Clown loach skin scrapes

[jacaranda]

One of my clown loaches has tried to enter a cave opening that is too small for him and has scraped himself pretty badly around his dorsal fin and his "belly". The areas were white yesterday after it happened but today the middle parts of the scrapes are turning red. He is hiding today and skiddish. Should I be treating my tank with something to prevent or stop infection? If so, what should I use. He shares a 129 gallon tank with 4 other clowns, 6 bosemans rainbows, 1 angel, 1 chocolate pleco.

[Emma Turner]

Hi jacaranda,

Sorry to hear about your clown loach. Normally, in good clean water, these sort of superficial wounds heal themselves. I would usually advise plenty of frequent partial water changes, but seeing as you say the wounds are looking a bit red, you might want to add a mild treatment such as Melafix to aid the healing process. Be sure to keep up good water quality and there shouldn't be an issue.

Emma

[Tinman]

Remove the cave and replace it with something more suitable to reduce injurys and possibly several to increase cover for all. PVC pipe with openings at both ends lets current flow through and also keeps the fish from laying in its own waste as one entrance hidey holes tend to . This would put the injurys in a clean flow and help your scraped fish on several levels in addition to the Melafix that Emma smartly pointed out.