Scratching Fish

[kiMxD]

Hello folks!

My fish, from time to time, will scratch against rocks or substrate and I don't understand why. Perhaps you have guesses?

Just to make it clear, I do not believe is ich, this has been on and off for about three months. They will scratch for few days then stop for few more days and goes back again.

They've never showed any signs of ich, and I actually treated them a while back for ich (copper and metroplex+focus).

They've never showed any sings of any other diseases.

Never lethargic and always eating well.

This makes me so confused, I am not sure if this could be normal or not, but it happens from time to time without any major change in water parameters.
Any tips?

My tank:
90g reef;
Salinity: 1.025
pH: 8.1
Phosphate: almost none
Alk: 10
Temp: constant 80-80.5
Ammonia: always 0
No2 (nitrite): almost none
No3 (nitrate): almost none

Please, give me your opinions! Thank you!

 

[Uncle99]

Territory marking?

 

[Joe0813]

probably ick, even though you did QT with copper the fish tank can still have ick in there unless you put everything through a QT like snails, coral and live rock.

 

[HBtank]

Can depend, I have a few fish that get annoyed particulates/sand if it gets kicked up, and will flash, I personally don’t worry unless it is persistent. But I am talking a few minutes at a time..

 

[Cliving1]

I would have to say its ich. If you have ever seen ich and the scratch associated, its easily identifiable. I have seen a fish scratch when there was sand disturbed, but that was because of that reason. Can you take pictures of your fish and post them here?

 

[kiMxD]

Thank you all for your replies.
Like I said, I do not believe is ich, my fish never had white spot, their fins and body look perfect, reason why this makes me so confused.

It's not like they're scratching everyday and at all times, this happens sometimes only.

Have you ever experienced such behavior?

 

[Valentini89]

I have a pair of clowns that will scratch from time to time, pretty much daily. They have been doing it for months now.

 

[LauraGreenImp]

I have had a hippo tang for 7yrs, he loves to do the occasional scratch. He won't let the cleaner shrimp do their thing, maybe that's why, but he *definitely* is not sick, period. Not a spot or mark on him, and he's gone from 2" to 6"+ . Eats like a pig. My "˜reef sensei' says it's bc he's smooth scaled? jme


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[kiMxD]

Thanks guys!

I think it's normal then... I also can guarantee my fish is not sick, they eat like pigs and grew in the last three months as well.

But there is one interesting thing, I returned two fish to my LFS because they were kinda too big to my setup (I personally like smaller fish) and I realized that, after returning them, my other fish kinda stopped scratching? Maybe it was a bit of stress because of space competition?

 

[Uncle99]

Territorial demonstration.
It's a "this is my spot" flash.
I have a royal gramma that flashes a lawnmower, but the lawnmower don't care and strikes his tail on the bottom to throw substrate at the gramma.
Years this has been going on.