YoYo Loach Questions + (Sick?) Pics

[grimlock3000]

I was planning to go high heat if this becomes an issue. I typically try to avoid putting meds in a tank lately. I have the tank at 82F->83F now so if this turns out to be Ich, I can more quickly get the tank temp up to the Ich killing range. And if not, I can lower the temp back to 80F with no issue. For now, it could just be something like a scar from the Gourami tank I got the fish from.

I have some Aquari-Sol laying around. When you use it, did you just follow the directions at half strength or do anything special? I have always been careful about treatments with the BN Pleco in the tank.

 

[Fruitbat]

I just use it at half the strength indicated on the bottle. I also raise the temperature to about 84 degrees. Fortunately I haven't had to deal with ich for a while.

 

[Mr Burns]

It is going to take me a while to get used to seeing fish sleep on their sides 8O

i know what you mean...

 

[millym]

hi there,
both our yoyos were skinny little slips of things when we first got them but it didnt take long before they 'filled' out around the middle. theyre both around 8cm long now & about 2.5 cm at their widest around the girth. as said by others they love love love bloodworm (we use frozen) algae tablets ( click click click) and tubifex cubes.... they'll zoom up to the top of the tank for a cube & try & pull it down with them (hillarious to watch!!!
we used to think ours were dead or dying when we first spotted them lolling on their sides & used to annoy them immensley by disturbing them to make sure they were alive
ive attatched a pic of our biggest yoyo lucy lounging around on a rock. theyre fantastic characters we love them & im sure you will too

oops ive added same pic twice

 

[patryuji]

I don't know of any food yo-yos won't eat.

They are such prolific eaters in my tank that when I put in enough food for all the fish the yo-yos often swim around extremely bloated. Frozen bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp would have to be their favorites.

Some flake became stuck to the glass just above the water line yesterday when I was feeding the fish and one of the yo-yos would not give up on that flake. Clicking like crazy...sounded like a little machine gun.

 

[grimlock3000]

My YoYos have been picky eaters but they are getting the hang of it. The YoYos will both pass right over a full flake like it is not even there, but will happily dig down into the gravel for a micro flake Same thing with sinking wafers. They will not eat the wafers until they soften for about an hour and all the other fish pick them over. Then the Loaches find the leftover bits in the gravel and go nuts.

Yesterday the Loaches discovered frozen brine shrimp, but they will not aggressivly go after it. They will only eat it when the blaze orange Platys are not darting all over the place for it. I got around this by feeding more frozen shrimp when the tank lights were out. When I woke up this morning, both of the Loaches had some bulge starting.

Fruitbat, when you treated for Ich with Aquarisol, did you add half the reccomended dose daily, or just once? The bottle reccomends that I just keep adding more daily until the Ich is gone. Nothing like building up copper in a tank 8O

 

[Fruitbat]

I added it daily....and I do understand your worry about copper build-up. I made absolutely sure that I ran fresh activated carbon in my filter afterwards and the copper doesn't seem to have built up to any toxic level....I added ghost shrimp afterward and they're taking over my tank! Not enough copper left to bother them.

 

[grimlock3000]

Thanks, that makes me feel better

 

[grimlock3000]

UPDATE: The Ich turned out to be nothing and my tank has stabilized after a couple. My Loaches are doing great and have plumped up a little bit. It took them a while but now they both swim around the whole tank and even come to the top looking for food when they get hungry. They just LOVE Brine Shrimp too. I almost feel bad if they go a day without some shrimp. I am going to pick up some Baby Brine Shrimp tonight since I read that more healthy because of the yolk sack or something like that

 

[patryuji]

I use the Hikari frozen (adult) brine shrimp. They add vitamins to it and I feed a variety of foods...so I don't bother with BBS unless I am raising fry.