Test Results for the Following:

IN CYCLING PROCESS
Ammonia Level? .5 (was advised change when close to 1ppm at my temp and PH while cycling)
Nitrite Level? 0
Nitrate level? 0
Ph Level, (If possible,KH and GH and chloramines)? 7.4
Ph Level out of the Tap? Over 8
Tank size (How many Gals) and How long has it been running? 29 gl / 14 days
What is the name and size of the filter/s? Penguine 200 Biofilter
How often do you change the water and how much? When ammonia nears 1ppm 75% change about 3 x's per week
How many fish in the tank and their size? One 3" Oranda & One 2" Fantail
What kind of water additives or conditioners? Seachem's 7.0 Neutralizer (removes ammonia, chloramine, & Chlorine - Use at water changes)
Any medications added to the tank? No
Add any new fish to the tank? No
What do you feed your fish? Alternate: Omega One Pellets, Omega One Flake Food, Peas - Fast 1 day/week
Any unusual findings on the fish such as "grains of salt", One "grain of salt" on Oranda, but has been there since I got her
bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus? Not anymore - when I first brought them home, the Oranda had faryed fins & streaks, but is all better now
Any unusual behavior like staying
at the bottom, not eating, ect..? No strange behavior with the Fantail, but Oranda "Flashes or Scratches" against the pebbles on the bottom occassionally.


My question is about the scratching. My Oranda, Ellen, will swim sideways just for a second to scratch on the pebbles at the bottom. I only notice this a few times a day, but I need to know if this is a sign of a problem. I have noticed this maybe for a week. It has not gotten better or worse.

Other than this she seems fine. She eats good, swims around, begs for food, etc. The only other thing is a shiny spot on her side (opposite side I notice the scratching) that I would characterize as a "grain of salt" She has had this since I brought her home a couple of weeks ago. What could this be?

Thanks for your help!

Hi pfargo,and welcome by the way.
There are a few things that can cause a fish to scratch,as scratching even only a few times a day is not normal.
a) poor water quality(toxins in the water)
b)Parasites
c) a big change in temps during a water change can sometimes do it,but with that,it doesn't last a week.
I can only tell you what I do,and that's when I am cycling a tank and I see a fish acting out of sorts,I do a water change.The water is only safe when readings for ammonia/Nitrites are at 0,so any reading over that can affect fish. Some fish are more vulnerable than others,so ammonia may be bothering the Oranda a bit more than the fantail .It may take longer to cycle,but I never let my ammonia go up past 0.25,if I can help it as I don't want to deal with any long term problems because of it.Now that's just how I do it.
Because you are going through a cycle,and you've only seen her doing it for a week,it's really hard to say right now if its the water ,Parasites,or both bothering her.I'm not familiar with using that conditioner-does it say anything about removving heavy metals?
If the white spot on her opposite side looks like a grain of salt,then your fish could be showing signs of Ick,so you need to check her out for any other white spots.
The safest treatment that you can do for Ick if that's what it turns out to be,is a 0.3%salt treatment
Id advise a water change to begin with.Do you have any Aquarium salt in the house?
To add salt you have to do it in 3 stages over a 36 hour period.Each time that you do it,you are going to add one teaspoon to every gallon of your tank which would be 29.You'll then need to dissolve the salt in a bit of tank water before adding it to your tank and when you do,it will put your tank at 0.1%The next dose will be 12 hours later,and you will proceed to do the same steps all over again,then 12 hours later,you'll dissolve the last 29 teaspoons and add,which will bring you to an 0.3% salt level.Now your fish are small,so if you do use salt,you'll want to keep an eye out for any odd behaviors from them,as some small fish can not handle salt as well as the bigger ones. Once you get the salt to the last level,it would be a real good idea to turn the heat up to 78-80 degrees as the high heat will speed up the three stages of life that Ick has.
You'll have to keep an eye on your water params closely,and each time that you do a water change,you'll want to do a gravel vac to get any Ick from the bottom.You'll also have to redose the salt being taken out with water changes.
Alot of people here quarrantine new fish in this % of salt when their fish are new as to get any Parasites that the fish may be harboring.Hopefully this will take care of Ick and anything else they may be carrying.
I know I've given alot of advice here,so if you have any questions at all feel free to ask.

Thanks for the great explanation Devs! I think I forgot to indicate I was putting in 1 tsp aquarium salt at water changes. I can increase it though, through the process you describe.

I did a 75% water change yesterday. Params I described were from this morning. I have received a lot of different advice on ammonia levels. I have been going by the chart on this forum for ammonia toxicity and someone also told me my tank won't cycle at real low levels of ammonia. I care a great deal about Ellen and Perry, so I will start changing water more frequently.

The conditioner doesn't say anything about removing heavy metals. What are those and how do you know if you have them and how do you remove them? Sorry, a lot of questions!

I am on day 14 and still no Nitrites. I posted that question in the Water Quality forum. I am having surgery June 14th. I was hoping the tank would be cycled by then as I won't be able to lift the buckets of water. My tank is in my office and my husband won't be thrilled to help me out with this. I'll figure it out when the time comes I guess.

I really think the "grain of salt" is just a shiny scale. It only shines when the light hits her a certain way.

Thanks again. Any advice I can get is greatly appreciated. I love Koko's forum. I have visited others and this is BY FAR the BEST!