sick weather loach?

[newloacher]

I just got two new small gold weather loaches from the LFS. In a 15 gal with some 7 small mystery snails. babies really. anyway, noticed one is having a hard time staying on the bottom. looks like when she stops swimming she floats up to the top. Her vent looks red also. looks like the region right after her head is the buoyant part. swim bladder problem or is her vent clogged and she needs to release air through her vent?

[Diana]

Could be either. The floatiness might be a fish that is not acclimating well to the catching/bagging/transport followed by different water. If one fish is doing fine, and another is not then the poor fish might be under stress already from disease or parasites and the additional stress has been too much.

The red vent suggests there is something more going on here. Does this fish bulge in the area just above the vent? Suggests constipation.
Is this fish skinny, especially between the head and the dorsal fin? Suggests internal parasites.
Is it just the vent and area nearest that is red? Or are there tiny red worms sticking out? Camalanus.

[newloacher]

not clamuanus. unfortunately. she is dead. came home after work to find her belly up at the bottom. picked her up with the net. deff. no movement and dead. other guy is fine. put her in the freezer to take to LFS. maybe she was already sick. so, sad tho........