The New Guy?

[CptCannibo]

Hey, guys and gals!

My name is Ryan and I am from, Houston, TX. I just recently found myself attached to a certain type of fish, the Loach. I had a few questions about them and their health.

Apparently, our attempts at keeping sickness at bay were foiled. Ick infested the tank. We IMMEDIATELY bought a package of 'Tetra Ick Guard Remedy' to treat the tank with. Its fairly small right now, only at 10 gallons, but do not despair- they are all under two inches-ish, and within two to three months, I'll be buying a 60 gallon to transfer them into.

My question comes as a story, really.

We have 2 yoyo's, and a clown, with a couple of molly's (they seem to race around the tank and 'play' in the bubble tub I bought and placed along the back side of the tank. Unfortunately, the Clown (named 'Tech' due to his colorations and a personal favorite artists/musician) had been infected with Ick, I believe at PetSmart. Either way, Tech has gone to the Big Pond in the Sky. With that said, an no white spots on the other fish, I have continued the treatment (figuring I could and should keep it treated every 24 hours with a half a tablet (it says 1 per 10 gallons, but they are all scaleless...) to keep the treatment going, in hopes of destroying the parasitic bum before it can kill another fishie.

I have come to love the loaches. they are so spirited, and I swear they follow my face and fingers when I get close to the tank, and so it makes me feel bad that I don't know what to do to make them safe, ya know?

Any help would be appreciated.

Also, is it truew that the loaches will generally school with any other loach, assuming that there is no quarrel for alpha loach? I would like to eventually get a few different breeds, such as the weather

[NancyD]

Welcome to LOL Ryan. I'm sorry you started out with problems. I strongly suggest waiting to add any new fish until you get the new tank up & running. Loaches are social fish & it's best to keep several of the same species together, 5 or 6 yoyos would be a minimum IMO & about all you'll have room for. Yoyos grow pretty fast the first year & will be much more fun in a group.

[bookpage]

Let me say Welcome also. You found the right place if you like loaches.

I would suggest reading this page: http://www.loaches.com/articles/an-intr ... ing-botia/

and this page: http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-almorhae/

Good luck...

[CptCannibo]

Thanks for all the great information and links!

I have another question...


I have been doing the 1/2 tablet Tetra Ick Guard tablet treatment, once every 24ish hours or so.

One, and only one by sight, of my Yo-Yos seems to be getting white spots and scratching a lot. I administered the max normal dosage per tank, one tablet.

I removed the Carbon filter from the tank, and dropped the tablet (I fed them about 1 hour prior to dosing).

I am leaving them be, for now, to see what will happens with the treatment. I noticed after about 30 minutes, the spots had become more pronounced and both of the loaches were now scratching, and a single spot popped up on the other.

Is this going to claim my entire tank? Do these Ick Guard tablets not work like they put on their label, that it clears up Ick and is a remedy FOR Ick Infested fish?

Thanks in advance!

[Diana]

Ich has a life cycle, and I think by half-dosing some have escaped getting killed by the medicine.
They got onto your fish a few days ago. It takes Ich a few days to grow big enough to see on the fish, so 'suddenly' seeing the spots get bigger right after you medicated is a coincidence, the Ich has been growing for several days.
I do not quite understand what you are doing with the activated carbon. It sounds like you just now removed it. If it was in the filter all along, then the medication (Whether full dose or half) was probably removed from the water before it did much good.

Many people here find Rid Ich to work well, and can be dosed in a way that is safe for Loaches and other delicate fish.
Here is one way:
Dose half in the morning and half in the evening. This way the Ich is still getting a killing dose, but the maximum dose that might bother the fish is avoided.
When you add the medicine dilute it in a cup of water and add it slowly over a couple of hours.
Do a thorough gravel vac and water change daily or every other day. This removes the fallen Ich and reduces the breeding population. It also removes the medicine, so re-dose right after the water change.

If you are using Amquel or Amquel Plus dechlorinators do not use them while using a dye-based medicine (Rid Ich and most others that stain the water)

Add a UV sterilizer to this tank. This will kill the Ich without any medication. It may deactivate medicines, so do not combine treatments. Water changes and UV might be all the treatment these fish need. A bare bottom tank is the easiest to vacuum, and be sure you are getting everything.

Fish under stress can lose some osmotic regulation. I would add salt to the tank at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons. This will help the fish maintain the proper balance of minerals in their cells.

[CptCannibo]

Thank you for in formation, D.

I added a teaspoon of aqaurium salt to the tank to help them a bit.

Tomorrow, I'll feed when I get up as normal and add half a tablet of the ick guard, and another later tomorrow night after I do their night feeding.

If a Yoyo gets Ich, is it guaranteed to die? What should I watch for so I know when it is going to try and claim the last breath, so to speak, so I can be prepared to removed the carcass before it has time to release anything nastiness in the tank.

Can you give me any hints towards what it should look like when its getting better?

Do Loaches commonly rub and scratch themselves among items in their environment? I had read somewhere that it was pretty common.

[Graeme McKellar]

Hi Ryan, Although I have never experienced Ick first hand I have always been worried about it with my loaches so I have tried to get a good understanding of it to try and prevent it or deal with it should my fish get it. Ick is a parasite and most parasites target the gills of a fish because they provide the perfect environment with the blood circulation close to the surface and easily accessable, so for every one you see on your fish there will be many more in their gills. This is why the fish will rub itself on the gravel to try and "scratch" the gill area. Your fish sound like they are not affected too badly if they are still eating and that would be the first sign your fish are in trouble.the next sign will be that they hide and start breathing heavily.
Vaccuming the gravel/sand before dosing is a very important part of the treatment and will help you get rid of it quicker.
Bacterial infections are also a problem in the damaged areas and can kill the fish if they enter the bloodsteam so adding salt will be helpfull. As Diana said a U/V is also very helpfull in fighting it and preventing it. Make sure you continue treatment for 10 days or more after you can see no signs as it can be hiding in the gills and quickly re-infect. The treatment only kills the young ones and have no affect on the ones on your fish. As I said your fish look like they are not affected too badly but keep a close eye on them and good luck with it all. Graeme.

[NancyD]

Oh I thought the ich was gone, sorry. The lights need to be out with dye based meds like malachite green, victoria green, often in ich treatments. Be sure to continue the treatment 7-10 days beyond any visible spots. Good luck.