Loaches Online Forum

Hi im hoping someone can help me i have 4 weather loaches in my tank.
recently the oldest one , who i dont know how old it is cause my daughter found it in a water butt at her school a few years ago.
It has recently developed bubbles on its body , im sort of geussing it may be a loach form of droppsey but i dont know .
all the other loaches (2 clown also) seem to be healthy, i really dont want to have to destroy it as they are lovely friendly fish.
really need some desperate help please any ideas?
many thanks stu

Hi Stu, and welcome to Loaches Online.
It would help us if you could give more information about the tank.
size, inhabitants, pH, temp, etc.
anything new added, or new food tried lately?
A picture of the fish with the bubbles would be of immense help, too.

thanks!

How about some more detail? Things like water quality, Ammonia, Nitrates, Nitrites, PH, water temp. etc...also a pic might help.

How long have you noticed the spots.? Also, you said you have clowns in the same tank. The loach police will be by to tell you that is not a good mix soon since dojos are cold water species and clowns are definitely tropical and there is about a 10 degree difference in what they need to thrive. Dojos need a temp of 50- 68ºF (10 - 20ºC). You can find more info in the species index. Clowns need 78ºF to 83ºF and if you try to reach a medium neither one is going to be comfortable.

Also, people don't realize that as the dojos grow they shed their skin sometimes...and right before they shed they tend to look a little ragged and it can look like they are diseased. It freaked me out the first time I saw the skin floating in my tank. I have 5 dojos in a coldwater tank and as they get fatter and longer they shed.

Hope this helps...

Kevin

ok i dont want the loach police here .
but i have to say the fish seem very happy, the first fish i got as said the other 3 i bought as babys , i guess they have been in the tank for a couple of years and i have grown very fond of them, also the clowns are doing fine & ive had them about 10 years.
the tank is a juwel vision 180 litres i have been keeping fish for about 11 years with no real problems , i also have a bristle nose plec 3 angels , 2 butterfly fish , couple of glass fish , 2 red tail black shark ,and a few other breeds , like i said everything has been fine , i know your going to prob say the tank is overloaded but i also run a fluval 305 filter as well as the tank filter and a bubbler , i dont want a lecture just help with a sick fish , will photograph it tommorow as the lights are out on the tank now
but it just looks like bubbles of skin , not flakey , many thanks for any help . i will not let this lovely fish suffer if there is no way of curing it
cheers stu

should i be thinking about putting the weather loaches in my pond instead of the tank ?
would hate to do that as i really enjoy them ?

is the pond outdoors or indoors?
what fish do you have in it, goldfish?
i guess you could but wait for someone who knows to tell you, not me..

do the spots/bubbles look like ick?? i think theres some good pictures in the sticky at the top of the loaches forum about ick/ich...

good luck,
brett.

here are some pics , im tempted to put the poor thing out of its missery,
its still eating just not as active as it used to be ?

hope someone has a cure pleaseeeee
regards stu

Hi Stu. What you have here is Gas Bubble Disease.

Gas Bubble Disease is caused by a sudden dramatic change in gas pressure in the aquarium. This can happen by changing too much water at one time or by adding cold water to the fish tank. Gas bubbles form in the fins and skin of the fish. The bubbles look like blisters and are very easy to see. The skin will crackle if you run your finger across it. If not treated in time, gas bubbles in the bloodstream will kill the fish. The treatment is to add alot of aeration to the aquarium. Lights should be left off to minimize stress. If you see alot of bubbles that have already popped, consider adding a general antibiotic to guard against secondary infection.

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/meds/gas_bubble.html

thanks Graeme i have added another bubbler and cleaned existing bubble pipe , have also treated water , so we will wait and see
thanks for your help but im guessing i may be too late.
i didnt do a major water change tho and nothing in my set up changed,
also the other 3 weather loaches seem fine,
maybe as its the oldest its less resiliant ?
again thanks for your help
stu