Fish sliding on their side...?

[zeromus-x]

Both of my engineer gobies and now my chalk basslet are constantly swimming fast, slamming their sides into the bottom of the tank, in the sandbed, and then coming back up. It happens quickly. I've heard that fish like to rub their sides when they have ich... but I see nothing whatsoever on them, no dots or anything. Is this just something these guys do?
My firefish gobies and blue damsel don't do it at all.

 

[pufferman]

many fishes scratch themselves against the bottom even before they become symptomatic. some fishes also show symptoms of ich before other fishes do. you might want to treat your fishes now.......using a combination of copper sulfate (chelated)....garlic soaked food..

 

[gkp]

This behavier is called "flashing" and usally is due to discomfert. ie...paricites some times you never see them becouse they dont get that bad. Some times you will see them a few days after flashing starts if the fishes immune systom is weakend.

 

[zeromus-x]

Originally posted by pufferman
many fishes scratch themselves against the bottom even before they become symptomatic. some fishes also show symptoms of ich before other fishes do. you might want to treat your fishes now.......using a combination of copper sulfate (chelated)....garlic soaked food..
Thing is, I've probably had the engineers for a month and a half, and they've *always* done it. The chalk basslet doesn't do it very often at all, and only seems to do it when he sees the engineers doing it.

 

[asbury030]

if u use copper dont think about putting inverts in ur tank.

 

[pufferman]

are engineer gobies and chalk basslet known to do "scratching" for no apparent reason? I've seen many wrasses do that......but not sure about gobies....:notsure: