Loaches Online Forum

When I got up this morning my clown loach Frack was covered in patches of something. They are all over his body and to his tail. They do not look like grains of salt at all but are more flat patches of greyish stuff on his skin. He is acting fine & his brother Frick doesn't have a thing on him. Unfortunately, I have some live fish arriving today that are going to be using my quarantine tank for the next 4-6 weeks. Do you have any idea what this could be and how I should treat it? I threw some Pimafix and Melafix into the tank before I left for work this AM since I know they tolerate it pretty well. It is a 72 gallon tank with a very large pleco (about 18 inches or more) 4 rainbow fish. One molly. One clown pleco who hides all the time.

I do water changes around ever two weeks about 25-30%. Don't have other parameters but nobody else in the tank is acting stressed or anything so I imagine they are okay.

Grey-white patches sounds like an infection of Flavobacteria columnare. Often seen when the nitrates are up a bit. If this is what it is, move fast and get some antibiotics. Some forms of this bacteria can kill in 24 hours. I would double your water changes, too. Weekly, perhaps twice a week for a while, and get some test kits that will measure ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

Another possibility is that some Loaches will produce excess slime coat in response to some sorts of irritant. If the patches look sort of slimy and fall off the fish, perhaps in strings there may be some irritant in the tank.

Just because the fish are behaving pretty well does not mean they are not under stress from something. Some fish are just a little weaker than the others and will be the first to show the evidence of some infection or other that is moving in on the fish with weaker immune systems. Best course of action is to do all you can to keep the water as clean and correct for the fish, meaning lowest possible nitrates, frequent water changes and so on.

Diana wrote:Grey-white patches sounds like an infection of Flavobacteria columnare. Often seen when the nitrates are up a bit. If this is what it is, move fast and get some antibiotics. Some forms of this bacteria can kill in 24 hours. I would double your

Any particular one for a clown loach? I supposed treating the whole tank is in order. I have various types at home but know scaleless fish like my loaches and my plecos are sensitve to these things.

Started the tank on 1/2 dosage of Maracyn this afternoon. His patches have turned to faint lines that I can still see but they are still there. Now Frick has what looks like possibly 1 grain of white on his nose. Frack (the patchy one) also has one grain of white on his face. Not prepared to say that is Ick yet, but I am keeping up the Maracyn treatment and added 2 tablespoons of aquarium salt to the tank (which is a 72 gallon tank so this is a miniscule amount. Just hopiing it is enough to disturb the bacteria/parasites or whatever is going on without hurting my loaches and pleco).

Both are eating and very active. Behaviorally, I see no difference. I don't see flashing. Nothing. Just skin disorders and one of them got better. Not well, but better.

Thoughts?

Oh, and I tested the water parameters with my test tube test kit and they showed zero ammonia. zero nitrite. And the lowest (yellow) color for Nitrate. So, still not sure what I'm dealing with but assuming it is Flex. The two white grains concern me, but I guess I'll just have to watch and see.

It appears all spots are gone! I turned the heat up to 82 last night when the possibility of Ick arose and have kept the 1/2 dose of Maracyn in the tank. When I get home tonight, I'll do a partial water change and add a little more Maracyn. Seems like this is the right course of action.


How long should I continue the Maracyn at 1/2 dose? Right now, there are 3 packets in a 72 gallon tank. Does would have been 7 if the tank were full.

Good luck with your fish.

I don't know too much about antibiotics, but I had the same question about a month ago, and I was told two things.

1.) Dose fully. I guess half meds doesn't apply for loaches when it's antibiotics.

2.) Continue the entire cycle of antibiotics, so if the instructions say 5 days, give the antibiotics for the entire 5 days, even if symptoms disappear. Failing to do so can result in super resistant bacteria just like with people.

I hope your fish fully recover.

Their skin appears very clear and free of spots tonight. Plan on doing a partial water change to try to get any more organisms out of the gravel then adding more antibiotic.

I have heard that about using antibiotics with fish; however, since I also have a couple of plecos in the tank, I think 1/2 dosage is about all I can do. They are scaleless fish and tend to get very sluggish when I try to medicate. As a matter of fact, they typically react less to when I put in a little salt than when I medicate. So I have to be very careful

good advice on what to do but how do you give fish antibiotics is it in food or something??

pacman77 wrote:good advice on what to do but how do you give fish antibiotics is it in food or something??

There are meds that you just add to the water and the fish absorb them. Then, I do think there are some meds you can mix with foods but usually taking Maracyn or some of the other Fish meds and adding it to water will suffice.