# piranhas rubbing against gravel???



## KingJeff

I was looking at my piranhas last nght and it seemed like they were rubbing there sides against the gravel. I heard it could mean that they have an itch. Should i be worried?


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## o snap its eric

They can just be itchy but if you notice they do that more and more then it can be ich or some sort of parasite.


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## KingJeff

how do i take care of the problem?


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## Death in #'s

check your water parameters if everythings ok they are just scrathing

every species does it


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## tyourkie66

yes, well said


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## RhomZilla

Rubbing or scratching is normal behavior. But if it does seem more extreme and looks like they're doing it more than usual, I suggest you look closely and see if they're developing ICK(white sprinkly spots)


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## DiXoN

RhomZilla said:


> Rubbing or scratching is normal behavior. But if it does seem more extreme and looks like they're doing it more than usual, I suggest you look closely and see if they're developing ICH (white sprinkly spots)


 mine do this aswell it is normal if only every now and then.
RZ is correct.
dixon


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## Mr. Hannibal

If you see some tiny white spots (salt alike) they got ick...then you should add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per every 5 gallons and rise tank temp up to 82 degrees...then wait about a week and voile the parasite is gone...







!


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## KingJeff

i noticed that some parts of there body are really metallic and shiny. They dont really look like spots though. Most of them seem to itch. should i go ahead and add salt?


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## AzNP

its suppose to be mettalic and shiny..
how big r yur Ps?


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## Young Gotti

Could be an itch but I kind of think it has something to do w/ marking their territory b/c mine only do it where they hang out. Each Caribe has it's own spot in my tank, they rub the gravel, heater etc. just in their area no where else.


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## KingJeff

AzNP said:


> its suppose to be mettalic and shiny..
> how big r yur Ps?. there about an inch and half long.


 just one part is metallic and shiny, not their whole bodys though


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## RhomZilla

KingJeff said:


> AzNP said:
> 
> 
> 
> its suppose to be mettalic and shiny..
> how big r yur Ps?. there about an inch and half long.
> 
> 
> 
> just one part is metallic and shiny, not their whole bodys though
Click to expand...

 Is that one part the top half of the P?? Usually that shiney part can reflect all parts or the colors in a rainbow.. some times be irrodecent.


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## KingJeff

yeah its the top part. it looks like someone scratched him up and kinda shiny where its scratched.


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## KingJeff

i just got home from work and noticed one of them had spots on their tail. To get rid of it i buy aquirium salt and drop some in???


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## KingJeff

wuts better, salt or by ich medication.


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## krupt

I would recommend using salt.


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## SERRAPYGO

KingJeff said:


> wuts better, salt or by ich medication.


 Salt. Don't add any meds. Boost temp up to 82-84 and increase aeration if possible. This should speed up the ick cycle.

*Moved to disease, parasite and injuries*


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## KingJeff

but what my temp is alrready at 82? should i leave it at that? and would i need aquarium salt or would regular salt be ok? how can i tell when the parasite is gone? should i only add salt once? or everyday? should i do water changes with the salt in it? what are the chances of them living? oh yeah...i was told that ich looks like its been sprinkled with salt. it doesnt look like that. it looks more lke 2 bigger spots on the tail.


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## Innes

add salt once - 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons, and leave the temp as it is, to remove the salt you need to do water changes,but your fish can live long-term with that level of salt so do not worry about it too much.

you will know when the paracite has gone as your fish will be back to normal.

ick looks like sugar grains covering the fish - if this is not how your fish are like then I suggest you take a pic or look in this forum for "fungus" or "ick/ich" threads as they might have pics you can compare your fish against









but adding the salt is advised anyway, and I also suggest you do a 40% waterchange just before you add the salt so that your tank conditions are pretty good


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## KingJeff

i also added some ich medicine along with it. would it of hurt? IT says to remove carbon? im not sure what that is.


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## piranahman

if you have carbon filter it will remove any medecines so they become useless.


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## KingJeff

how do i know if it has a carbon filter? I have the walmart filter.


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## o snap its eric

Do 1tsp per 3galon. Its a lot more effective than 1tsp per 5g. If you can up your temp to 86.


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## KingJeff

the fish is getting better. the spots r almost call gone. THe temp is at 83 and i added the amount of salt u recommended. after the spots r gone, how long should i still add the salt and the high temp for? thanks.


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