Sick weather loach with white patches on "skin"

[tmcmullen]

My 10 yr old Dojo (weather) loach is not well. He's hanging out on the tips of plants and is extremely lethargic. I've tried treating with Maracyn2 and then last week w/ Maroxy. I've been monitoring nitrate and keeping up with water changes regularly (every 2 wks). I recently cleaned the filter out too. Here are the symptoms:

There are patches on his body that look almost like a patch of skin that is ready to peel. Nothing raised, not fuzzy or slimy. He had just one before starting Maracyn2, now he has about 4 patches. After Maracyn2 I didn't notice any visual improvement, only he seemed to act like he felt better. Still eating well. Maroxy didn't seem to help at all either. Any suggestions?

[Diana]

This does sound a bit like Columnaris, but there are other diseases or parasites. Have a look at this link, perhaps fine tune the diagnosis. Read through most of them, but especially I, J and K.

http://www.nationalfishpharm.com/fish_d ... rders.html

I would do more frequent water changes, with the added goal of thorough gravel vacs. Remove as much as possible of the organic materials in the water.
Get the nitrates as low as possible. Well under 10 ppm if at all possible.
Every water change is probably removing disease organisms that may be trying to spread to other fish. 2 weeks between water changes is giving the disease too much time to locate new hosts.
Be very careful to test the new water to be sure it is the same as the fish are used to: temperature, GH, KH and pH. TDS, if you have a meter.

[tmcmullen]

Identification is difficult. It doesn't look like Columnaris, or Sporozoa. It's not raised at all, just a greyish white patch in a few areas. No texture to it at all, which makes it look the way our skin looks after you have popped a blister and the layer of skin on top (dead skin cells) is lighter in color than our skin. It's not raised like a blister, it's flat.

[Diana]

Without any better ID you have 2 options:
Treat with a sort of general treatment including plenty of water changes, get the nitrates and the organic matter as low as possible, perhaps add salt, though this is not well tolerated long term. Maybe look into combination medicines that treat a wide range of conditions, including bacterial and fungal infections.

Treat with a more specific product, and hope you guess right.

[tmcmullen]

Is there a good site that gives pictures of what some of the diseases look like? I've googled freshwater fish disease images and tried to find something that looks close, but haven't had much luck.

[Diana]

I have not found one. Just gotta keep googling until you find each disease you think it might be.
The link above does not list most of the virus caused diseases, because thay are trying to sell medicines, and there are not meds for viral diseases.

[soul-hugger]

I know there are people more experienced than myself in the department of fish diseases, but after having read this, something occurred to me. Perhaps there is something wrong with your Loaches' slime coat.

I have several Weather Loaches, and every so often they will shed. Sometimes I will find bits of clear, slimy skin floating in the water or stuck to plants and decor. When I see it, I take it out because it is unknown how it may affect other fish. There are times when they seem to "shed" more than others, for reasons unknown.

Of course, stress is counted among the contributing factors, but there may be other reasons as well. Temperature fluctuations, large water changes, medications, injuries, and other irritations are included in the list of other possible causes. Changes to the environment, adding or taking out tankmates, changing water conditioners/products, or altering something in your regular maintenance routine may also be considered stressors.

You have kept your Loach alive and healthy for a long time. The maximum expected life span for a Dojo Loach is about 12-15 years, and few manage to make it this long. Try to go back and think if there is anything you have done differently that might have caused a change in the slime coat. What you are describing sounds like it might not be a disease but a "shedding" of this protective layer.

Hope this helps,
soul-hugger

[tmcmullen]

soul-hugger, I am just now seeing this response. I am trying to think of anything I changed and the only thing that comes to mind is the PH level. Everything had been going so well, and then when one of my fish became ill I had my water tested and was told I needed to reduce PH. I guess that could have caused this problem, if it is in fact related to the slime coat. He still has cloudy eyes, and has had it for a few months now. I am no longer going to touch the PH, because for 10 years the thank had been fine with the PH at the level it was naturally. He's looking really bad now with red dots showing on the top of him. I posted this in my post about the bow front because I haven't received any answers in the health section of the forum. I am very concerned about the future of my clowns and weather loach after this tank move, and it's ironic that I moved to a bigger tank for the benefit of my loaches!

[Diana]

Change in pH absolutely can cause slime coat shedding. Yes, if the tank has run well for so long, then do not change it.

Fish are not ususlly looking for a certain pH, anyway. Much better to give them the proper level of minerals (as measured by GH and KH) and let the pH take care of itsef.

[tmcmullen]

Thanks Diana. I will leave the PH alone from now on. He is still alive and still eating.

The clowns are looking better, but their eyes are still cloudy. I just finished the MarOxy treatment. I may use Maracyn 2 to help clear up the eyes.