Weather Loach Bacterial Infection! Please Help! ! !

[jonwes]

This is my first post to an AA forum, hopefully I cover all the details. . . I've had my 40 gallon tank set up for the last 14 months and I've had a couple of weather loaches for the majority of that time. They have always been super healthy, until recently. Practically overnight, the bigger (6 1/2 inch) loach developed a white patch all over the right side of his face. It even ate away his whiskers on the front of his face. I went to the lfs the same day and the owner thought that it sounded like a bacterial infection, probably caused by diving into the gravel and damaging the membrane on his face. I bought the Erythromycin (250 mg tabs) that he recommended. I moved the loach to a 5 gallon bucket with an airstone and have been adding 1/2 a crushed Erythromycin each day since.

The problem is that the infection seems to be getting worse. His whole body, fins and all are perfect, but his whole head has been damaged by whatever this is. Last night part of his head area was bleeding. He isn't eating, but he is breathing at a normal rate. My girlfriend has been crying periodically and I'd like to do anything I can to save him. I don't have a heater in the bucket, but I live in Southern California and the temps have been in the high 90's this last week and I run the central A/C to keep the indoors at 76, so there isn't much fluctuation in the bucket at all.

The other weather loach and all of the other fish are fine, so I don't think I need to post all of the stats for my tank, but let me know if that would help and I'll be glad to reply.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

 

[QTOFFER]

Some people may disagree, but I prefer to treat a definite bacterial infection very aggressively. Since they can kill so quickly, I figure that I and the fish have little to lose. I've doubled up broad spectrum antibiotics in the past with pretty good results (4 deaths and 3 recoveries) considering the circumstances . I once had a blue acara so infected with columnaris that it looked like a cottonball. I doubled up Jungle Fungus Clear and Maracyn simultaneously and the little guy pulled through - minus his tail.

It's good that your sick fish is separated to protect your healthy fish from the infection and the meds. Bacteria grow faster in warm temps, so the heater is probably not necessary so long as the temp is stable and in the mid 70's F. Make sure you have good surface agitation and keep the water very clean.

 

[Zagz]

Aggressive treatment at this point is the only option IMO. I also use Jungle's fungus elliminator with great success. A QT tank is a MUST though.