Loaches Online Forum

Wow, the black patches look very similar to what happened to my big guy, except that he doesn't have the smaller white patches. I did see one large "albino" patch on his side, but that went away a few minutes after I saw it, so I might have just been seeing things. He hasn't had any white patches si...

Yes, the meter is only testing for ammonia. I use newer test strips to test for nitrites and nitrates, and thus far there is no nitrite and nitrate is hanging around 40 ppm, down from 80 a few days ago. The chemical test is only testing for ammonia, and I used it in the 72 (where ammo-lock was used)...

Thank you. It seems to be slowly getting better, though it is still hard saying. I went and got some ammonia-absorbing filter media to place in both filters, and along the way I got a Mardel in-tank meter for ammonia. Once I put that in the tank, it never changed from yellow. So was the other chemic...

I thought we rinsed the carbon pretty well, but it's possible we didn't get all of the residue out of it and that it got into the tank and started irritating the skin of the more sensitive... I'm more inclined to think the carbon is somehow at fault since I've had black spotting before from carbon, ...

Best I can do at the moment until I get him in quarantine.

I use Prime on occasion. I used it a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure exactly what it is I use for the ammonia, I'd have to check. But the even worse news is that I got another look at the fish, and it can't possibly look any worse. Not only is he patchy black, I spied a bleached patch on his side ...

The ammonia has always been high, which is why I got the new filter in hopes of keeping up with the tank. These clowns are really all that's in the tank except for a kuhli, a couple otos, and a golden dojo. I am currently running both filters--the old one and the new. The black problem started right...

I'm hoping it's just a false positive, though I actually gave it 2-3 days when I last did a chemical test. I put the Ammo-Lock in again just after.

Even so, I'm really hoping it's a false positive.

Hmmm no, but that picture is actually reasonably close to what I'm seeing. I've been ignoring the issue because I thought it wouldn't affect health but now I'm not so sure. He looks like your large clown except he seems to be losing some weight, and the blackness is patchier looking. It congregates ...

So, in my circus parade of health problems, my oldest clown loach is now turning black where he's orange and he looks like he's getting thinner. I'm just so mad at the moment because I feel like no matter what I do with this tank, something new goes wrong. It's almost making me want to quite this ho...

That is indeed really strange... I've always ever bagged them separately when moving them, or else they were in a community bucket for the short in-city moves. You're correct, all of the 12 clowns I have are in perfect health and always have been since I got this tank two years ago. However, all siz...

Thanks for your response... you are correct in assuming that the deaths were occurring before and after the bleach. The tank was well rinsed, and I even had a "test" fish in it for about a week, one that went on to live for a number of months before dying. All the medications I've had to use were us...

Yikes... that could very easily be a bacteria eating away at the fish's exterior. I have very very rarely seen water quality causing as large a problem as that. Minor (though possibly fatal) burns might come from the hardness and acidity, or perhaps from excessive ammonia/fish waste, but my tanks ha...

Hi all... I've lost so many old and new loaches over the past year, that I just don't know what else to do. All of my clowns so far are still okay, but I've lost all of my modestas (a couple were 6-7 years old), all of striatas and skunks, every tiger loach I've gotten, some yoyos.... the list goes ...

Haha, thanks! Actually, as far as I know, they aren't actually related. The bigger, feisty one is 12 years old, and the slightly smaller one is about 7 years old. I got hem in the same city, but from two different pet stores. However, they fight and cuddle like a married couple. A recreation of that...