very sick dojo

[ha4tjo]

Hi All...new to site but am here to see if I can save my very sick loach. I had 5 in total and am down to two. Long story short, friday gone loaches were going abit loopy as they do at times and took to sitting on the top of the pump...they do this all time so did not think unusual. I went out at teatime and came in at 11pm. I had dojo spawn all over the glass of the tank and a dead dojo! On closer inspection i noticed my tank had them horrible white thread like nastys all over them . Also the remaining dojos looked ill, one had gone like a red colour and one skin horrible and not normal smooth self. Anyway I paniced and took dojos and eggs out and emptyed the whole tank. The eggs are in a container and after leaving the tank to settle for 48 hours have now put them back in tank. One of them has been on his/her back since friday , still breathing but still half red. I have pictures but as my first post not sure on how to upload . Please help....had my dojos for a couple of years and want to save the remaining ones . Many thanks in advance

[Dojosmama]

First, if you took all the eggs and dojos out and emptied the tank, then I assume you replaced the existing water with all new water before putting them back in. Did you dechlorinate the new water?

Also, you probably lost your beneficial bacteria colony by doing that. Did you reseed your tank with media from a stable filter? You're probably having to cycle again if you didn't. I would also recommend dosing the tank with Seachem's Stability to boost your biological filtration.

If your dojo died after spawning, then maybe she had a problem while carrying her eggs, and expelling them may have shoved her over the edge. Sometimes the breeding process doesn't go well, and mothers succumb and/or eggs are lost.

Did you check your water chemistry prior to emptying the tank? Was there any radical change in pH, hardness, or other parameters?

If you had the dojos for two years without problems, then they suddenly got sick, I would say a radical upheavel of some sort occured in your tank. You haven't accidently introduced any toxins, have you?

Common mistakes, toxin wise:

Failing to rinse soap off your hands before inserting them into tank;

Failing to wash hands after handling harsh chemicals or working in the garden, etc., then inserting them into tank;

Fumes from furniture polish, paint or other household products used in the vicinity of the tank and getting into it or into the filter (always cover tanks when using these nearby);

Contaminated food;

Using filter media made from fabrics that have been laundered in detergents (people have done this, believe it or not!).

You probably can think of some others.

Finally, has there been a change in temperature in your tank? Dojos prefer cooler water. Has it gotten too warm for them? (Ideally, they shouldn't be kept for prolonged periods of time in water warmer than 75F, maximum.)

Hope this helps, and hope your cuties recover. Dojos are normally quite hardy, so it usually takes something drastic to upset them enough to sicken them.

-- Dojosmama