Fish rubbing its sides substrate

Houseman · Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:55 am Post subject: Fish rubbing its sides substrate

HI again. I have a Cichlid that keeps rubbing its sides on the sand on the bottom on the tank, kinda like a dog rubs after a bath.. Confused

Any ideas why? all else seems normal, no spots or signs of distress...thanx

t_chelle16 · Moderator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 3436

Is it rubbing constantly, or just a few times a day?
What are your readings for ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte?
Have you added any new fish to the tank recently?
How big is the tank and what fish are in it?

Flashing (the rubbing) can be a sign of a parasite like ich, but it's also normal behavior for cichlids. Answering those questions will help me to determine which one it is.

-Chelle

Houseman · Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2005 9:44 pm Post subject:

HI -Chelle........I have a 30gal tank with 3 corys...2 small plecos...1 molly...1 Gourami...5 serpea?...2 tetras and a cichlid...at least as near as I can identify them...as you may remember they were given to me...Ammonia is 0...Nitrite is 0.5...Nitrate is under 20...no new ones...everything seems normal and "Carl" only rubs occasionally..thanx (again) for your help.