Kuhli Loach Curled up Gasping for air
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 1:34 am
So it sucks that this is my first post but it is what it is.
Here is the tank.
29g Mystic white filtration sand substrate
Sunsun 402B canister filter plus #3 sponge filter in tank (for soon to be quarantine tank)
One large piece of drift wood, 8-12 rocks ranging from 1.5-3" in size.
3 fake plants 5-9" tall. 1 Java fern, 1 Amazon sword, and some Dwarf hair grass.
Parameters are
79 Degrees PH is 7.4 to 7.6 (hard to tell) Tap is 7 or 7.2 Tap= Tap water
GH 7 Tap 6
KH 5 Tap 5
Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 5ppm
API Master test kit and API hardness test kit
The tank is about two months old now, originally cycled with Dr. Tim's one and only fishless.
Fish
5 panda Cory 5 Cardinal Tetra
5 Flame Tetra 6 Pangio Kuhli
3 Ghost shrimp 1 Bamboo Shrimp
All fish are adolescent
My wife found one of my Kuhli loaches on its side today breathing very rapidly. If disturbed he will swim energetically, but when stops rolls back onto his side curled up and continues breathing rapidly. He has absolutely no signs that I can tell of anything being off. His colors are fantastic his barbles are perfect gills are pink (same color as I have ever been able to determine and same on all kuhlis). No sunken stomach, no bloating, no discoloration, no determinable stool issues.
I use Seachem prime as my dechlorinato, and always match water temps when I do water changes. I regularly check water quality levels and typically have been doing about 50-60% water changes once weekly.
Only things that have happened recently. Cardinal tetras got ICH, after researching all treatment methods I chose to use salt. I know salt is not loach friendly but from everything I read the levels I am using and the limited time it would be in the tank (3 weeks) I thought the loachs and cories would be fine. All signs of ich have been gone for over two weeks now. the kuhlis never got any that I could tell.
Also last week I added two seachem flourish root tabs, and have been dosing 1.5ml of Seachem flourish with weekly water change (so twice)
So this poor little kuhli is just laying there gasping and curled up into a U on his side. I couldn't find anything that sounds close online. As of right now I netted the little guy and he is inside a large specimen container with a rock and fake plant for company. the container is sitting inside the tank and I added a bubble stone with high flow into the container. Before I put him into the container I did a 4 gallon water changed without any salt mix to lower the salinity. I have been transferring tank water back and forth into the quarantine container.
its now been 8+ hours no improvement and no change. Any help would be highly appreciated.
My PH was rock stable the last 2 months.. Could the Flourish products be affecting it ?
Here is the tank.
29g Mystic white filtration sand substrate
Sunsun 402B canister filter plus #3 sponge filter in tank (for soon to be quarantine tank)
One large piece of drift wood, 8-12 rocks ranging from 1.5-3" in size.
3 fake plants 5-9" tall. 1 Java fern, 1 Amazon sword, and some Dwarf hair grass.
Parameters are
79 Degrees PH is 7.4 to 7.6 (hard to tell) Tap is 7 or 7.2 Tap= Tap water
GH 7 Tap 6
KH 5 Tap 5
Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 5ppm
API Master test kit and API hardness test kit
The tank is about two months old now, originally cycled with Dr. Tim's one and only fishless.
Fish
5 panda Cory 5 Cardinal Tetra
5 Flame Tetra 6 Pangio Kuhli
3 Ghost shrimp 1 Bamboo Shrimp
All fish are adolescent
My wife found one of my Kuhli loaches on its side today breathing very rapidly. If disturbed he will swim energetically, but when stops rolls back onto his side curled up and continues breathing rapidly. He has absolutely no signs that I can tell of anything being off. His colors are fantastic his barbles are perfect gills are pink (same color as I have ever been able to determine and same on all kuhlis). No sunken stomach, no bloating, no discoloration, no determinable stool issues.
I use Seachem prime as my dechlorinato, and always match water temps when I do water changes. I regularly check water quality levels and typically have been doing about 50-60% water changes once weekly.
Only things that have happened recently. Cardinal tetras got ICH, after researching all treatment methods I chose to use salt. I know salt is not loach friendly but from everything I read the levels I am using and the limited time it would be in the tank (3 weeks) I thought the loachs and cories would be fine. All signs of ich have been gone for over two weeks now. the kuhlis never got any that I could tell.
Also last week I added two seachem flourish root tabs, and have been dosing 1.5ml of Seachem flourish with weekly water change (so twice)
So this poor little kuhli is just laying there gasping and curled up into a U on his side. I couldn't find anything that sounds close online. As of right now I netted the little guy and he is inside a large specimen container with a rock and fake plant for company. the container is sitting inside the tank and I added a bubble stone with high flow into the container. Before I put him into the container I did a 4 gallon water changed without any salt mix to lower the salinity. I have been transferring tank water back and forth into the quarantine container.
its now been 8+ hours no improvement and no change. Any help would be highly appreciated.
My PH was rock stable the last 2 months.. Could the Flourish products be affecting it ?