Damsel Fish Is Acting Strange

matty_boy8

New Member
I have two damsel fish, one is mostly blue with yellow fins, and the other one is yellow on the fins and kind of a pinkish body, a few days ago i noticed that the one fish is acting more agressive than usual and it keeps charging into my livesand in the tank and making a mess of it and rolling around in it. Are they mating or do you think that something is wrong with the fish. Thanks
 

tangs123

Member
he may have ich or another skin condition,
what are the specifications of the tank
size,
filtration,
ammonia,
nitrate,
nitrite,
PH
from there we can diagnose and treat the fish
 

matty_boy8

New Member
tank size is 55 gallons, also a protein skimmer, and a uv sterilizer, i use a fluval 305 canister filter, ph is usually 8.2- 8.3,nitrite is usually 0.50,and ammonia and nitrate is usually at 0 ppm to 0.25.
 

matty_boy8

New Member
my tank is about 5 months old because i moved had it a little over a year setup before that. yes it has cycled.
 
M

microlady

Guest
Well, before everyone on here stresses you out too much, it is probably not ich at all. Ich would be very easy to see on their scales. My yellowtail damsel is constantly stirring up sand and driving other fish out of his "den" under a piece of live rock. Damsels, dottybacks, and wrasses commonly scratch sometimes to show aggression. It sounds like that might be what is happening and you would probably need to get rid of one of the damsels to help the situation.
They are probably not mating if they are different species.

Good luck!!
Heather
 

sepulatian

Moderator
A reading of .50 for Nitrite is very high, and as ryanhayes stated, should not be present at all. Nitrite can cause all kinds of stress. It slows down the amount of oxygen in the blood flow and can cause brain damage or death. The fish's immune system is probably low at this point if nitrite is usually that high in your tank. Don't rule out ich. You will notice it first on the tail and fins.
 
E

emeralcrab

Guest
My baby hippo tang was flashing long before any white spots showed up. My LFS said he calls it Invisible Ich.
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by EmeralCrab
My baby hippo tang was flashing long before any white spots showed up. My LFS said he calls it Invisible Ich.
Hippo's are very prone to ich. Anything and everything makes them susceptable. Unless they are in a sterile tank that has never had ich, they will get it. And even then they often come from the lfs with it, you just can't see it yet.
 

poniegirl

Active Member
Originally Posted by matty_boy8
tank size is 55 gallons, also a protein skimmer, and a uv sterilizer, i use a fluval 305 canister filter, ph is usually 8.2- 8.3,nitrite is usually 0.50,and ammonia and nitrate is usually at 0 ppm to 0.25.
I notice you say usually, have you tested recently, as in yesterday? You should do that and see what the readings are.
How long have you had your damsels?
 
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