Well good greif! Harry started acting a bit itchy yesterday. Tonight while I was working in the dinning room he was rubbing on the coral and a sea shell a good bit. He would rub and flash his belly towards me. I don't see any signs of ick. I'm figuring parasites. I did the gel-tek for IP's when he first came even though he never looked like he had them. Tomorrow I guess I'm going to go get some praziPro or whatever it's called. I've looked at it at the LFS before and read about it on here, I think. He's still eating well and acting ok except for that. Of course I'm trying to blame myself. Trying to blame the sand like it can harbor SW parasites. Sheesh!
I freak a bit over any kind of itching since I have an autoimmune disease that makes me itch. I'm rather phobic about it. I sure hope I can get this cleared up soon. Any suggestions are welcome.
Harry has been my baby for 1 month and 2 days.
I checked water on Tues. ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates about 11-12, ph 8.2. Haven't checked SG but added SG of 1.010 on Sat or Sun with water change. The SG has been 1.008 for weeks.
I'm going to check water again tomorrow before going to the LFS and will probably do a small water change.
Here we go AGAIN!
Harry Is Itching/Flashing
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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Nick
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Re: Harry Is Itching/Flashing
I have seen my ex's figure 8's do this after eating hard food, like crayfish or snails, and figure the shells irritated their mouths, since it was always the corners of their mouth they would rub on stuff. It never lasted long.
No matter how magnificent your successes or devastating your failures, the worlds' approximately 5 billion impoverished people could not possibly care less.
Re: Harry Is Itching/Flashing
He ate shell on shrimp yesterday and today. He's rubbing his side, it doesn't seem to be his mouth. I hope I just saw him in a deep sleep for the first time. When I checked on him he was head down on top of a plant. He was sooooo sloooowww when I turned the light on. Kinda bumped around a bit but could clearly see my finger on the glass. Now is not a good time for me to see a deep sleeping Harry. 
Nick wrote:I have seen my ex's figure 8's do this after eating hard food, like crayfish or snails, and figure the shells irritated their mouths, since it was always the corners of their mouth they would rub on stuff. It never lasted long.
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edmlfc1
- Mbu Puffer
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Re: Harry Is Itching/Flashing
Elvis tends to rub his sides pretty often after eating. I just figured he was adjusting himself. 
He's always trying to squeeze into tight spots and tends to sleep in weird positions. I just caught him sunday afternoon wedged between the glass and lr, tail up and face down, sound asleep. If I wake him up he also moves slow for the first 20 minutes or so.
I wouldn't treat with any meds just yet. You can get them and have them on hand just in case but it might be best to wait a day or two. He might just be flashing to flash.
If you are worried about him get a flashlight and check him over really good. This is what I do with Selena. I can probally draw you a map of every spot on her little body right now.
Good luck and keep us posted.
He's always trying to squeeze into tight spots and tends to sleep in weird positions. I just caught him sunday afternoon wedged between the glass and lr, tail up and face down, sound asleep. If I wake him up he also moves slow for the first 20 minutes or so.I wouldn't treat with any meds just yet. You can get them and have them on hand just in case but it might be best to wait a day or two. He might just be flashing to flash.
If you are worried about him get a flashlight and check him over really good. This is what I do with Selena. I can probally draw you a map of every spot on her little body right now.
Good luck and keep us posted.
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bonnie3188
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Re: Harry Is Itching/Flashing
Sometimes things can just get stuck to a fish which irritates their skin and causes them to scratch. I wouldn't medicate unless he was itching/flashing for a few days or showed other symptoms.
-Bonnie
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edmlfc1
- Mbu Puffer
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Re: Harry Is Itching/Flashing
How's Harry? Is he still flashing or has he chilled out?
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Re: Harry Is Itching/Flashing
This is terrible, but I really didn't get any time to sit and watch him for long at all yesterday. He ate breakfast well and is acting normal as far as I can tell. I'll have more of a chance to watch him today. I'll let you know and thanks for asking. I haven't started medicating.
How's baby girl?
I really like you but I'm a bit upset that you implied that Harry could be a flasher. He's always been a perfect gentleman.
How's baby girl?
I really like you but I'm a bit upset that you implied that Harry could be a flasher. He's always been a perfect gentleman.
edmlfc1 wrote:How's Harry? Is he still flashing or has he chilled out?
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edmlfc1
- Mbu Puffer
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- Location: Texas
Re: Harry Is Itching/Flashing
Oh my gosh! Your read my mind! I really was going to make it sound like: How's the flasher? But I thought I would be nice about it. Selena still has one bad eye and one eye getting better. I think we may have to change her name to: One eyed Jaclyn. Still working on her and I will not give up. I'll keep you posted.
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Re: Harry Is Itching/Flashing
Oh honey that just leaped off of the page at me. Not that I'm a perv or anything though. 
I swear I dreamed Selena had cloudy pupils but the rest of the eye was fine. I was excited in the dream because it meant she was going to be well. Funny what we dream about. I hope it comes true.
Harry was jerking pretty hard earlier, like irritation. He's still a pig though.
Hugs...
I swear I dreamed Selena had cloudy pupils but the rest of the eye was fine. I was excited in the dream because it meant she was going to be well. Funny what we dream about. I hope it comes true.
Harry was jerking pretty hard earlier, like irritation. He's still a pig though.
Hugs...
edmlfc1 wrote:
Selena still has one bad eye and one eye getting better. I think we may have to change her name to: One eyed Jaclyn. Still working on her and I will not give up. I'll keep you posted.