Lone Clown Loach quarantine length

The forum for the very best information on loaches of all types. Come learn from our membership's vast experience!

Moderator: LoachForumModerators

Post Reply
User avatar
Shadowsong
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2007 10:22 am
Location: Poland

Lone Clown Loach quarantine length

Post by Shadowsong » Wed Jan 17, 2018 1:06 pm

Last Thursday I went to buy some stuff for my shrimp when I saw a single baby Clown Loach swimming with some Danios. The little one looked healthy, so I decided to give it a new home and some loach friends. Right now little "Raisin" is alone in a 30l (8gal) cube. At first, it had some snails for company, but apparently snacked on them. It became a bit skittish and prefers spending most of the day inside a coconut cave, but otherwise seems fine. I hope I managed to avoid ich this time.
Now I'm torn, it feels cruel keeping it all alone for three more weeks. However, I don't want to introduce something nasty to my main tank.
How long do you think will be best to keep Raisin in quarantine?

Raisin today:
Image

Diana
Posts: 4675
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2006 1:35 am
Location: Near San Franciso

Re: Lone Clown Loach quarantine length

Post by Diana » Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:06 pm

Ich can stay hidden on the fish for a while, hiding in the gills. I would add a UV sterilizer to the system for a week or so, this will kill Ich organisms that try to breed. I would add a deworming treatment (medicated food) for internal parasites. Most bottom feeding fish seem quite vulnerable to them.
Most other diseases or parasites will show up pretty fast.
When the treatment (deworming) is complete, turn off the UV and start the clock for a 1 month quarantine. If something else shows up and you need to treat, then re-start the clock after the treatment is done.
Go ahead and keep on moving snails over from your main tank. If there is any disease in the main tank this will expose the new loach via the water that comes with the snails, and you will have a chance to treat it.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.

Happy fish keeping!

NancyD
Posts: 1608
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:17 pm
Location: SF bay area,US

Re: Lone Clown Loach quarantine length

Post by NancyD » Sat Jan 20, 2018 10:21 pm

Raisin looks pretty healthy! But I'm with Diana, treat & wait. A few weeks in a small tank can save both "him" & your big tank loaches from goodness knows what. Clown loaches can (should) live quite a long time, see redshark's 20+ year olds. Don't skimp out now!
Image

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 104 guests