coffeebean

ive noticed 2 out of my 4 yoyo loaches do this, not constantly, but they do it often enough that its piqued my interest.
they rub their sides against the gravel, rocks, driftwood. ive looked closely at them and they do not appear to have any irritation on them.
anyone know? normal behaviour?

agabr123

it sounds like ICH to me, loaches are particularly sensitive to ich and get it frequently. i'd keep a really close eye on them, even if you can't see spots on their body it doesn't mean that they don't have it, a lot of the spores are actually in their gills rather than on the body.

coffeebean

uugh. i just did the ich!! its not affecting any of the other fish though. maybe i will crank the thermometer.

Jonah

Have you checked for ammonia in the water as well? Loaches being scaleless will be more susceptible to burns than the scaled fish in your tank

coffeebean

ammonia levels are zilch.

Butterfly

Nitrates being a little high will also cause them to "flash". Anytime you notice some thing that cause you concern a water change is your first line of defense. They never hurt, the fish enjoy them and frequently if something is at the borderline of something being wrong a water change will fix it So that's what I suggest.
Carol

coffeebean

i just tested everything. nitrates arent even readable on this test i used, so im assuming they are looooooooooooow. i will do a water change tomorrow anyways. im feeling out how often im going to need to do water changes and filter cleanings on this new system

Butterfly

Thats cool I love to watch my loaches after a water change.
Carol

coffeebean

ok, ive changed the water. readings for ammonia nitrite are 0, nitrate is less then 10.

i cant see any irritation or spots on the fish. they are otherwise behaving completely normal.

what do i do?

Butterfly

If they are behaving normal again just observe to see what they do. thats all you can do
carol

coffeebean

no, sorry, i meant they are still rubbing but otherwise behaving normally. they play, eat well, etc.

Butterfly

The only thing I know to tell you to do is watch them closely for ICH. I wouldn't start throwing in meds unless I knew there was a problem and what it is. They may just be enjoying rubbing on things. the only thing I can say is to keep up the water changes and substrate vacuums and keep your eyes open.
Carol