why are my fishes rubbing against the sand?

[Kiko]

so ive been keeping a close eye on my fishes and they seem to be rubbing themselves against the sand substrate... can anyone tell me why they're doing this?!?!?
i have neyerei's cichlids...

[Complexity]

Fish rubbing themselves against the sand is called flashing. It generally indicates that there's something bothering the fish and it's trying to rub that area, kind of like how we scratch an itch.

As long as it's occasional and the fish show signs of good health, then it's nothing to worry about. However, if the fish do it repeatedly or show other signs of health problems, then it's an indicator of a problem, such as ich or flukes in the gills.

[Sea-agg09]

They are starting to get ich. Do some major water changes to improve water quality. Check the temperature. You may need to turn it up a few degrees (to 80).

[Kiko]

they're swimming fine.. im new to this so i dont know what im looking for... all i know is they're rubbing the sand like ever other 5 or 6 minutes... can it be the nitrate level?... these fishes are still fry's.. and why they sometime do a yawn like motion?... i figured it was b/c they were bloated... idk.. ill keep an eye on other symptoms...

[Kiko]

i been doing water changes every 2-3 days now... im trying to let them get used to a weekly change... the temp of the water is 80... i moniter the temp every day with a accu-temp thermometer... the one used for cooking but i use it strictly for the tank...

They are starting to get ich. Do some major water changes to improve water quality. Check the temperature. You may need to turn it up a few degrees (to 80).

[Complexity]

Flashing every 5-6 minutes isn't good. Yes, high nitrates will cause fish to flash. The nitrates burn their gills.

Can you tell us about your tank and fish?

• How long has the tank been running?
• What size is the tank?
• What filtration do you have?
• Did you cycle the tank before adding fish?
• What are your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels?
• How often do you change the water and how much do you change out?
• What do you use to condition the water when added to the tank?
• Do you add anything else to the tank, such as pH buffers?
• How long have the fish been in the tank?
• Did you add any new fish recently?

The more we know about the tank, the better we might be able to help you figure out what's causing the fish to flash so much.

[Andrew_B]

Start using a small handful of epsom salt each water change. They've been getting salt every water change of their life and maybe theyre too used to it to not get it anymore. They were all good before leaving my tank - it's probably a nitrate issue more than anything. Toss some plants in your wetdry, even if its a couple big ole banana leafs or something.

[mgarrido]

did you cycle your tank? looks like they are starting to get ich what its caused by stress. Keep an eye open and be ready for start the treatment.

[eklikewhoa]

Water parameters most likely if the tank is going through a cycle due to incomplete cycle which the multiple water changes might be helping or in turn could be cause. Also the water source could be culprit.

Epsom, aquarium salt along with higher temps could help and make sure tank is aerated. Keep an eye on them in case it is the start of ich.

Based on what I know about the history of this set up.

[Kiko]

3 dead!!! thanks for the water change advice who ever told me to to it!!! i will put epsom in when i get home from school... hopefully it isnt too late!!! =/.. i think i will let this water sit for a while i think my tap have a high amount of ammonia in it right now causing fatality!!! nooo more deaths please!!!... the sad thing is all three was pum nyererei!! the ones that i actually bought.. thanks for the advice this morning EK... andrew i think its under controlled now thanks...

[Complexity]

Kiko, do you have a test kit to test for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates? If not, I strongly recommend that you get one immediately. I recommend the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. It'll set you back about $25, but in the long run, it's well worth it because it will tell you what's going on which can save you from having a lot of dead fish.

Based on the gist of what others have said, I'm gathering that this is a newer setup in which a number of fish have been added recently. Between the flashing, gasping, and deaths, my thoughts without knowing the results of proper testing is that the tank either was not fully cycled or was not cycled enough to handle as many fish that were put in at once.

It would be more rare that the tap water has ammonia in it that's causing the problems and more common that the tank's not fully cycled so that the ammonia and/or nitrite levels are too high. Both are highly toxic to fish.

What this means is that you're better off doing water changes than not doing water changes. I would recommend doing a 50% water change asap. Be sure to use a dechlorinator, such as Prime. This will not only remove chlorine and chloramine from the tap water, but it will also lock up the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates in the water. This is very important if the tank isn't cycled enough to handle the fish load.

Once you get a test kit, you can then measure the levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate which will better direct you as to how much water to change and how often to change it. Even if the tank isn't fully cycled, you can help the fish get through this with water changes as directed by the results of the test kit.

Two other things you can do that would help: (1) If you have access to a healthy established tank, you can get a used filter pad to put in your tank. This will transfer good bacteria to your tank to help cycle your tank faster. And (2) if you have access to fast growing aquarium plants, such as hornwort, put a bunch in the tank. The plants will help take up any ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates in the water.

The most important thing you can do is to get a test kit. Do it immediately. This is what you want to get:

http://www.petco.com/product/103685/API-Freshwater-Master-Test-Kit.aspx

[Complexity]

Here's a link to the test kit at Petsmart. Looks like it's more expensive locally, but still well worth the price. You can't wait for shipping.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754034

If you know anyone who lives close enough to you who has a test kit, maybe they can let you borrow theirs for a couple of days until you can get one shipped in. Alternatively, you can take your water to a LFS for them to test, but you're going to need to do tests every day, if not twice a day so you really need a test kit at your house.

[Kiko]

i dont think i will need it for the tank... i can use drinking water for my water changes... maybe next year when i pick up a 40 gallon and stuff...

[Andrew_B]

Wet/dry is your only filtration right? It's probably the best in the long run, but it takes much much longer for it to get established when starting from scratch. Find someone around you with an established sponge filter or hob and toss on your tank for a day or two. Or, toss your fish in a bucket and get a hold of a bucket of water from someone elses tank (including siphoned fish droppings and squeezed out sponge filters into it) That nasty brown bucket of water is just jam packed with bacteria which will jump start your wetdry big time.

You're going to have ammonia (variation of) in your tap water living on the north side which will lead to higher nitrates. Once your filters get established more, it wont even be noticeable anymore.

[Kiko]

i've figured it out already thanks for the help... end result 3 dead... and 1 missing o cat... not a big lost... just added a air pump to oxygenate the water... probably wont do a water change until 2 weeks... then ill do a 20% change about 5 gallons and replace with drinking water... 1.25$ each time no biggie... thanks everyone for your suggestions...