Help! I think my loach is dying!!

[emi-chan]

my loach has acted completly normal all day until the evening when i noiticed it twisting and turning on the bottom of the tank. it twists and curls around itself, pausing and laying on its back breathing vigerously...please help me! i don't want to lose him, he was the first loach i got ( i haven't had him a year yet!!) (i say him but i'm not sure of their sex)
his name is Senor Loach by the way and my other loach Hudini is fine at the moment...

[emi-chan]

he's a weather loach by the way

[Marcos Mataratzis]

What about the weather there? Any sudden change?
Weather loaches uses to have changes in mood and some strange behaviors during sudden weather changes. That´s why they have that common name.

Tell us more about your tank size and water chemistry.

[Diana]

Ditto Marcos: Weather Loaches predict changes in the weather by acting weird.
If this is not the answer then there may be some toxin in the tank.
Test the water with all the tests you have. If ANY test is not in line with the normal test range, then this might be a clue. It is normal for an aquarium to have test results that are not exactly the same every time, but may vary within a narrow range of parameters. Look for something outside that normal range.

It can happen that one fish responds one way to things like changing barometric pressure (predicting the weather) or to toxins, and another does not respond the same way, or at all. Some fish are more sensitive to things.

Just in case it is a toxin of some sort:
Add fresh activated carbon to the filter. Rinse out the carbon very well before using it to remove any dust.
Clean the filter media, in case it has already been trapping some of the toxin.
Vacuum the floor of the tank very well in case the toxin might be something in the substrate.
Big water change to dilute whatever it might be.
Add a material that neutralizes heavy metals. Some water treatments will say this on the label.
Don't forget Dechlor!

Try to track down what it might be:
Some of these might be happening in the house, the garden or in the neighborhood and fumes drift in through an open window. Some would need the toxin to be on your hands, then you dip your hands in the tank.
Paint fumes, caulking, new flooring? (especially carpet or vinyl floor) or any other construction related activities?
Pet sprays such as fleas sprays, dips or drops for cats or dogs, any other medication for any other pets?
Pesticides in the garden?
Cosmetics, perfumes, soaps, hair sprays or anything else along these lines?
Could someone have dropped something in the water? I have heard of everything from Legos to Jello, but most things that children might drop in are non-toxic. Still...
Fish food getting old? Perhaps a toxin growing on a bit of food that got damp?

[Diana]

Another thought: Some fish behave like this when there is stray electrical current in the water. One at a time turn off or unplug each piece of equipment. Leave it off for several minutes and see if there is a response, such as the fish quits acting weird. He may still lie on the floor of the tank, but no more twitching. Might take a bit longer to recover to regular activity levels.

[emi-chan]

well my tank is around 1 foot by 2, i have a really good filter and recently did a water change. the weather here has changed, pressure did drop and is now raining but i have another loach and its behaviour hasn't changed at all.
i can't think of any changes that have occured and it was acting completly normal earlier.

on my brother's advice (he have loaches too) i've moved senor loach to a 'sick' tank which is a smaller version of my main tank so that it wont be pestered by the goldfish. At the moment, he's just laying on the bottom of the tank, still breathing and twisting every so often...i'm starting to think he wont make it through the night...

[emi-chan]

oh, one thing i did differently today was that i washed the inner plastic lid of the tank as there was old food stuck to it but i followed my usual cleaning guides, washing it in plain fish safe water...

[Marcos Mataratzis]

If you really think things are getting worse and that he will not make it through the night then do a 40% water change and add active carbon like Diana said.
Another thing you can think of is adding Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Melafix to this tank. It´s a natural substance, no harm to the beneficial bacteria and is good against most bacterial and fungal diseases.

Good luck!

[emi-chan]

thanks, but one more question. if the worst should happen...how long should i wait to get a new loach to keep Hudini company and how should i prepare the tank beforehand?

[Marcos Mataratzis]

Let´s not think on the worse right now... everythig will be fine soon!

Anyway, I would not get another fish untill I´m sure there´s no harzadous substances in the water and is absolutely safe to have them.

[emi-chan]

i hope he'll be ok, he's really young, a baby really (compared to my brothers loach which is huuuuuge! he's only 8cm) and he's so tame! when i have to fix plants ect he always sits in my hand!

[Diana]

Unfortunately I do not think your tank is actually large enough for the fish you list (Weather Loaches and Goldfish).
Goldfish up to about 3-4" long (8-10cm) need at least 20 gallons per fish (76 liters) just to dilute their waste between water changes. They can generate a lot more ammonia than most other fish of similar size.
Weather Loaches can be highly active, and really ought not be kept in a tank smaller than 4' (1.2 meters)long. A 4' long tank can be a tank of about 45 gallons (170 liters) on up to 75 gallons (284 liters) or more.

When you buy new fish use a quarantine tank for about a month to observe and treat new fish so you are sure they are not bringing diseases or parasites to the established tank. The tank you have now (1' x 2') (about 30 cm x 60 cm) is probably a good quarantine tank. In the USA a standard rectangular tank that has a footprint of 1' x 2' is a 20 gallon tank.

Other cool water fish that would work in a 20 gallon tank and do not grow too large:
Rosy Barbs (look similar body shape to Goldfish, especially the long finned ones)
White Cloud Minnows
Pepper Cories, and a few other species
American Flagfish

There are other fish that also handle temperatures in the low 70s F and even as cool as 68*F. (68*F = 20*C. 72*F =22*C, a good average temperature for many cool water 'tropical' fish)

Washing off the lid should not cause any problems, especially when you used fish-safe water, and no soaps or cleansers.

Note: I have translated American gallons, and other measurements mathematically. I do not think that aquariums are actually those sizes (liters or centimeters) in countries that use the metric system. However the sizes suggested can be rounded up or down a bit to whatever size is available.

[emi-chan]

thanks diana for your advice.

the tank i used to use really small (a child's spongebob tank). i bought the one i'm using now because my two goldfish (Fish and Chips) started to get quite big. I'm heading off to university soon and leaving the fish in my parents care ( i'll be home at weekends to check on them).
I was thinking about getting a bigger tank. Does anyone know ruffly how big a 30gallon tank would be? and is that big enough for 2 goldfish and 2 loaches?

[emi-chan]

by the way, Senõr Loach has recovered. His behavior must have been weather or swim bladder related (he's bigger than Houdini and eats more, maybe he was constipated?)

if he's back to normal and has no signs of disease, is it ok to put him back in with the others?

[Diana]

Goldfish seem to produce more waste than similar sized fish, so need more room (more water) than average.
The fatter bodied types are not such active swimmers, but are still heavy waste producing fish.
Weather Loaches can be highly active, and really need plenty of room to swim around.

I would suggest a tank not smaller than 4' long (1.2 meters) and a volume not less than 45 (American)gallons if the Golds are around 3-4".
Larger tank as they all grow.

In the US a standard 29 gallon tank is 30" long x 12" x 18" tall.
This tank would be OK if all the fish were under 2-1/2", but is really not enough room for the activity level of these four fish.

If you can handle the larger tank (4' long) then there is probably room for a few more Weather Loaches. They are social, and seem to be more active, more out front when they are in groups of at least 5.