Loaches Online Forum

One of my fish recently became ill and contracted ich. I started treatment using Coppersafe in my 75 gal tank and raised temps to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Now one of my clown loaches, who is about 11 years old now, is breathing rapidly. I immediately did a 30% water change, added coppersafe (only enough to treat the new water) and started lowering the temp throughout the day. The temp is now down to 82 degrees. This clown is hiding and not interacting with the other clowns like he usually does. He had an ich spot on his eye, but it has since dropped off and there are no other signs of ich on him. I have another younger clown in the tank who has several ich spots but isn't breathing rapidly.

I checked nitrates, nitrites, PH and amonia - all of which are in a good range. None of the readings are even slightly high. I have a canister filter and I lowered the outtake so that it is creating more surface aggitation and there are lots of bubbles in the water. I also have a long airstone on one end of the tank.

Could Coppersafe be causing the heavy breathing, or do you think it may be the temp? Maybe lack of oxygen? If it was lack of oxygen how long would it take to see improvement after lowering temps and increasing surface aggitation? I increased surface aggitation yesterday, but lowered the temp throughout the day today.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Improving the oxygen level (reducing the temperature and increasing the surface water movement) should help the fish right away.
Part of the problem may also be Ich in the gills. If this is the case, then the fish may not breath more normally until the Ich leaves. Keep up the efforts to improve the oxygen levels.

You might want to re-think the copper treatment. Copper is toxic to many water organisms, and seems to have a tendency to hang around the tank long after it has been (in theory) removed.
When you do water changes with copper in the water, that water may end up in natural water systems, adding to the load of toxins in these waters.

If you use some other medications that break down in the light there are a lot less toxins to end up in rivers and streams.

Here is what I would do:
Add a copper adsorbing media to the filter to remove as much of the copper as you can first.
Then do a couple of large water changes.
Then switch medications to something like Rid Ich, or other dye based medicine that breaks down in the light.
Many fish keepers here at Loaches use Rid Ich safely with Loaches.
If you use Amquel as dechlor, then switch to something else while using Rid Ich or other dye based medicine.

Diana, thank you. You've made some excellent points, and since we are on well water I will refrain from using copper meds in the future! I will do as you suggest. Last night the CL I was referring to with rapid breathing started coming out of the hiding place more frequently, and was looking a little better, so I think maybe it is ich in the gills. I don't see any, but that doesn't mean it isn't there.

Can you tell me what kind of media will remove copper? I will look online and see if I can find out. Also, can you tell me how long I should wait before switching to Rid Ich? How many water changes?

Thanks!