Loaches Online Forum

Thanks Kate and Mark,

Mark wrote:If we have ruled out over-feeding, dead vegetation, dead fish, and crud in the substrate, what is it? Have you tested your tap water?

Tap water here is 100% free of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.
Very little crud in the substrate even at hard vaccuming.
No dead fishes (except that helodes above but she was taken out from the tank less than 5 minutes after death).
Very little dead vegetation. Few leaves sometimes. Nothing to be concerned.

Tank filtration system was never too good as now (available on page 1)

I can see two possibilities remaining:

Overstocking or Over-feeding.

Well, I have to admit that the tank is overstocked indeed but most fishes here are not bigger than 4 to 5" and ammonia and nitrites are always at zero ppm. Only nitrates are high.
Concerning over-feeding, well... I do feed them at least 3 to 4 times a day but always very small portions. All is gonne quick. I use Tetra Min Tropical Crisps, Tetra Cichlid sticks, Tetra Min Tropical tablets, live brine shrimp and live Enchitreus albidus daily as basic diet. Sometimes algae flakes, brocoli and chicken chest, both cooked a few minutes in boiled water.

Am I over-feeding?

sorry to hear about your helodes Marcos. That was your only one?
..................
3 - 4 times a day is a lot...
It might be better to feed a decent enough amount to allow everyone to get some twice a day. Many people also include a 'fast' day (meaning no food at all) once day a week.

Hi Shari,

Actually, I had 2 helodes. This was the smallest one. I got her as gift (greek gift) from a friend that had it with African Cichlids living at pH=8,7 and GH > 20°! Fish was in extremely poor conditions when arrived here 4 months ago. It was also wounded by an attack from the Cichlids. I accepted the fish and took care of her for almost a month in a hospital tank untill fully recover, gradually dropping pH and GH to meet my loaches tank parameters. She was on my tank for last 3 months.

This is how she got here:







As you can see, she was very thin, colorless, one of her eyes was red and also a bad wound just back of left gil.

this next photo was taken the day she went to main loaches tank:


and a month later:


After all that suffering I was very proud of me about the way I could save her life and all was fine with her up to the very moment she died.

Beautiful! Thanks

Very sorry for your loss, Marcos.

Thanks guys!

Maybe it was just her time to go...

Sorry to see such a nice fish go to fish heaven.

Beautiful tank by the way

im sorry for your loss. seems like she went out in peace!

Marcos, my condolences.. I recentely lost many of my fish including 3 tigers, two ku botia, 3 yoyos 2 eos.. fish that i have had for 8-12 years and it was due to my tank going through a cycle and other stuff i am not sure of. All the numbers were pretty high except the ph had dropped to 6.2. After the tank cycled only the nitrates were high (that is why I am monitoring your post). I am still working on getting the tank balanced like my other tank I sold.

Now, during all this, the tigers as well as the others got very weak from not eating and I am assuming was not strong enough to handle all the major water changes and the major vaccuming of the gravel. Note, only one clown got badly affected, al the other clowns seemed un affected.


Looking at your tiger after three months in the hospital tank, he still appeared to look weak and his eyes were clouded over. I don't know why that would be.

Your kubotias look like they need some attention as well. Hope you get your water in line.

Here is one soon after he died. looks pretty skinny he was nice and plump a month before this.

Hi Vancman,

Yes. The new kubotai are a bit skinny indeed but seams to be getting better. They are now eating more then when they get here.
Last nitrate test was 30 PPM. Will do another 20% WC today and hope this will drop it to some 20 PPM. Is that enought?

Very sorry to hear of your loss

20 would be good.

Hi Shari,

Trying hard to achieve 20 PPM. It´s still at 30 PPM.
I´ll keep posted.

Hi folks,

As a compensation for my recent loss, I got this extra kubotai to join my guys:



Now there are 3 kubotai here.

Some other today´s shots:

Other 2 kubotai:


My doted Clown loach:


18 loaches together (19 if counting with my Blue Jack Dempsey who also thinks he´s a loach...):


Hope you enjoy!

Hi people,

One of my favorite fishshop here in Brazil closed it´s doors. It was bad news as the shop was very good. The good news was that it´s biggest Clown loach (12 years old) is now mine!
The owner of the shop said he would prefer kill the fish rather than to sell him (yes... seams to be a boy) to any unexperienced fishkeeper. I had tryied to buy that loach in the past but it was not for selling.

Well... now he is mine. Let´s go to photos:

Just arrived:



Just after beeing introduced in my tank:




Ok, but what about it´s size? I tried to shoot him close to the ruller and got 3 diferent results:

16.5cm


17cm


18,5cm


Hard to say it´s real size. Anyway, he is huge compared to the rest.

What about it´s gender? Do you agree? Isn´t he a male?