Clown Loach Alpha Change?

[Icewall42]

So, amidst all the other rotten things going on in my life right now, I think an alpha change in my clown loach pack has taken place. It makes me really unhappy, since the old alpha appears all beten up: the top fin is all torn up with whole chunks taken out of it, the nose has a white patch, and the old alpha's back between the tail and top fin had some white abrasions, a couple scratches, and a wide swath of lighter grey abrasions. The fish has been losing weight for some time now and I'm getting really worried because I'm starting to see two bulges on the side of his head. Even though he is still eating and seems to act fairly normal, except he's much less aggressive and tends to stay away from the rest of the pack. He does beg on occasion.

Keep in mind that this fish is 11" and 13 years old.

Is he dying? Is there absolutely anything I can do for him? All the other clowns seem to be fine, and the other large fish, the new alpha, is much fatter than he used to be and much more aggressive. He hangs with the loach pack.

[Diana]

He may not actually be dying, but is not up to standing up to this new leader. If he and this other alpha can agree not to fight then the retired alpha may continue to live with the pack.
If they cannot settle down it might be better to rehome the older alpha, perhaps with some younger Loaches that are willing to accept him as leader.

[Icewall42]

I have another tank that I'm trying to cycle... a 90 gallon. Perhaps I can split the pack between the two for a while, in hopes that someday they will get along again. I just worry because the older alpha has list quite a bit of mass. He's not gaunt, but he's very slender these days.

[andyroo]

Photo?
I'm a sucker for big-fish pics.
A

[Icewall42]

I'll see what I can do. He's not big on coming out to the front of the tank, and the tank is having a cloud issue. Then there's getting him to hold still.

[Diana]

Losing weight may be linked to losing status, and the cause/effect could go either way:

He may not be feeling well due to internal parasites or other issues that made him lose weight. The 'not feeling well' may mean he is not up to defending his position as alpha.

Alternate possibility: The alpha fish gets to push the others away at meal time. Losing status means he is no longer getting the most and best food.

[Icewall42]

I'm wondering if it's more the alternative, that he wasn't allowed at feeding time or just wasn't up to trying to get his fill due to "depression" from his loss of status or bullying. I've seen him and the others depressed before, especially when they get moved around the tanks or medicated. Fornax on occasion was getting depressed, but I think he might be improving again as for the past couple days he has been doing the loachy dance at feeding time and seems to be allowed to get his fill without being bullied. He doesn't seem all that unwell, and the fact that he still has a pretty hearty appetite seems to mean that he is, hopefully, free of internal parasites. I wonder now if the damage and bullying depressed him and caused him to not eat his fill, and hopefully just now he is beginning to improve.

I hope to move a few more fish to the 90 gallon soon as I have been doing chemical tests with it to watch it cycle. It seems to have cycled now, as last week the ammonia was at 0ppm, nitrites were about... I want to say 80-120ppm (it was really high) and nitrates were at about 40ppm. This week, the tank has come down to 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrites, and 20-40ppm nitrates. The tank has been up and running for 3-4 weeks now, I used Dr. Tim's for initial bacteria culture, and I also put live plants from other tanks and some bogwood from other tanks to help establish the bacteria. The filter also came off an established tank, though it is entirely too small. The Rena XP3 will be moved to it once I am ready to decommission the 72 gallon.

For now, I'm hoping to add a couple more fish to the tank to get it a bit more stabilized. But all seems well, finally, for the new 90g.

[loachmom]

I hope everything turns out OK, Icewall. You've been though a lot with your fish, and I'm sure you're ready for a break. Hope you post photos of the 90 when it's done.

[Icewall42]

Thanks for your kind words--I really could use a break from all this. The 90g is ALMOST done. I noticed that the pH was a bit high at 7.8, so I'm going to try and stabilize it at 7.0 or so before I put any other fish in it. All other parameters are perfect.