bumblebee ("Gracie"): 9 times
Everybody Else: 0 times

It seems as though I've got frequent flashers (how many times have you heard that? ) I did also notice that some of them seemed to be rubbing more around their gills and also two of them did a funny little head twich right before flashing. I hope what ever it is doesn't kill my fish 

I suppose the good news is though that the two I noticed doing it initially were actually the bumblebee and my frontosa (my favorite) who didn't flash at all while i was watching.

(PS- if for some reason you notice that my mix of fish is less than friendly please don't scold me, I didn't know when I bought them. But if it's a totally fine mix, disregard this ps)

[Edit: I noticed after I posted this that it may have been unclear. I counted the number of times they actually touched the bottom, not the number of times they did the "routine." I'd say each routine was four or five rubs each.]


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## lotsofish (Feb 28, 2008)

Treat the tank.


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## megafishgeek (Aug 19, 2008)

with praziquantel?

this is depressing


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I won't scold you, but you know what I'm thinking... :lol:

Actually, the only reason I ever advise against a stock list is because I know what stress of improper stocking can do to a tank healthwise...Keep that in the back of your mind and be prepared to make changes if the need arises. :thumb:

(The need may _arise_ when you see the front swimming around with the demasoni sticking out of it's mouth...)

Praziquantel is a good all around antiparasitic. There is a product called PraziPro on the market that you can find most places, and it works well. I always recommend treating twice as long as the package directions advise, and squeezing in lots of water changes, as well.

If you can't find PraziPro, praziquantel is in Jungle Parasite Clear, along with metronidazole. This is pretty good coverage against internal and external parasites.

If gill flukes are involved, you may have to extend your treatment even longer. You'll just have to watch for improvements and judge as you go along with your treatment.


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## megafishgeek (Aug 19, 2008)

Thanks!

I'll let you know if it seems to be working for me or not.

I will say though that at the time I bought my front nobody bothered to tell me that they get huge. "He" is still fairly small, however, so I have a little time before I need to be concerned. I'm considering setting up another tank anyway, so that might just be the excuse I need!


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