Kuhli dying

[Gewitter]

Hello everyone, first post here. I have a Kuhli loach whom I adore, hes been living in my tank for over 12 years, most of them without another Kuhli loach! however, I come home today and see him lying on the gravel stomach side up. Ive never seen this before, so I moved him to a seperate tank where he is by himself. I put his favorite lighthouse in the tank, but he remains belly up. occasionally he will move around but his neck is bent down and he moves in circles on his side.

My question is, is he dying of old age? he has gotten quite fat lately..and what can I do to help him??

 

[Menagerie]

[center:e3924f2116] Welcome to AA, Gewitter! [/center:e3924f2116]
Are you talking about one of the Khuli loaches that get 3-4"?? I have 8 of those, but they are all under 2 1/2 years old.

I'll need some background first, before we can be of any real help.
What are your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)?
What are his tank mates?
How often/what do you feed the Khuli loach?
Does he look bloated, or has this extra weight been building up?

I must say, that is an old fish. If you haven't changed the feeding and he doesn't get more than usual to eat, his metabolism maybe slowing as a sign of old age and it may be his time. However, we are here to help and will assist you to the best of our abilities.

 

[Gewitter]

Thanks for the welcome

I really wish I could take a picture, he is about that size


as far as the ammonia and other types of levels, i am sure they are not normal because this tank is quite dirty and the water is not changed often. however my fish tend to get used to this and i have had them for a long time. I am planning to move these fish to another tank 3 hours away in a few days.

he lives with 2 giant danios and a black tetra

we have a small lighthouse in the tank and he usually lives inside that.

i've rarely seen him eat , but i have not fed him anything particular to kuhli loaches, so he most likely eats the fish flakes.

he looks to be a little bloated.. the main problem is his head. it is fixated to the right, and he sometimes shakes. his head stuck to the right makes him rotate in a circle when trying to swim, and he always lands on the side on the bottom.

I really dont know what there is for me to do...it seems like something has happened to his neck. these are great aquarium additions by the way...i love them

thanks for the help

 

[Menagerie]

as far as the ammonia and other types of levels, i am sure they are not normal because this tank is quite dirty and the water is not changed often. however my fish tend to get used to this and i have had them for a long time

We don't advocate keeping fish in an unclean tank. Most members will agree that a 15-25% water change every other week is minimal to keep your tank healthy. Your fish have probably adjusted to the conditions of the tank, but that's no way to live.

he looks to be a little bloated.. the main problem is his head. it is fixated to the right, and he sometimes shakes. his head stuck to the right makes him rotate in a circle when trying to swim, and he always lands on the side on the bottom.

If his main problem was bloat, I would suggest feeding a cooked, peeled pea (the frozen ones work best). This would help clean out his digestive problems.
However, it seems that your little friend is suffering from something else. This may sound odd, but he could have hurt himself and his neck area. He could be suffering from a neuronal problem which could have been caused by age or disease. If the other fish are behaving normally, then I would be less inclined to say it was a disease.
I'm afraid the only thing I can recommend now is to watch him. I will ask another member and see if they have ever run into this type of thing.

 

[Gewitter]

Hey mate thanks for the tips. the other fish are healthy and energetic. the area around his neck seems to indicate a red color that i have not seen before, so he might have injured it.

and yes i'm aware of the dirty tank...i feel very bad about it but this is the main reason why i am moving it to a new tank where i can start anew with maintaining it. i just hope he survives to see the new tank..... :?

 

[Menagerie]

Is the redness around his gills? This may indicate ammonia or nitrite poisoning?

 

[Gewitter]

I do not have a kit, and can't get one until tomorrow nevertheless I changed 40% of the water and changed the filter. i'm quite low on supplies...

edit: yes it is around his gills

 

[Menagerie]

I can't tell you why it's circling, but if the gills are red, add salt to the tank. 1 TBSP per five gallons (this helps with nitrite poisoning).

 

[krap101]

but isnt salt bad for scaleless creatures? and im sure khuli's dont have scales

 

[Menagerie]

Some fish cannot handle salt, but in this case, especially if it is nitrite poisoning, salt is the best remedy.

 

[Gewitter]

Thanks for the tips, he is still struggling but survived the night, hopefully he can survive tonite..

 

[krap101]

okay . ill pray for it (him/her) if i remember .