# fish itching sides



## gary&amp;brandy (Jan 18, 2010)

i have a 125gal with alot of different africans but they all itch their sides on bottom and rocks and none of them have ich (no white spots) they seem to be healthy and happy just itchy i do have 40-45 fish in tank w/10 of those being adults while i get my 55 up and ready for smaller ones
water conditions are..
gh-180
kh-180
ph-7.5-7.8
no2-0.5
no3-40


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## Sbrace (Jan 31, 2010)

My cichlids do this as well, with a lot of research iv found that it is quit normal, fish do it to display territory or dominance. No worries, just watch for ich. I would also recomend buffing your ph between 8 and 8.3.


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## frozennorth (Dec 16, 2008)

I think the ph is fine as it is. Anytime you start messing with the ph it makes it hard to keep it stable.

My cichlids do the occasional flashing also. As long as they don't do it all the time they're fine.


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

best not to mess with your water parameters...that ph is fine.

my mbuna will flash after a waterchange for about an hour. some flashing is normal. as long as everything else is ok...no signs of an illness


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## gary&amp;brandy (Jan 18, 2010)

thanks for the replys


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## a2dak (Feb 27, 2010)

yes mine do the same, its normal


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## tongareefer71 (Feb 17, 2010)

somewhat normal,especially after a w/c however.....nitrate above 20 will make most african cichlids scratch, and above 40 its a real pain in the neck for them...


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## ASTYLIN (Feb 24, 2010)

what does the nitrate need to be for mbunas?


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## tongareefer71 (Feb 17, 2010)

ideally, nitrate in all tanks should be zero. this however is mostly a pipe dream for most people. that being said,,with higher ph,gh,kh of mbuna tanks, you want nitrate at 20ppm or lower anything higher will stress the fish and is a sign of needed waterchange/overfeeding/overstocking/underfiltration. since most mbuna tanks are stocked heavy, then i suggest filtration to turn water 10 times an hour or more. mbuna like fed 2 times a day, so again heavy feeding=high nitrates. lastly if you can,,do weekly 30% water changes. the are many products to lower nitrates,,,75% of them do very little. so...water change till you go crazy.... :drooling:


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## tongareefer71 (Feb 17, 2010)

i make a diy salt/buffer for my rift lake africans it was found several places by several PROS here goes for every 5 gallons of new water..1teaspoon baking soda+1 teaspoon marine salt mix "instant ocean"+1 tablespoon epsom salt. this really works, is cheap, and is about 90% the same as most high dollar african buffer/salts. its gives a good ionic/electrical balance, aids digestion, and helps slime coat. amounts can be adjusted as needed of course. some plants will frown, but most will not.


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## ASTYLIN (Feb 24, 2010)

I get my LFS to check my water.....I had it checked last week and they said it was good. I usually ask about pH but will ask about nitrates......The fish seem fine.....I did see one scratching on a rock the other day......No signs of ICH though.........Im going to have them check it again tom.....


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## tongareefer71 (Feb 17, 2010)

when you do,,,make sure you get a "smart person" this dosnt always happen as many here will agree. ask them for a specific number,, not just a " is it safe" answer. any high ph tank/fish and water quality gets toxic/bad at lower levels of pollution as in,, 1ppm ammonia is 10 times more toxic at ph 8.0 than at ph 7.0 if you get the idea. many lfs use strips to check,,i prefer water in tubes test kits,,anyway they might say 40ppm and below is safe...which technically shouldnt kill fish..but can/often will stress them until they get"sick" if your around 20 no worries,,over 40 them do a 30% water change and mabe add filtration. for mbuna i belive unless your giving them a whirlpool, you cant overfilter. good luck..let me know how it goes!!


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## ASTYLIN (Feb 24, 2010)

Im going to purchase a test kit with the viles so I will know the numbers.....The LFS i use is a good one....I didnt ask the ammonia level but they told me I needed to do a 50 % water change which I did.....My pH is 7.0......Im having it checked again tomm......Its a new tank and were running the xp3 with 2 powerheads but waiting on new filter to get in.........I have sponge in tank that goes with new filter to get bacteria on it........The fish seems better today havent noticed any scratching on rocks........


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## ASTYLIN (Feb 24, 2010)

Im going to purchase a test kit with the viles so I will know the numbers.....The LFS i use is a good one....I didnt ask the ammonia level but they told me I needed to do a 50 % water change which I did.....My pH is 7.0......Im having it checked again tomm......Its a new tank and were running the xp3 with 2 powerheads but waiting on new filter to get in.........I have sponge in tank that goes with new filter to get bacteria on it........The fish seems better today havent noticed any scratching on rocks........


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