i think im paranoid, just a question...

[henward]

in my other fish tanks, once in a while, a fish will jsut kinda scratch itself on the sand or wood or plants.
not constant, but you know, like a human itching... some fish do it too im sure.

in my arowana clown loaches community tank - you know, sometimes fish jsut do it.
i probably see it while im watcing the fish once or twice a week.

Now, i may be a lil paranoid,
my discus at times do it too.
very occasionally... randomly, you know, like the other fish i have had in the past and still have.

i know that severe scratching is a sign of parasite on the skin....
i guess im just a little paranoid.

anyone elses fish sometimes do this? discus i mean?
just a little bit of scratching im talking about, not all the time.

[flyman767]

Several of my discus will periodically 'twitch' or 'shake'...sometimes in a wave fashion(mostly their fins). When I first experienced this, I thought it had to be a parasite. However, at least with mine, this is normal behavior. I relate it to a similar action of a human 'yawn' or 'stretch'.

If what you experiencing is happening on an occasional basis..I wouldn't worry.

[joanr]

Yeh, mine have an occasional itch and will do a quick rub on the heater. You will know if they have parasites, especially flukes. They will clamp gills, fins and just look miserable in general. An occasional twitch...not to worry.

[scottthomas]

Yeh, mine have an occasional itch and will do a quick rub on the heater. You will know if they have parasites, especially flukes. They will clamp gills, fins and just look miserable in general. An occasional twitch...not to worry.

+1 All fish I have owned over the years especially Africans, occasionally rub against objects. Only worry if they do it repeatedly

[kaceyo]

If they are doing it a few times a day it's not a problem. If they do it a few times an hour all day then it needs looking into.