Cichlids rubbing on aragonite and slate

[erikmoseley]

Hi all is this normal. They look fine no signs of disease They're all 2.5 inch or so and some are doing this. I added some more salt and turned the temp up should I turn it back to 78-79 like it was?

 

[HUKIT]

It's common for fish to flash occasionally but there are also all sorts of other reasons for flashing, such as high nitrates, internal and external parasites(not all are visable, some located in gills), swings in PH after water changes, or other things in the water column such as some water conditioners or outside chemicals. So without a little more background I would say it could be FAR from normal.

 

[erikmoseley]

It's common for fish to flash occasionally but there are also all sorts of other reasons for flashing, such as high nitrates, internal and external parasites(not all are visable, some located in gills), swings in PH after water changes, or other things in the water column such as some water conditioners or outside chemicals. So without a little more background I would say it could be FAR from normal.

Hmmm. Not all are doing it and not constantly by any means. This is all new to me but all my parameters are within the "good" levels. Nitrites are a lil higher than I'd like. I finished cycling and stocked all this week plus added one of the angels plus active sponge filters as well mid week added more slate and rearranged them all. They're not showing any signs of distress so I will keep a close eye on them I guess. Can't keep my eyes away from the tank anyway! Always somethin goin on! I appreciate your help as I know you're an expert just by reading other posts! Been looking here and there for last hr and of course they r not doing it at all. And weirdly enough obese the albino socolofi whose the smallest being the most aggressive. Love these fish and their personalities. Glad I dug out the old tank and went this route! Just feel like a worried parent as goofy as it sounds!

 

[Crawdaddy]

If you have nitrites, you need to perform a water change as soon as possible. In a fully cycled tank, the trites need to be below .25. Ammonia and nitrites are detrimental to your fish. Nitrates can be harmful over 20ppm. S I would do a wc if the trites are over the .25 reading.