rubbing

Question
i have had a 29 gal tank set up for aprox. 4-5 weeks, i have 4 arutus/blue zebra hybrids, 1 african cichlid, a cory, 4 red looking minnow things, placo, and a tetra.. nitrate/20 nitrite/0 hardness/150,hard  alkalinity/300,high ph/7.8-8.4... now all the information out of the way, why are my hybrids "rubbing" the rocks?

Answer
Hi Kent;

Watch for parasites. That is a very common cause. White pin-dots or "gold dust" indicate ick or velvet parasites. There are medications available at your local fish store for them. Raising the temperature to 82f and adding aquarium salt to the tank is helpful as well if it turns out to be ick or velvet.

Check the ammonia level too. If ammonia is elevated it will cause skin irritation. the tank appears to be through the break-in because there is no nitrite and the nitrate is up a bit, but if overfeeding has occurred, the filter was cleaned or new fish have been added in the last couple of days the ammonia can go up. Make a partial water change (25%) if it is elevated at all.

I hope everything goes well......

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins