Today at about 11:00 am I added 3 clown loach to my several month old 30 gallon community tank. The Aqua Clear 50 filter has always been set on medium flow and I also have a small aerator. I have some tetras, a couple of mollys, a rainbow, a few neons. I do a monthly 20% water change and change the components of the filter on alternating basis. This afternoon at 4:30, I notice one of the loaches with a cottony white spot. I acclimated them tempwise by allowing the bag to rest in the tank for about 20 minutes. They seemed fine inititally. Could ick symptoms manifest that quickly? Do I need to remove them? The fish store I bought them at has never sold me sick fish before.
Clown Loach Question
- Thread starter alostcoin
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Stacey W.
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Need to know how long the tank has been set up and the water parameters before making any recommendations. Also do you have a larger tank to move the clown loaches to in the future they get quite big.
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absolutangel04
Daphnia are People Too.
Yes, symptoms can manifest that quickly. That said, if it is cottony, it might be fungus rather than ich. Ich looks like salt grains, while fungus looks more cottony.
Very few stores have the capacity to do extended quarantine periods, so it is possible even for a well maintained store that keeps its fish well to accidentally let a few fish with unseen diseases slide through. It happens. The stress of moving them can bring out the symptoms that were not seen before.
Do you happen to have a test kit to watch your water parameters? 25% monthly water changes is quite low for most tanks. I generally suggest doing a minimum of more like 25% a week, usually 50% a week is a good fall back number to keep everything in check. Less than ideal water parameters also adds to the stress of the whole move and make it harder on fish to adjust.
Quarantining new fish is always a good idea if you are able to. After ich has been in your tank, I would just treat the whole tank to make sure it gets out of there as best as you can.
Very few stores have the capacity to do extended quarantine periods, so it is possible even for a well maintained store that keeps its fish well to accidentally let a few fish with unseen diseases slide through. It happens. The stress of moving them can bring out the symptoms that were not seen before.
Do you happen to have a test kit to watch your water parameters? 25% monthly water changes is quite low for most tanks. I generally suggest doing a minimum of more like 25% a week, usually 50% a week is a good fall back number to keep everything in check. Less than ideal water parameters also adds to the stress of the whole move and make it harder on fish to adjust.
Quarantining new fish is always a good idea if you are able to. After ich has been in your tank, I would just treat the whole tank to make sure it gets out of there as best as you can.
coralbandit
Aquarium Advice Addict
I agree with absolut with exception to cottony being fungal.
I go with bacterial as most fungal issue arrive after ,along with injuries(not all,most).
That being said I have clowns and they are tough to acclimate and "bullet proof " after IMO.
My 11 are 10-15 years old.
Your water change habbit is less then desirable from your stocking list and lack of mentioning any real parameter #s IMO.
Change water IMO with effort in the next couple days , before using meds on an already stressed fish.
IMO this needs to improve in days (the effort part) or you need to start a treatment plan(with meds) before it to late to the stressed fish.
Hope this helps.
I go with bacterial as most fungal issue arrive after ,along with injuries(not all,most).
That being said I have clowns and they are tough to acclimate and "bullet proof " after IMO.
My 11 are 10-15 years old.
Your water change habbit is less then desirable from your stocking list and lack of mentioning any real parameter #s IMO.
Change water IMO with effort in the next couple days , before using meds on an already stressed fish.
IMO this needs to improve in days (the effort part) or you need to start a treatment plan(with meds) before it to late to the stressed fish.
Hope this helps.
absolutangel04
Daphnia are People Too.
This is quite true. Cottony can mean bacterial as well. Getting a picture would help. Or, take a look through google images.
ImACoolguy
Aquarium Advice Addict
+1 to this. I worry about the health of the fish with only 20% getting changed monthly.
Also you said you replace filter components so a possibility of an uncycled tank.
Caleb
LayzorBeams
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Yep, CoralBandit is telling you some good stuff!
Look into the nitrogen cycle and how to do proper water changes, so that way you have a better understanding if whats going on in your tank.
Clown Loaches like to be in schools of 5 or more and need a big tank. They look small when you buy them from a pet store, but they grow huge. Like, 12+ inches. And you should have 5. Thats a bare minimum of a 75 gallon with a lot of filters, but a 125 gallon is best. It takes them a while to grow, but plan on a bigger tank. A really big tank...
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Look into the nitrogen cycle and how to do proper water changes, so that way you have a better understanding if whats going on in your tank.
Clown Loaches like to be in schools of 5 or more and need a big tank. They look small when you buy them from a pet store, but they grow huge. Like, 12+ inches. And you should have 5. Thats a bare minimum of a 75 gallon with a lot of filters, but a 125 gallon is best. It takes them a while to grow, but plan on a bigger tank. A really big tank...
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Fishy Fever
Aquarium Advice Regular
+1 to bacterial and Coral bandit. Treat in a quarantine tank with bacterial cure.
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sinibotia
Aquarium Advice Addict
Clown loaches need at least 5 individuals in a school and at least a 125 gallon/6 foot tank. If your biggest option is 50 gallons I highly recommend botia kubotai, or angelicus loach, as a beautiful and similar alternative. You could also do yoyo loaches (botia almorhae) or zebra loaches (botia striata). (Still a minimum of 5 of any of those fish).
Aside from that, +1 to Coralbandit. Listen to that guy, he's a fish deity.
Aside from that, +1 to Coralbandit. Listen to that guy, he's a fish deity.
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