oh please help!

[LUVaLOACH]

Well, as most off you know I recently acquired, by sheer accident (or I call it luck) 6 baby clown loaches which came with a case of ich which I was treating and everyone was doing great, but I just went up to check on them and one of my babies is dying...floating on his side, labored breathing and it looks like bubbles and stringy mucus coming off his body. Like spider webs with bubbles in them.

What can I do??? I love these guys, I have never had clowns before and I probably can't save this little guy but maybe the others, please help.

Water parameters are norm...temp 85

K

[LUVaLOACH]

Well, he is not going to make it...I don't have clove oil and I can't just sit here and watch him suffer, don't want to do the freezer. I feel terrible.

I can't believe I am this upset about a fish, but I love the little guys.

[Emma Turner]

Hi Kris,

Sorry to hear the bad news.

What are your current water parameters (ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte)?
With a temperature up at 85 degrees, have you got a decent amount of aeration going on in the tank?

Do they stick have Ich, and are you still medicating (if so, what with?)?

Any other fish species affected?

Answers to these Q's may help us to establish what is happening.
Good luck,

Emma

[LUVaLOACH]

Hi Kris,

Sorry to hear the bad news.

What are your current water parameters (ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte)?
With a temperature up at 85 degrees, have you got a decent amount of aeration going on in the tank?

Do they stick have Ich, and are you still medicating (if so, what with?)?

Any other fish species affected?

Answers to these Q's may help us to establish what is happening.
Good luck,

Emma

Oh Emma,

They are all dying...even the angelicus...rainbows...can't tell yet but are not eating, which is not like them at all. The entire tank is going to be wiped out by whatever this is and I have stayed on top of this BIGTIME. I am so sad.

It's an old 29 gallon tank but running with a penguin 150 bio-wheel. I had lowered the water level to increase oxygen even more. I have been doing daily water checks, and 25% water changes ever other day per the instructions on the Kordon RidIck plus. Yes, the ick is, or was, still an issue even though I caught it early. All visible signs of ich were gone but still treating for the other stages.

Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
PH-6.8
Nitrate-20-30

Whatever this is, it hit quick...real quick. Just last night my daughter, her little friend and I were watching them play around. I really can't believe this...I feel horrible but I don't know what I did wrong. I am treating the tank with nitrofurizone but I just lost a 2nd clown so I guess it's too little too late. It's like they have silk, or a spider webb on them with bubbles in it...guess it's just excess mucus. They both died very fast also, which I guess should make me feel better but nope.

I am a mess, glad my husband isin't here to see me bawling over fish.



Thank you for your reply,

Kris

[LUVaLOACH]

OK, it's a pattern. They lay on the bottom of the tank with fins clamped, very labored breathing. Then they will go to the surface of the water and float nose up, kinda bobbing, they will strugle to swim around the tank some but mostly stay at the surface. Within 20 minutes, they are laying stiff on the bottom of the tank barely breathing and within 10-15 minutes they just die. This may not seem quick to some but it does to me.

I have lost 2 clowns so far with another 2 at the surface. The angelicus are just laying on the bottom of the tank and the rainbows...who don't have the excess mucus (if, in fact that's what it is), are hovering in a corner.

Thanks Emma,
K

[LUVaLOACH]

Hi Emma,

Lost all the clowns and the angelicus are not looking good, not sure what to expect from them...probably the same as the clowns. At best, I may have the rainbows left, but for the most part whatever this was has wiped out the tank. I am curious as to what it was. They went so fast. To be fine at 7p.m. last night and all be dead by 5:30 today...do you find that odd?

If you have any ideas as to what might have caused it, let me know. I am so bummed and baffled.

Thank YOU for taking the time to reply,
Kris

[Littlelady]

Sorry to hear about your babies Kris It was obvious how much you loved in every post about them, I don't have any ideas about what it could be, hopefully someone can help....

[loachmom]

Kris,

Is this the tank with the broken filter uptake? Is it possible that whatever you fixed it with could have been toxic?
Just guessing.....

I'm so sorry this happened to you. I know you loved those fish.

[KLKelly]

I'm sorry too I'm new to loaches and never had ich - but have had to deal with a lot with my other tanks.

I would put in fresh carbon into the filter - carbon loses its effectiveness very quickly - less than a month I hear. This might help.

Keep up with your water changes.

I had a problem with my filter six months ago. It had stopped for 24 hours and I hadn't noticed. One by one my small rainbows started breathing at the surface and dying. I treated with maracyn plus and saved three of twelve. I think the lack of filtration over that time allowed something bacterial to hit them. Antibacterial medication can crash a tanks cycle though.

I hope your remaining fish pull through - sorry for your loss.

[Emma Turner]

Hi Kris,

I'm really sorry to hear all this, you must feel so sad.

It's possible that it was a secondary bacterial infection or another type of parasite (probably more likely). When was the last time you added new fish to this tank?

Has your pH dropped rapidly recently, or is that a normal stable reading?

I personally wouldn't advise changing the carbon until you have finished any courses of medication as otherwise it will absorb this and render it useless.

Emma

[KLKelly]

Good point Emma - don't change the carbon if you are medicating.

Nice catch there. (I mentioned carbon in response to possible toxins from a filter fix).

Disregard my previous post : )

Karrie

[LUVaLOACH]

Sorry to hear about your babies Kris It was obvious how much you loved in every post about them, I don't have any ideas about what it could be, hopefully someone can help....

Thanks so much, I am really bummed and kinda mad at myself. I had never had clowns before, these little one's showed me what all the fuss is about.

Thanks,
Kris

[LUVaLOACH]

Kris,

Is this the tank with the broken filter uptake? Is it possible that whatever you fixed it with could have been toxic?
Just guessing.....

I'm so sorry this happened to you. I know you loved those fish.

Its not this tank but that is a thought...I have not repaired the filter yet but now that you mention this I will be super careful.

I love all animals/fish. My daughter (6yrs. old) and I cherish all our animals...Rev, our golden retreiver, Chico, Rosie, Petie, and Buster...our cats and all of our fishy friends. It really is a sad day here.

Thanks,
Kris

[LUVaLOACH]

I'm sorry too I'm new to loaches and never had ich - but have had to deal with a lot with my other tanks.

I would put in fresh carbon into the filter - carbon loses its effectiveness very quickly - less than a month I hear. This might help.

Keep up with your water changes.

I had a problem with my filter six months ago. It had stopped for 24 hours and I hadn't noticed. One by one my small rainbows started breathing at the surface and dying. I treated with maracyn plus and saved three of twelve. I think the lack of filtration over that time allowed something bacterial to hit them. Antibacterial medication can crash a tanks cycle though.

I hope your remaining fish pull through - sorry for your loss.

Thank you so much, and what you just mentioned might have been why this happened.

There was a terrible car wreck on the main road near our home and the power was off in our neighborhood for hours. It was after lights out in the tanks which is early b/c I get up at 6am and I didn't notice till the next day that the filter didn't restart on it's own. I had to unplug it and plug it back in and fiddle with it. I wonder if this could have caused this? I am so glad you mentioned this. I really am puzzled as to what happened.

Thank you,
Krista

[Martin Thoene]

Oh Kris, what a bummer
I missed all this going on.....not that it sounds like anyone could have stopped it.
One thing that often gets forgotten is that for every Ich spot you see on the surface, there are many that attack the gill filaments. This severely reduces the ability of the gills to process oxygen and just like Pneumonia in humans, it can be a killer. It sounds like the general weakness and then going to the surface indicates oxygen deprivation.
Like Emma says, you need aeration, but all the bubbles in the world won't help if the fish's gills cannot function correctly. Young fish will also be far less resilient and unable to cope. A larger fish might have enough gill capacity to survive.

It's probably best to wait now till you get the big tank up and running and then find yourself some new babies. When you get to that point come and ask us here and we'll tell you what to look for to try and get you the best fish possible. With these guys you tried your best with fish that arrived in a less than ideal way. Sometimes there's nothing that you can do to stop the inevitable. Not your fault.

Chin up

Martin.