Help !!! My clown loach looks sick...

[Frenchie-aussie]

I need some help to find out what is wrong with my clown loach.

I have had this little guy in my tank for about 6 weeks without any problems (tanks has been set up for 4 months), togther with an angle, tiger barb, guppies and neons.

About 2 weeks ago I noticed that the dorsal and pectoral fins started to become white and transparent.

There have been no changes in the tank (no new fish, no water change etc) the week prior to this.

I have treated with Piramix (probably same as Melafix in the US) for 10 days and the colour seems to have come back a little and then stabilised but as soon as I stop the treatment the black goes away again.

Last night I noticed that he was coming in the top of the tank more than usual but he still looks lively and energetic.

Could it be fin rot??? and if so how to I treat it and how long will my loach take to recover?

I need some help I don't want to loose him!

[Tinman]

Do you test water. Do a water change to help immediatly of 25% or so and increase filtration or aggitation to increase O2 in the tank. Tell us about your filtration,water change schedule. Gravel cleaning schedule and water quality like ph and other common tests.What size tank is this?

Angels and loaches have different flow requirements and your Tiger barb will nip the Angel.Loaches are pack animals so do not do well alone so your set up is not suited to them likely.

Nonetheless your sick fish needs something so lets see your situation.

Your water quality is not good enough with this kind of description and you should browse this site for tank and water requirements for the Loach, if you have an back filter lowering the water level a bit will increase aggitation and help short-term.

[Frenchie-aussie]

Thanks for your quick reply.
Have done two 25% water changes in the last 10 days.

PH is slightly alkaline. Haven't tested other parameters because fish seemed happy (sorry pretty new to all this) but will do this tonight and get back to you tomorrow.

I do 25% water change once a fortnight and clean the gravel at the same time. It is a 2ft tank (am getting a 4ft tank soon though).

The filtration is a power head and filters the appropriate number of liters for this tank (haven't got any numbers in my head sorry and I'm at work at the moment so will let you know).

Yeah I've seen the tiger barb chasing these poor peaceful guppies and despite the fact that I like him I'll have to take him back to the lfs I think.

Also I've read that it is better to let the fish acclimatise to your water conditions (to a certain extend) rather than try and change it with chemicals because the day you're not there to do it it may be fatal. What do you think?

Will think of getting more loaches when I get the 4ft tank.

I've seen pictures of clowns with white and transparent fins. Maybe mine is just loosing his pigment????

Will definitely have a look at water requirements on this site. Thanks for your help.

[Tinman]

Have done two 25% water changes in the last 10 days.

Barely enough without problems

I do 25% water change once a fortnight and clean the gravel at the same time. It is a 2ft tank

Should be every 4 days or so. Do 1/2 the gravel each time

The filtration is a power head and filters the appropriate number of liters for this tank

X10 to X20 for loaches would be more appropriate

Yeah I've seen the tiger barb chasing these poor peaceful guppies and despite the fact that I like him I'll have to take him back to the lfs I think.

Good idea,do not add any more fish yet though

Also I've read that it is better to let the fish acclimatise to your water conditions (to a certain extend) rather than try and change it with chemicals because the day you're not there to do it it may be fatal. What do you think?

Matching fish to your water is an excellent idea,I do not use chems BUT ....there are natural ways to do this with enough time and energy. I use almond leaves and wood in my tank to get where I need to be.

Will think of getting more loaches when I get the 4ft tank.

There are many loaches. You will learn and then be able to do this with more experiance.

I've seen pictures of clowns with white and transparent fins. Maybe mine is just loosing his pigment

No ,it is more closely septic shock for lack of a better description. Colorful fish are only colorful in quality water.

Will definitely have a look at water requirements on this site

You will be better for it by far, I was. Your tank maintanance schedule should be increased by 3-4 times and you will be getting closer to where you should be. Water your houseplants more this way

[Frenchie-aussie]

Water your houseplants more this way

Lol! Thanks for the advice that I will implement tonight when I get home.

Should be every 4 days or so. Do 1/2 the gravel each time

Wow the lfs told me every 4-6 weeks so I thought I was doing ok changing the water once a fortnight!!!
We live in the bush and unfortunately there is only one lfs here that's why I thought i'd better get on the net and I find this forum!!!

[shari2]

We're glad you found us Christelle.

And if you can get one, a picture is worth a thousand words.

[Frenchie-aussie]

Thanks Shari2

I'm glad I found u too. When I saw this forum I thought "I'm sure these guys will fix my problem(s)".

Will try and upload a photo tomorrow. It was taken with my phone but hopefully it will be good enough til I can get my hand on a proper camera.

[shari2]

Well, we can't fix your problems, but we may be able to help you fix them.

[Frenchie-aussie]

we may be able to help you fix them

Lol that's what I meant

Stupid question but I'm having trouble inserting a picture. Do I have to upload it somewhere brefore inserting it into a reply?

I bought a kit (strips - 5 in 1) last night to test the water. Here are the results

Nitrate 20
Nitrite 0.5
Ph 6 (ubsure of this as another test -liquid- says 7.2)
KH 180
GH 180

Filter's a Ocean Free 2000 and filters 600L/h.

[Frenchie-aussie]

The only way I've found to post a picture is to put it in my profile. Have had a look in the FAQ but I haven't got access to public server to upload photo there.

As you can see on my profile photo you can see through the loach's doral (and pectoral) fin.

All other fish look very happy, behaving normally, no fast breathing or red gills.

[chefkeith]

What are the parameters of your source (tap) water also.

The tank water and source water should be compared.

Test strips probably won't give much accuracy though.

[chefkeith]

For pics you need to upload them to an online storage provider like photobucket.
http://photobucket.com/

Then link them in your post.

[Frenchie-aussie]

Hey chefkeith,

Test strips probably won't give much accuracy though.

Sorry that's all I can find in this remote part of the world (australian bush)and unfortunately can't really afford "proper" testers (5 years of drought, we're doing it very tough!).

Thanks for the link am signing up now.

What do you think of my clown in the photo?

Tap water silghtly more alkaline than tnak water (accoring to liquid test).
Will test for other parameters tonight.

[Frenchie-aussie]

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Yan can see there throught the dorsal fin

img][/img]

Hope this works [

[shari2]

I think you've got it.

You don't need to manually insert the img tags for the forum if you're using the forum code on the photobucket site. It includes them already. I think that's why you're seeing them around your pics above.

From what I can see, it's not fin rot. The fins are all in one piece, though the dorsal fin does appear to be translucent. It could be water related, or possibly diet related...what are you feeding them and how often?

Since you still have nitrItes showing, it may be that his going to the surface is related to his discomfort with the nitrites.

And yes, it is totally typical for fish store folk to underestimate the frequency and size of water changes needed to maintain a healthy tank.