My dojo loach has broken two of his barbs (around mouth)... what do I do now? Should I watch for infection... what does infection look like? do I need to treat him? with what?
On barb broke off and one is bent. He has been in this tank for over a year and no problems... I needed to change the subtrait. It's to big. So that is my next step.... but I have 6 dojo loaches to find housing for while I empty the 50 gallon...
Anyone have any experience with this sorta of thing.???
Thanks, Lisa
Broken barbels
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Broken barbels
Last edited by MudFrog on Tue Jun 06, 2006 9:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Empty the tank to change the substrate?
Are you running under-gravel filtration?
How big is too big for substrate gravel?
When you say barbs, do you mean the bone spines under the eye or the actual flexible/flesh barbels/wiskers around the mouth?
If it's been a year and this is the only problem i wouldn't worry too much about it. If you didn't see it happen then you can't know it was the substrate anyway. If you'd still like to change the substrate and it don't interfere with your filter, scoop out some of the substrate and replace it without draining the tank and causing undue stress. Diversity in substrates is often good.
Then swap out some of the water.
A
Are you running under-gravel filtration?
How big is too big for substrate gravel?
When you say barbs, do you mean the bone spines under the eye or the actual flexible/flesh barbels/wiskers around the mouth?
If it's been a year and this is the only problem i wouldn't worry too much about it. If you didn't see it happen then you can't know it was the substrate anyway. If you'd still like to change the substrate and it don't interfere with your filter, scoop out some of the substrate and replace it without draining the tank and causing undue stress. Diversity in substrates is often good.
Then swap out some of the water.
A
"I can eat 50 eggs !"
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Mark in Vancouver
- Posts: 14252
- Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 12:41 pm
- Location: British Columbia
The appendages around the mouth are called 'barbels'. They are sensory organs and highly sensitive - full of nerve endings. Keep your water very clean for the next little while and watch for any signs of whiteness or redness in the area of the mouth.
Dojo loaches should be kept with very fine gravel or a non-abrasive sand substrate. In their habitat, they are often found in standing water, rice paddies, or water that has a very muddy bottom. They can deal with lower oxygen levels, too. In the tank, it's best to do your 25-40% water changes each week, and keep treat the water before it goes into your tank. You want the replacement water to have the same temperature and chemistry as the water you remove - except cleaner.
If you do notice discolouration around the mouth or barbels, you should consider Melafix or some other product that prevents infection from flesh wounds. Use as directed or in slightly reduced doses.
Dojo loaches should be kept with very fine gravel or a non-abrasive sand substrate. In their habitat, they are often found in standing water, rice paddies, or water that has a very muddy bottom. They can deal with lower oxygen levels, too. In the tank, it's best to do your 25-40% water changes each week, and keep treat the water before it goes into your tank. You want the replacement water to have the same temperature and chemistry as the water you remove - except cleaner.
If you do notice discolouration around the mouth or barbels, you should consider Melafix or some other product that prevents infection from flesh wounds. Use as directed or in slightly reduced doses.
Your vantage point determines what you can see.
No I don't have a undergravel filter... and I knew when I put the dojo's in there I needed to change the gravel but it is a very nice planted tanks and all I could think of was having to destroy it...to change the gravel.
He has one barbel that is turning white...does that mean infection? It's only the tip, do you think that is because of the break? Should I just watch him for now? I have a small tank I can set for treating... I know that with dojo's you have to becareful with meds...because they are scaless. Would that be okay?? and would you think to reduce meds by 1/3?
I am getting ready to add these guys to my goldfish tank which has three filters so it should be clean enough...lol and has a very very small gravel subtrait. Almost a sand but not quite. They should like that... unfortunatly it is not as nicely planted as what they are coming from. But I hope to slowly add more plants... the dang goldies keep picking them to pieces! But they will have thier logs to lay on, in and around.
I hope this will never happen again... Jersey is my favorite dojo.. so far he is the only one that will stay and play when I stick my hands in the tank. And loves to come to the top while feeding...so he gets extra..lol
Thanks much, Lisa
He has one barbel that is turning white...does that mean infection? It's only the tip, do you think that is because of the break? Should I just watch him for now? I have a small tank I can set for treating... I know that with dojo's you have to becareful with meds...because they are scaless. Would that be okay?? and would you think to reduce meds by 1/3?
I am getting ready to add these guys to my goldfish tank which has three filters so it should be clean enough...lol and has a very very small gravel subtrait. Almost a sand but not quite. They should like that... unfortunatly it is not as nicely planted as what they are coming from. But I hope to slowly add more plants... the dang goldies keep picking them to pieces! But they will have thier logs to lay on, in and around.
I hope this will never happen again... Jersey is my favorite dojo.. so far he is the only one that will stay and play when I stick my hands in the tank. And loves to come to the top while feeding...so he gets extra..lol
Thanks much, Lisa
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Mark in Vancouver
- Posts: 14252
- Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 12:41 pm
- Location: British Columbia
If you have a small quarantine tank at your disposal, why not use it? You can treat a much smaller volume of water if you decide to treat at all. Just be sure you transfer tankwater and filter material from the larger tank before you transfer the dojo. Any sponge material from your existing filters will be excellent sources of bacteria for producing a healthy hospital tank.
And don't think of replacing the substrate as the loss of a planted tank! Carefully remove and prune back all your plants, discard any dead leaves, shake the old "soil" off the roots... And plant them right back where they were in new substrate. There are some under-gravel fertilizers on the market that are neutral in their chemistry - they won't screw up your pH or GH. Most of these contain moderate amounts of nitrogen, which encourages root growth, which is all you need to get your plants happy again. Three weeks later, you have a lush tank again.
You might consider keeping a small amount of the removed substrate in your hospital tank during the process. Adding it back to the new tank, even temporarily, can further assure you maintain the right biocycle. There are filter bags you can buy for cheap that are made out of nylon with a drawstring. It's worth considering because the substrate of a mature tank is host to bacteria as well as other microorganisms useful to establishing a "disrupted" tank.
If you do treat, dosing conservatively is wise. A third dose sounds fine to start. Keep up the water changes and calculate it so you replace the medication you remove with the waste water. Then just keep an eye on your fish. It should recover and may re-grow the damaged barbels. I had a brook loach whose barbels were damaged during an Ich incident. Today the little bugger is fine, with a long moustache of healthy barbels.
And don't think of replacing the substrate as the loss of a planted tank! Carefully remove and prune back all your plants, discard any dead leaves, shake the old "soil" off the roots... And plant them right back where they were in new substrate. There are some under-gravel fertilizers on the market that are neutral in their chemistry - they won't screw up your pH or GH. Most of these contain moderate amounts of nitrogen, which encourages root growth, which is all you need to get your plants happy again. Three weeks later, you have a lush tank again.
You might consider keeping a small amount of the removed substrate in your hospital tank during the process. Adding it back to the new tank, even temporarily, can further assure you maintain the right biocycle. There are filter bags you can buy for cheap that are made out of nylon with a drawstring. It's worth considering because the substrate of a mature tank is host to bacteria as well as other microorganisms useful to establishing a "disrupted" tank.
If you do treat, dosing conservatively is wise. A third dose sounds fine to start. Keep up the water changes and calculate it so you replace the medication you remove with the waste water. Then just keep an eye on your fish. It should recover and may re-grow the damaged barbels. I had a brook loach whose barbels were damaged during an Ich incident. Today the little bugger is fine, with a long moustache of healthy barbels.
Your vantage point determines what you can see.
Thanks Mark.
It's nice to talk to some one that has been through it. I don't know to many people who have loaches much less the dojo and they are more pet then fish to me..
I am going to set up a tank for him tonight. I have decided to move all the rest of the dojo's to the goldfish tank. It's large, 50 gallon, and has the correct subtrait for them. And they are all cold water fish.
I am not going to take out the subtrait of the other 50 gallon because I am going to put some small SA Cichlids in there ... so there will be no barbel problems.
Thanks for all the help guys... I am so glad you are around to answer questions like these.. Keep up the good work!
Lisa
It's nice to talk to some one that has been through it. I don't know to many people who have loaches much less the dojo and they are more pet then fish to me..
I am going to set up a tank for him tonight. I have decided to move all the rest of the dojo's to the goldfish tank. It's large, 50 gallon, and has the correct subtrait for them. And they are all cold water fish.
I am not going to take out the subtrait of the other 50 gallon because I am going to put some small SA Cichlids in there ... so there will be no barbel problems.
Thanks for all the help guys... I am so glad you are around to answer questions like these.. Keep up the good work!
Lisa
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