Scratching

[LMOUTHBASS]

some of my fish are scratching against plants etc, i know this usually means theres ich or something, but nothing appears to be wrong, theres no spots on any of them, and only a few of the fish are acting like this and it is usually one quick swipe , coul this be some microscopic parasite what soul i do a couple of weeks ago i had some ich, but the ich has been gone (medicated) and ive had several water changes since then any suggestions???

[SBA]

it could be ich again. depends whether the medication was over a long enough period. the instructions that came with it might have said days 1,2,3 and 6 (or whatever) but to get rid of the parasite completely it takes 14 days from when the last cysts were visible (i think).

you might not be able to see the new infection yet, but it could still be there.

there's a belief that medication producers deliberately give out had advice regarding length of dosing so that you think the infection is gone and the med worked, but it comes back 14 days later. so - you use the same med again, because 'it worked last time'. repeat until skint...

[LMOUTHBASS]

for a whole week, do you think i shoul wait to see if new ich appears or start treating it now???

[SBA]

Depends if that's what it is I guess. (I know that's not very helpful, sorry).

The only time I had ich (well, my fish anyway :) ) I used the 'raise temp to > 80F and slowly add salt up to 1-2 teaspoons per gallon' method.

Once the cysts have gone keep the temp raised and the salt at this level for another 2 weeks. Do regular water changes (replacing the salt) and clean the substrate with a vacuum.

It worked a treat for me (and my fish), but I guess it depends what fish you have (due to the salt).

What med did you use?

Edit: a good resourse as ever is over at the
wetchaps place (http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml)

[LMOUTHBASS]

makes ich away

[Fisher Price]

Many fish do this from time to time, it is usually nothing to be concerned about unless they do it constantly or they show other signs of illness. If they had Ich a couple weeks ago they may be shedding damaged scales and growing new ones and that causes them to scratch alot.