New yoyo loaches keep dying

[nossghoul]

I have a 36 gallon tank, been cycled for about a year and a half, containing about six guppies, a platy, a female betta, a bristlenose pleco, some cherry shrimp, and a bunch of pest snails. Ammonia and nitrites are at zero, ph is 7.5, temperature is 76F.

Yesterday, in an attempt to control the snails, I bought six small yoyo loaches from PetCo. I don’t think they were in great health to begin with; one died on the car ride home. The others were drip acclimated over a period of about four hours, and as soon as I released them in the tank, I was concerned for their survival. Two were acting lethargic, flopped on their sides on the bottom of the tank; the others seemed alright. Today I found one dead, another one still flopped sideways on the gravel with concerningly red gills, and two that CURRENTLY appear healthy—the fifth is MIA, and I fear the worst.

What could be wrong with the sick one? Is it ammonia poisoning? After I found the dead one today, I did detect trace amounts of ammonia in the tank (API master kit), but immediately did a 1/6 water change and my test is now reading at zero. Everybody else in the tank is doing fine.

Is there anything I can do to save this poor loach and his friends? I’m worried his healthy-seeming friends may be next.

[Aiken Drum]

Most likely already sick fish and the stress of the move was too much for them. Maybe consider quarantining new fish before you introduce them into your main tank.

[m.j.gomez]

Originally Posted by nossghoul

I have a 36 gallon tank, been cycled for about a year and a half, containing about six guppies, a platy, a female betta, a bristlenose pleco, some cherry shrimp, and a bunch of pest snails. Ammonia and nitrites are at zero, ph is 7.5, temperature is 76F.



Yesterday, in an attempt to control the snails, I bought six small yoyo loaches from PetCo. I don’t think they were in great health to begin with; one died on the car ride home. The others were drip acclimated over a period of about four hours, and as soon as I released them in the tank, I was concerned for their survival. Two were acting lethargic, flopped on their sides on the bottom of the tank; the others seemed alright. Today I found one dead, another one still flopped sideways on the gravel with concerningly red gills, and two that CURRENTLY appear healthy—the fifth is MIA, and I fear the worst.



What could be wrong with the sick one? Is it ammonia poisoning? After I found the dead one today, I did detect trace amounts of ammonia in the tank (API master kit), but immediately did a 1/6 water change and my test is now reading at zero. Everybody else in the tank is doing fine.



Is there anything I can do to save this poor loach and his friends? I’m worried his healthy-seeming friends may be next.

Hello, you may have added to many fish at once & had an ammonia & nitrite spike(mini cycle). You want to add 1-3 new fish to a 36gal tank. I believe it's 1 to every 10gal every couple of wks. This gives your bacteria a chance to catch up & handle the new bioload.
As previously mentioned a quarantine tank is essential if you don't want to risk other pets. It doesn't have to be a fancy setup as long as you have a cycled filter & working heater. I use a 3gal beverage Despenser I picked up for 5$ at 2nd hand store. Some people use storage totes. Whatever is used be sure you quarantine for 3-4wks so you are sure your new fish are healthy. Hopefully this helps you!!!!!

[nossghoul]

Thanks for showing your quarantine tank setup! I've considered setting one up, but was worried about how much space it would take up--didn't realize they could be so small. Does it stress the fish out to be in such a small space, or are they okay with it so long as it isn't long term?

[nossghoul]

Originally Posted by Aiken Drum

Most likely already sick fish and the stress of the move was too much for them. Maybe consider quarantining new fish before you introduce them into your main tank.

Yeah, I'm kinda thinking this is what was up... will definitely quarantine in the future, especially from big box stores.


On the plus side: no additional loaches have died. The floppy gasper still flops on his side occasionally, but his gills look much less inflamed and he's no longer gasping, and he's been much more animated and hanging out with the two healthy ones more. I am hopeful he will pull through.


Still can't find the MIA fourth one, and I've taken the tank apart pretty thoroughly... not sure what cranny his body will turn up in, but I hope I find him soon.

[m.j.gomez]

Originally Posted by nossghoul

Thanks for showing your quarantine tank setup! I've considered setting one up, but was worried about how much space it would take up--didn't realize they could be so small. Does it stress the fish out to be in such a small space, or are they okay with it so long as it isn't long term?

If worried about stressing fish out keep in a low traffic area. I keep bare bottom w/a few fake plants so I can use spigot to do change water. I put a sm piece of bio sponge in opening of spigot to keep fish from using as hide.

[jake37]

I'd also raise the temp a few degrees for yoyo; and ensure you have fairly soft water - they don't do that well in hard water.

[gs86]

Originally Posted by nossghoul

I have a 36 gallon tank, been cycled for about a year and a half, containing about six guppies, a platy, a female betta, a bristlenose pleco, some cherry shrimp, and a bunch of pest snails. Ammonia and nitrites are at zero, ph is 7.5, temperature is 76F.

Yesterday, in an attempt to control the snails, I bought six small yoyo loaches from PetCo. I don’t think they were in great health to begin with; one died on the car ride home. The others were drip acclimated over a period of about four hours, and as soon as I released them in the tank, I was concerned for their survival. Two were acting lethargic, flopped on their sides on the bottom of the tank; the others seemed alright. Today I found one dead, another one still flopped sideways on the gravel with concerningly red gills, and two that CURRENTLY appear healthy—the fifth is MIA, and I fear the worst.

What could be wrong with the sick one? Is it ammonia poisoning? After I found the dead one today, I did detect trace amounts of ammonia in the tank (API master kit), but immediately did a 1/6 water change and my test is now reading at zero. Everybody else in the tank is doing fine.

Is there anything I can do to save this poor loach and his friends? I’m worried his healthy-seeming friends may be next.

I believe your issue may either be that you are not acclimating the fish for a long enough time or your beta is putting stress on the loaches. I have a khalui loach and a similar tank occupancy as yours and noticed guppies shrimp snails and ottos are great with them but when it comes to betas there could be a issue. A simple fix for this could be to get a divider for your tank to keep the beta and the loaches seperate and see if that makes a change. Also sometimes the loach or fish in general could have already come very damaged and at the end of its life. If this happened really quick you should look into a refund/replace policy for the dead one