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Sick Yo-yo Loach

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blufish
Post subject: Sick Yo-yo Loach
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2005 10:05 pm
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I am very sad to report that I have an ill yo-yo loach. I am very new to fish keeping, and would appreciate any advice that anyone has to offer. He currently has sores all over his body, and one rather large one at the base of his pelvic fin. What I had recently though was playful behavior, trying to stir up food or something, seems to be glancing (flapping him self against a large rock, or the gravel). For the sake of a closer look, I netted him (or her) to snap a quick picture with a digital camera for a better look. I'm very glad I did, because what I saw was much more concerning than my untrained eye could see from the outside of the tank (see below). The fella likes to hide under rocks, and bury himself, so I don't get to see him often. My other yo-yo, who lives in the same tank is not displaying any problems what so ever.

The site http://www.aquariumfish.net/information ... isease.htm is where I found my info, and had a recommended treatment at http://www.aquariumfish.net/information ... atment.htm. Is this the approach I should take? Should I be treating this entire tank? Again, any help is extremely appreciated!

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Admin
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2005 12:16 am
Site Admin
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Posts: 11375
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2004 12:16 pm
Location: Millis MA
Contact: Website
 
Thanks for the picture
it could have helped, but...
I've never seen these symptoms before...
Some things you can do
without doing any harm...
> change 75% of the water
with new water of the same temperature
(or slightly higher... 80 degrees F is good for this species)
> use dechlorinator
> add 2 teaspoons of ordinary salt per gallon of water
(never more than 2 teaspoons of salt for 1 gallon of water...
take out live plants before salting)
> wild guess: parasite...
try using quick-cure
or another anti-parasite medice
according to the directions on the bottle
> provide safe hiding places and subdued lighting
(this species is nocturnal)
> offer fresh food (like frozen brine shrimp, crushed fresh shrimp, or small live snails)
> offer medicated dry food ....we have 2 brands in stock

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JRod
Post subject: Wow that looks ugly
Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2005 5:54 pm
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Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 11:19 am
Location: Bridgewater
 
wow, I hope your fish and his/her tank mates are still alive. I have never seen anything like that either. I agree with Ned and I do think that those spots look like entry wounds from parasites. However I would also be concerned about the large red sore on the belly, which looks unrelated to the parasites and appears to be a bacterial infection. If things do not clear up quicly with the water changes and parasite meds I would also try some type of antibacterial treatment. Maybe start with some melafix first which is teatree oil and is a little more holistic approach than your traditional antibiotics, which I feel should be used only as a last resort. (Just my opinion for what its worth)
If I had to guess, I would say that the parasites may be a natural passanger on your loach. Many fishes carry parasites without showing signs of distress, at least until their immune system become severely compromised. I would bet that the large red bacterial infection developed first and then spread to the entry wounds from the parasites. (Remember this is all speculation)
The heavy water changes is always the best place to start and if you cannot do a daily water change it probably is not worth using any other medications.
You may want to isolate this fish to treat it if that is an option. If not, just keep an eye on the tank mates and if they display any similar symptoms then dose the heck out of your tank with anti-parasite and anti-bacterial medication.
Also look for objects in the tank that could have caused injury to this fish and started the bacterial infection, such as coarse gravel, territorial fish competing for space. Although I have kept these loaches happy for years living in tanks full of cichlids and lava rock, so they are normally very hardy.
Finally, take Neds advice and feed them some really good food. Alsmost all diseases and medical problems can be linked back to a nutritional deficiancy of some kind.
Good luck. I hope that you can save your fish. And remember, I am not a fish doctor, I just play one on this website.


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