Loaches Online Forum

Tail is ever so slightly ragged on both loaches.

One had spots about a week ago that went away immediately when i put Maracyn in the tank. However, the removal of the Carbon filter brought about a slight (.25) ammonia spike. I immediately did a 40% water change and added Prime. Later, I did about another 25% water change with a little more Prime.

Have had a bad fish week having lost 4 new fish that I ordered online and my prized betta. The latter died of an Ammonia spike that I didn't know was going on. Broke my heart. Don't want any issues with Frick and Frack.

Here is Frick by the way (title says it is Frack, but Frick is the bigger of my two loaches)

Can't see the pics.

Frayed fins can be caused by ammonia. Ammonia burns the soft tissue in the fins as well as in the gills. Fungus or bacteria can move in on the injured areas, causing fin rot.
Keep the ammonia down with water changes until the nitrifying bacteria catch up. You can also read the label on your dechlorinator. Many will neutralize ammonia, but you might have to use a double dose.

Diana wrote:Can't see the pics.

Frayed fins can be caused by ammonia. Ammonia burns the soft tissue in the fins as well as in the gills. Fungus or bacteria can move in on the injured areas, causing fin rot.
Keep the ammonia down with water changes until the nitrifying bacteria catch up. You can also read the label on your dechlorinator. Many will neutralize ammonia, but you might have to use a double dose.

That's what happened to my betta. His ammonia was high before I recognized the symptoms. He had been a sickly fish off and on since I rescued him, so I thought he was having another of his boughts. But, when he didn't start showing other symptoms, I decided to check his water. Poor guy, I didn't catch it in time.

With Frick and Frack it was only at the earliest stagesof Green in the Tube. Around .25, so minimal. It is a tank that is well established, so I think it was the removal of the carbon filter and change out of other filters that probably upset the ecosystem in there. Prime is something I have never used, but I did dose a bit higher than the suggested dose. I'm doing a partial water change every other day right now. Everyone is acting fine. No clamped fins. Normal behavior. So, hopefully there will be no issues and maybe I even caught it just as it was starting to go up (I had checked it a couple of days before and it was at 0 so it wasn't .25 for long).

Good news is that I just tested the tanks water and it is showing what appears to be NO Ammonia even with the Prime in the tank (thought Prime could sometimes show a false positive for Ammonia) water was almost a clear yellow, and no Nitrite. Didn't test for the Nitrate, but will likely do another 10% water change tomorrow night.

Looks like you have a handle on the ammonia issue.
The pics finally showed up, and the fish look really good! Such rich color!
Any damage to the fins looks so faint that only someone who is watching the fish all the time could tell that they are not quite right. They look fine, to me.

Thank's Diane. They are beautiful, and so fun to watch! Got them for snail control and they have cleared the tank of all snails.

Have a couple of skunks in my hex tank too, though I don't get to see them that much.

Skunks are noted nippers, and can harass some fish to the point that the stress is too much, and the fish can die.

The skunks forced my betta (the one that just died) from house and home. He was in hiding. They leave my tetras pretty much alone though and keep that tank pretty much snail free.