VERY URGENT!

[Satsumas]

I found a dead danio this morning, my loach (see sick loach post) is a lot worse! my heater smased over night and when i came in this morning my temperature was at 31 C. Way too much for all of them but the danio couldnt take it, pleco's were surfacing! there's a film on the top of the water, glass on the bottom of the tank, i saved a black neon that revived himself when i turned the heater off.

There is something seriously wrong with my tank, i dont think my loach will make it which is a shame because he is 1 of my favourite fish.
I have never succesfully treated any fish of mine and this internal parasite seems to have got worse fir the loach but better for the danios.

[TCTFish]

Always better off to remove a broken heater than to keep it in there until a store opens. The electrical components should not have contact with water. It can electrocute things...including you. Always unplug the heater first and wait about 15 minute before taking it out.

The best thing to do is to just get the tank back in order. Take out the glass. Put in a new heater. Do a small water change and continue treatments with the loach.

Please describe in detail the symptoms of illness the loach is showing? What are you seeing that makes you think you are dealing with internal parasites?

[elliott_001]

The loach is sitting on the bottom, gills moving very fast, and are red. His tail fin is very red and has a white fungus on it. He really doesnt look good. We have just done a water change. The oto's seem fine, and the neons. The plecos are surfacing every now and then, but have no signs of illness. One danio is dead.

The newest loach, the smallest seems fine and i havnt seen the other one. There is currently no heater in there, so the temp will be dropping. As soon as the lfs opens we will go and get another heater, what else should we get?

The only chance of using a hospital tank is using a tiny plastic tank that i have, should we bother? It is under or about 10 litres. The only filter with have is the old one from the tank (for a 20gal). Should we try and get the loach into this tank and treat?

This is really grim. I could try and get a photo of the loach.

(btw, 'Satsumas' is my brothers account, i dont know his login)

[elliott_001]

Not a great pic

[TCTFish]

For emergency use...a simple five gallon bucket can become a make shift hospital tank. I don't know it's conversion into liters.

If you do have a bucket, use it if it's never been exposed to chemicals. It will need at least an air stone. If you can, when you get to the store...pick up a small five or ten gallon tank and a cheapie sponge filter that runs off an air pump. Oh and a heater. The only other thing you would need is something for the fish to hide in. Doesn't need substrate...better off without in a QT/hospital tank.

The loach has a serious bacterial infection. The redness of the gills can be a sign of either burns from stuff like ammonia and nitrite or it could be gill flukes (external parasites). The redness in the tail however, is the bacterial infection. Melafix may not be enough, yet chemical meds may be too much. It's really hard to treat loaches because they are scaleless fish.

Use an antibiotic...half dose. Looks like it may need that type of med. to combat what it's ailing from. It may or may not recover...especially if the animal is going down hill fast. The deal with the heater breaking didn't help. That only adds to the stress. Stress lowers the immune system's ability to fight illness. Good luck. If anything...this is a learning experience whether the fish recovers or not.

Having a QT can be very helpful when aquiring new fish as well as for sick fish. New fish should go in the QT for at least two weeks just incase they are harboring any illness or parasites. If so, they can be treated right where they are at and keep the main system from being exposed to disease and little harmful bugs.

[Satsumas]

thanks for the help. so we should move him into the small tank. it has an air stone, heater and an oversized filter. Its up and running now. Im not sure the lfs has antibiotics, but i will double check. There is substrate in the tank, as we just set it up. We made a hiding cave. Moving him isnt going to help with the stress levels.

Should loaches be treated with half dose of most things as they are scaleless? We will ask at the lfs what they recommend, probably bring home a few diff meds, and see what you all think.

[Satsumas]

Right, we have a new heater. The meds i have got are:

Aquuarium treatment 9 Anti Internal Bacteria
(cure diseases with symptoms such as bacterial gill rot, dropsy, ulcers and septicaemia)

Sera Mycopur
(water treatment against fungal infections, skin and gill flukes)

Which one should we use? And should it be half dose?

The loach is still in the community tank at the moment, should we move him, then treat the hospital tank water, or treat the ht water first?

TIA

[TCTFish]

Use the Anti bacterial.

I personally have always recommended half dose unless the package says that it is safe for silver and scaleless fish. If it does not...then half dose. As of what to do first...move or dose...dose the QT, then slowly acclimate for at least half an hour. This will lessen the amount of shock from the move.

[Satsumas]

He's in the tank now, havent added any treatment yet, i'll wait half an hour before adding it. (started before i read your last post, so didnt treat first)
there's a half dose sitting next to the tank.

Ive kept the tank light off, and the room hes in is dark too, should i bother putting the light on later, or just leave him in the dark?

What about feeding it?

Thanks for your advice

[TCTFish]

Light isn't important. If anything, the fish would probably seek a dark area anyway.

Refrain from feeding for at least 24 hours. He's pretty fat so he can go without for a while (feeding should be reduced anyway...a fat fish is not healthy), but...try offering a little bit of food after 24 hours of being medicated to see if he accepts any. If he does eat, feed very sparingly until treatments are done. Two minuites worth divided into two or more feeds every two days. Do a small water change prior to the next feeding day if not already done so for what the medication requires. Uneaten food should be removed after 15 minutes to half an hour after offering.