Loaches Online Forum

PICS BELOW...hey i just bought 2 clown loaches about 2inches big a peice and one came down with ick i bout super ick cure by api and i add 1 teaspoon of cure for each 10 gallon i am worried since he is laying on his side alot ...am i treating him the right way by adding the medication ..also i have to wait 48 hours and add another dose then after another 48 i do a gravel vacuum and change 25 percent of the water

Are you treating at half dose?

Can you increase the aeration? Drop the water an inch or two so there's a splash, water bubblers, . . . Did you read the Ick info at the top of this thread carefully?

Are you treating the entire tank, or did you put him in quarantine?

Best of luck.

i am treating the whole tank and yes 1 teaspoon for 10 gallons is half of dose and i am worried he is not as active but he is eating normally there is no color loss only the little white spots

also i was thinkin of gettin 1more clown loach for the 2 to lower stress levels any suggestions they share a home with a chinese hi fin shark,2 mollies, 1 pleco, a senegal bichir and a rapheal catfish[/img]

What size is the main tank?

Always quarantine new fish. Then you can medicate more efficiently, and not risk your established fish by bringing in some disease or parasite.

If your tank is big enough add a third clown, after you get everyone healthy again. (I would wait 1 month at least after you see the end of the ick and make sure you have a quarantine tank). That last fish looks like a Chinese carp, or some similar name. Isn't that the fish that get gigantic and loses its color? Make sure none of your new fish are small enough for the bichir to eat My bichir will eat anything she can get in her mouth. Don't feed live food like goldfish, because they are a great way to introduce ick and parasites into your tank. I feed my bichir frozen fish like silversides. What kind of pleco? How big is your tank, because all of the fish you mentioned except the Mollies will get huge -- 12+ and much bigger.

You will need to treat your whole tank. Fish that are ill, won't eat. That's not as important as getting rid of the ick (Healthy adult Fish can go a month without eating). Make sure you vacuum the tank really well when you do the water change. You need to get out as much ick as possible. Raise your temp very slowly to 82 degrees or a little more to get rid of the ick faster. Read the info on the ick thread very carefully and follow those instructions. All your fish are vulnerable. Increase the oxygen in your water as much as possible, because the ick compromises their breathing.

How long has the tank been set up?

tank been up a month and i use api-super ick cure and fishes stopped scratching all i gotta wait for is the spots then quarantine these fish and change 100 percent of the water and add bacteria boosters to rapidly acclerate the water to perfect conditions

What are your Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate readings?

all nuetral and ammonia is 1.0

The readings should be Ammonia 0 (above 0 burns your fish, which exasperates the ick and compromises the breathing), Nitrite 0 and Nitrate less than 20. A reading of 1 can kill your fish.

It sounds like your tank is still cycling (building up beneficial bacteria), and if you don't get your ammonia down, your fish will die from Ammonia poisoning.

You need to add more live bacteria, and neutralize your ammonia with something like Prime.

starsplitter7 wrote: You need to add more live bacteria, and neutralize your ammonia with something like Prime.

Hi Sly,

Sorry you are having these problems. I have to second starsplitters advice about the Prime. It's great stuff and will give your fish relief. You may still get false ammonia readings with Prime ( I'm not sure). Also, lowering the water level to get a splash from the filter return (as suggested) will make a big difference for your fish.

Hope all goes well.

thanx guys i jus raised te temperature to 85 and did a 100 percent water change ,scrubbed the tank, throughly washed gravel and added quICK cure and added live bacteria and im lettin the ank circulate be4 adding them back in also could my clown loaches be nipping my hi fin shark or is it the molly's