Loaches Online Forum

So sorry to hear this Emma.
She was unique and beautiful - like you...

don't let the nay-sayers get you down.
go for it.

looks like a tumor or cyst of some type to me.
can you get levamisole?

if so, you can try it. these kinds of issues are very difficult to diagnose without biopsy of the area. if you are seriously concerned you could try to locate a veterinarian in your area who could do that for you.

best of luck ...

it's spam zenins.

sorry about that. I flagged it, but then forgot to delete it!

doh!

hard to say on the rock without seeing it. could you try posting a tank pic again? the vinegar test is usually a good indicator.

What temp do you keep the tank at? Clowns are warm water (80's) fish. your rainbows and dojo would probably prefer cooler water. Clowns kept in cool water will suffer ...

your tap water is good.
the red gill issue was likely nitrate related. clowns really need clean water!
do more frequent water changes and alot of your issues will resolve themselves.

why the aquarisol?

sorry if I missed it but what size is the tank and what fish do you have in it?

for the red gill issue I'd step up your water change regime. and definitely get your own test kit.

I had a rampant mts colony in my sand bottom tank when I added some clowns. they ignored them at first.

I wanted them to help knock down the population so I slightly squashed a couple of the mid sized ones and dropped them near their favorite lair. Shortly thereafter a cemetery of empty shells ...

Bloodworms.
I used to hold a frozen cube, shake it just a bit to get some ends wiggling about then hold it very still.
The youngest were always the bravest and would end up laying on my hand trying to gobble as much as they could before the bigger guys took over.

you have to hang on tight as it ...

no, yoyos don't 'shed' per se. it could be that some of his slime coat was damaged and sloughed off, however. how is he doing now?

check the wattage on the heater and make sure it's adequate for your size tank. if the tank's in front of an AC unit or in a drafty location that could be part of the problem.

I have two ebo jaeger (sp?) heaters in my 55 - one at each end of the tank near both filters. temp is quite stable at 81F.

What else?
Vacuum the substrate daily, either in parts or all of it. Replace with clean treated water including the medication.
Don't have to increase the salt. Keep up with the treatment as is until the spots are completely gone for at least a week. When you're through don't let the temp go too low ...

baby brine is a good food for tiny fish. week old angelfish babies can eat them.
you do need to take care that you vacuum out the ones that don't get eaten as they die off within hours and will wreck your water quality. they also spread out rapidly all over the tank. a small air hose works to get ...

you could try making a slice in one of those small aquaclear sponges and sliding it over your intake. Not only does it keep the sand out of the filter when the khulis get flipping around, but it creates a backup media sponge in case you ever need to set up a quarantine tank quickly.

Definitely use either the levamisole or fenben asap. Then isolate the fish and do an antibiotic treatement with either Kanamycin or Maracyn I and II - if he makes it that far. Given the look of the picture you posted it may be too late.

What else is in the tank?