Loaches Online Forum

Check with your local veterinarian offices, particularly those that deal with large animals. If I'm not mistaken, levimisole hydrochloride is used as a de-wormer for pigs and other farm animals. Obviously, dosing instructions for fish will be different...

I normally run my loach tank at 81-82 F. I have multiple species of loaches in the tank, including both clowns and yoyos. They all seem perfectly content at that temperature. I have had the tank temp as high as 87 F when treating ich (which is long gone now, thankfully) and none of my fish seemed bo...

Aqueon makes a range of excellent glass tank lids for a wide range of standard tank sizes, and they're usually not very expensive. Check with your pet store to see if they have them in stock for your tank size. I don't know if higher temperatures will reduce your dojos' lifespans, but logically it m...

Arden wrote:I'm not sure who this statment was aimed at

It was aimed at the person who posted the article. I was simply sticking up for those of us who have done our homework and put the proper amount of effort into loach care.

The tank is heavily overstocked. You have 22 fish in a tank that should only have 10 - 15. Also, the clowns and the pleco (depending on species) get quite large and bulky, and therefor contribute heavily to the ammonia load (which then becomes nitrates) in the tank. I would definitely consider re-ho...

I have a mix of histrionica, rostrata, kubotai, and almorhae in my tank. They all act as if they are one group, and seem perfectly happy. Occasionally they will chase each other but they never cause injury. I think it's just their way of sparring for pecking order. I doubt your lone histy even knows...

Good article. You'll find that most serious loach keepers are aware that they do have scales. However, for the purposes of fish keeping we regard them as scaleless because their sensitivity to medications and toxins is similar to that of true scaleless fish. Serious loach keepers also understand tha...

As far as I know, Chromobotia macracanthus is unique. There are variations within the species, and the odd mutation here and there, but all clown loaches are the same species (until some scientist decides otherwise). Here is a good article describing the differences between variations: http://www.lo...

For high nitrates: Short term fix: large water changes. Long term fix: Live plants and proper tank stocking. Other things to look at: possible overfeeding, overstocking, rotting materials hiding in the tank, etc. As for the water changes, it's good to keep the math in mind: if you change only 10% of...

^This^

Also, don't drop the heat below 86F until AT LEAST 2 weeks after the very last sign of ich.

Probably just scared himself.

I'd keep an eye on him, but most likely he's just fine.

I have him in a 40 gallon with some african cichlids. That's a problem. It's possible that he was attacked by the cichlids, or even just chased until he injured himself. Loaches and cichlids do not mix well, and African cichlids even less. http://www.loaches.com/articles/why-loaches-should-not-be-k...

I have the pipes stacked in a pyramid configuration, with 3 on the bottom, 2 on the second row, and 1 on top. The second row is held together with aquarium silicone. PVC cement could also be used, but I believe that the silicone may be safer. In both cases, it is imperative that you wait at least 24...

Mine are still juveniles, the largest at just over 3". The 2" pipe was originally bought for the benefit of my smaller loaches, and the clowns share it with them. When the clowns get a bit bigger, In plan on replacing the 2" pipe with 3", which should be large enough for several years. I also have d...

I'd want to see the pictures. For several reasons, it's unlikely that they are clown loaches. While it is possible that an irresponsible pet owner dumped them in that waterway, it is unlikely that they would survive for long, much less thrive, grow, and reproduce. New Jersey's waterways get much too...