# red devil



## lightning2004 (Jun 25, 2005)

latly ive noticed my red devil has been sratching its sides on rocks..he'll do it like 4-5 times in a row then stop..and also my oscar has done the same..ive cycled my tank so i dont know whats up..any ideas?


----------



## mauls (Mar 25, 2004)

lightning2004 said:


> latly ive noticed my red devil has been sratching its sides on rocks..he'll do it like 4-5 times in a row then stop..and also my oscar has done the same..ive cycled my tank so i dont know whats up..any ideas?
> [snapback]1119438[/snapback]​


well they could just be itching.... or it could be an early sign of ick


----------



## lightning2004 (Jun 25, 2005)

figured it may be ick i put in some treatment for it..i'll see how it goes..thanx


----------



## lightning2004 (Jun 25, 2005)

i just did a water test heres what came out..my ph went up a bit

ph 7.2
amonia 0.25
nitrite 0
nitrate 0


----------



## thedude (Jun 29, 2005)

in my cichlid keeping experience, i've noticed that "scratching" can be due to irritation of the gills, occationally caused by ammonia/nitrite/nitrate. keep an eye on the water params.


----------



## mashunter18 (Jan 2, 2004)

lightning2004 said:


> i just did a water test heres what came out..my ph went up a bit
> 
> ph 7.2
> amonia 0.25
> ...


You sure it is cycled???

Where do all your nitrates go???Very unusual for 0 nitrates.Those readings appear to be the very early stages of cycling.Nitrates should not be zero...


----------



## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

mashunter18 said:


> lightning2004 said:
> 
> 
> > i just did a water test heres what came out..my ph went up a bit
> ...


Yep, 0 nitrAtes is not cycled.


----------



## lightning2004 (Jun 25, 2005)

i have no idea what happened









any ideas?


----------



## mashunter18 (Jan 2, 2004)

The readings could have been false, but for that nitrate test to not change color, I find that odd.

Dont know something big would of had to happen to kill the cycle and have a zero reading, or tank was never seeded properly.

Defenitely needs recycled, remove the fish to another tank and go fishlessw cycle with ammonia, or try and seed the tank with some media or bacteria from another established tank.

you just have to check your waters to know what to do..


----------



## lightning2004 (Jun 25, 2005)

mashunter18 said:


> The readings could have been false, but for that nitrate test to not change color, I find that odd.
> 
> Dont know something big would of had to happen to kill the cycle and have a zero reading, or tank was never seeded properly.
> 
> ...


thanx man..


----------



## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

lightning2004 said:


> mashunter18 said:
> 
> 
> > The readings could have been false, but for that nitrate test to not change color, I find that odd.
> ...


Those numbers mean you are not cycled, as the other have already stated.

As others have said, if you did indeed cycle, something major would have had to have happened.

What are you using as far as test kits? It has been my experience that some are buggy, and are prone to false readings.

I personally would check the nitrate again, just to be sure.

If you do need to recycle, you can get it done in alittle over a week with a really good seed from another tank, and spiking the ammonia high up right away instead of gradual in my article. It can be risky though, as there can be a thin line between a good spike and too much ammonia.

Good luck! Definitly recheck that Trate reading....


----------



## lightning2004 (Jun 25, 2005)

this is what i got.


----------



## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

lightning2004 said:


> this is what i got.
> [snapback]1126146[/snapback]​


I have the same kit!

Good luck with recycling the tank. I hope you have another tank to hold the fish in during the cycle. If not, just buy some bio-spira and you shouldn't have to worry.
~Taylor~


----------



## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

lightning2004 said:


> this is what i got.
> [snapback]1126146[/snapback]​


Just a question, but are you shaking the number 2 Nitrate solution real good before using it?


----------



## mashunter18 (Jan 2, 2004)

Thats a good kit, but there is no nitrate in that kit.


----------



## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

mashunter18 said:


> Thats a good kit, but there is no nitrate in that kit.
> [snapback]1127089[/snapback]​


Yea there is...


----------



## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

doctorvtec said:


> mashunter18 said:
> 
> 
> > Thats a good kit, but there is no nitrate in that kit.
> ...


Yup, in fact there are 2 seperate solutions for nitrate. Bottle #1 and Bottle #2. Trust me, I have the same kit.








~Taylor~


----------



## Zoo_Keeper (Aug 31, 2005)

As in Dr. VTEC's kit mine has no nitrate, only nitrite. This is the third one I bought for my student's use.


----------



## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

lightning2004 said:


> i just did a water test heres what came out..my ph went up a bit
> 
> ph 7.2
> amonia 0.25
> ...


***EDIT**** I didn't realize how old this thread was until i posted. Oh Wells. Hows the tank doing now ????


----------

