can't beat ick / whitespot

[fishfrenzie]

Hello everyone, most of you are from across the pond but I am from Bonnie Scotland.

I have been trying to battle with ich for over 5 weeks now, using thetemperature increase, gravel clean and Interpet Whitespot plus.

My loaches are riddled in whitespot with one of them looking as if his skin is peeling and his tail is being gnawed. All water stats are allright.

I have increased the temp to 29.6C (85F) and added Waterlife Protozin (see www.waterlife.co.uk) for more information on this product. I have halved this med as per instruction.

The ill loach is swimming vertically with his nose at the top of the tank.

Is the water temp too high?

What else can I do but watch and see?

[Emma Turner]

Hi there, and welcome to Loaches Online.

Sorry to hear about your loaches. Protozin is an excellent treatment for whitespot, and providing you follow the full course (at half dose for loaches) it should start to take effect after a few days. Increasing the temperature also helps, but remember that this will have an adverse effect on oxygen levels within the tank. Make sure that you increase aeration via powerheads (angle flow diverters upwards to make the water's surface ripple) or by dropping the water level in the tank by a couple of inches so that the water returning from your filter splashes down and increases O2 content.

What are your water test results? (ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte)?

Good luck,

Emma

[fishfrenzie]

Thanks Emma,

i have just run out of test kit and need to order some more (typical i know).

I should have one in the next few days.

[Emma Turner]

In the meantime, make sure you increase the aeration asap. It sounds as though the loach that is swimming with it's head up could do with some help.

Emma

[fishfrenzie]

Pump is circulating the water around the top of the tank, so is working as hard as it can. Should I catch this fish and put it in a small floating breeding tank, in case there is any nipping,.

Its tail does not look good.

[Emma Turner]

No, that is likely to stress the fish further. It may have a secondary bacterial infection if the tail looks like it is rotting. Both problems can be caused by poor water quality, so you really need to know what your levels are. Can you pop out to a shop to get some new test kits or else borrow some from a fishkeeper you might know? Time really is of the essence. I take it you have removed any activated carbon from your filter? Just thought I'd better check as that would absorb the medication.

What size tank do you have, and what filtration do you have on it? How long has it been set up, and how long have you had the loaches in there? Can you tell us how often and what maintenance you carry out on the tank? The answers to these questions may help us to build up a picture of what has happened.

Emma

[fishfrenzie]

tank is 80 litres. Tank cleaning including gravel cleaning takes place once a week.

I have upset the tank this weekend though by removing the plants (in case they have the ick eggs on them).

the most ill loache has decided to hide under a big piece of bog wood. All I can see is his orange side. He was under there for most of last night.

Tank test kit has been ordered but unfortunately the quickest I can get access to anything like that depends on the postal system. From previous tests, the tank water stats have never changed, I know they could have now but time and postal system never go together.

Keep your fingers crossed.

No carbon in tank. The only filter (if you could call it that) is one for reducing algae. It is a bag that sits in the corner of the tank. The clowns like to hide behind it,.

Tank has been set up since Christmas. It uses a Fluval 2plus pump, filters cleaned at the weekend with the tank water.

Loaches have been in tank now since Easter.

[Emma Turner]

Unfortunately, your tank really isn't big enough for Clown Loaches. If they manage to pull through this, you'll need to upgrade to a much larger aquarium, with much more powerful filtration.

How often are you changing water, and roughly how much (%) do you change each time?

Emma

[fishfrenzie]

this tank is a stop gap for them.

I do a 25-30% water change every week.

[Emma Turner]

That's good. How many loaches do you have? Are there lots of hiding spaces for them? I was wondering what other fish species you have in your tank, and whether you have ever noticed any aggression towards your Clowns. Something is stressing them out.

Emma