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	Fish Scraping Against Sand
Optimist Fingerling Posts: 21 Kudos: 13 Votes: 2 Registered: 12-May-2006	I have recently noticed that a lot of my fish, which include large american cichlids and catfish, have be scraping themselves against my sand substrate at times. For the most part it is my pike cichlid and Jack Dempsey who do it the most, but also my pictus cat. I change my water every week, and there are no visible parasites or deformities on my fish. Any thoughts on why this might be happening?
Posted 24-Dec-2006 23:53
FRANK Moderator Posts: 5108 Kudos: 5263 Votes: 1690 Registered: 28-Dec-2002	Hi, If the fish are swiping their sides against the gravel this is called "flashing" and, next to white, grain of salt, spots on the fish, is the best indication of a Ich breakout. I would start treating the tank for Ich. Frank -->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--
Posted 25-Dec-2006 02:48
Optimist Fingerling Posts: 21 Kudos: 13 Votes: 2 Registered: 12-May-2006	I have dealt with Ich in the past, and I am pretty sure this is not the case. First of all, only some of my fish are doing this. Also they have been doing it for a couple of weeks, so I would think that white dots would be easily visible on all my fish. I don't see a single spec of white on any of them. This behavior isn't very frequent but I see it a couple times a day.
Posted 25-Dec-2006 17:10
sirbooks Moderator Sociopath Posts: 3875 Kudos: 5164 Votes: 932 Registered: 26-Jul-2004	"Flashing" or flicking against the substrate is sometimes a sign of external parasites. Fish flash when something is irritating them, and parasites certainly are irritating. Another possible reason is that the fish are trying to dislodge food stuck in their gill covers. They will scratch themselves to try and free this food. If you've noticed them flashing mostly after mealtime and only doing it occasionally, it probably isn't something you need to worry about. If they do it more often and throughout the day, that could mean that your fish are infected. And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."
Posted 26-Dec-2006 17:29
Optimist Fingerling Posts: 21 Kudos: 13 Votes: 2 Registered: 12-May-2006	Come to think of it, I think that it does happen mostly around mealtime.
Posted 26-Dec-2006 18:24


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