loaches= deep 6

[Elwood]

I can not keep loaches alive. I really like them. Bala Sharks either. Other than the lack of scales I can't think of why they are dying. Usually to ick. I have my tank at 78 degrees.
Also, I get water droplets on the underside of my tank cover. Is that from the water heat?

 

[LandGhoti]

Maybe it's a Missouri thing. I'm in St. Louis. My zebra loach committed suicide tonight for no apparent reason. Bottom feeders jumping out? Whatever.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Elwood]

Maybe if I pronounced it Missourah, they would live.

 

[SparKy697]

The droplets on the underside of the lid are from the water vapor rising from the tank and hitting the relatively cool tank lid. This is the same as the condensation that develops on the side of a cold, umm lets say soft drink, on a warm summer day.

What is your water temperature doing after water changes?

 

[LandGhoti]

Well I do have one other loach, the yoyo. Fingers crossed he doesn't know what state he lives in.

 

[Zagz]

In order to treat ich, the heat method works the best. Turn temps up to 87F slowly and keep the temp there for 2 weeks after the last spot of ich is gone. Loaches are prone to ich I swear. Also add aeration to the water when temps are up. Hopefully if you try them again in the future this will help.

 

[SparKy697]

Isn't salt also recommended with the high temp method of treating ich?

 

[Elwood]

What is your water temperature doing after water changes?

I make sure the water is the same temp before adding it back to the tank.

 

[coldmachineUK]

Loaches are prone to ich I swear

For sure, and they're difficult to cure from it as well unfortunately. They don't tolerate swings in temp, don't like high temps, and medication is usually a Bad Thing (TM) for them because they are scaleless.
They are also intolerant to (aquarium) salt.

Just be super careful using the heat treatment method. Add salt if you must, but I'd halve the normal recommended dose for ich treatment.

I also highly recommend EsHA Exit Anti-Whitespot/Velvet treatment. This is specifically designed with scaleless fish in mind, so no worrying about dosage levels or killing your fish in any attempt to help them like you might with other meds!

If you raise the temp, btw, then always add an extra airstone when it comes to a tank with loaches in...

 

[Cinder]

Maybe I missed it but what size tank are these fish in? What type of loaches? If they are Clown loaches they need to be in a very large tank (minimum 120 gln. as they mature) as do Bala sharks since they are so high-strung and get large also. Both of those also need to be in shoals of at least three fish to be really happy. Most loaches need several others of their kind to be healthy and happy. I am wondering if you have them in too small of a tank and without companions? That could lead to stress very quickly and cause the issues above.
I also agree that raising the temp and holding it there is the best solution for Ick.

 

[Zagz]

I don't recommend salt for treatment of ich with loaches. I added salt once to my
QT while treating loaches once and they didn't survive. I did half the dosage. Heat alone has worked for me more than once.

 

[ataylor]

IMHO the best way to treat ich is definitely with the heat method. The 'cysts' that spread ich, stop reproducing at 86°F and completely die off at 90°F.

 

[coldmachineUK]

Well, all comes down to experience again then I guess. I've used half doses of salt with my loaches in the past and they've been fine
If you don't want to risk it, don't use it.

 

[Jman17H]

Salt and meds are almost sure death for loaches in my experience.

My unintentional test case: My 4 clowns definetly had ick but nothing else was showing any signs so I got cheap and instead of raising temp in 75 gal planted tank, I moved clowns to quarantined 20 and added half dose of meds & salt. A few days later my yoyos started showing signs so I was forced to raise temp in originaly tank.
Results: 3 of 4 of the clowns died but nothing in the 75 died. I only raised temp in 75 whereas I did everything in the quarantine.

I will never do anything but temp raising (88F) if I ever have ick again. Meds are mild poison and may not even work and as a loach fanatic, salt is tough on them.

 

[coldmachineUK]

See previous post in thread:

I also highly recommend EsHA Exit Anti-Whitespot/Velvet treatment. This is specifically designed with scaleless fish in mind, so no worrying about dosage levels or killing your fish in any attempt to help them like you might with other meds!

I'm not talking just off the side of a packet or a Google search, or just from experience, but with both.

 

[MSU Fan]

I have had my loaches get ick a number of times, and that the heat treatment has always been successful.