Loaches Online Forum

hi all, new to sight have joined because i need some help with my clowns. i have five clowns three of them look really healthy but the other two have become quite skinny and the one of them came out with an ulcer that i managed to treat with melafix they're still eating and still fairly active but defo not looking to clever. i read it could be internal parasites but also read about something called skinny disease, basicly im more confused now than i was when i started and would be really greatful for any advice you could give on how to identify an cure these types of diseases.

would be usefull if ya can post a few pics to show us the issues ulcer to if ya have one of it

Skinny is an internal parisite. There is medicated food and other options, Jungle has an anti parisite food that may be a place to start as you research your and your fishes opponents

Have a look at this site for an article about skinny disease. It is not one specific disease or parasite, but a symptom that some Loaches (and other fish) show when there may be more than one issue going on, often a combination of bacterial infection and internal parasites.
The basic treatment is to alternate parasite medicines and antibiotics until the fish are better. The specific medication(s) and dosing can vary, if you know what parasite(s) and diseases you are treating you will chose the optimum control method for these specific problems. If you do not know what the fish have, then a more general treatment, calculated to control the most common parasites and diseases is suggested in the articles and threads here at Loaches.

One common anti-parasite medicine is Levamisol, in part because it can boost the immune system of the fish so that whatever antiobiotic you use will have a better chance of helping the fish fight off the bacteria. Levamisole is specific against certain parasites, but not all. Prazi-Pro is another one that deals with different parasites, and can be useful in a medication-rotation. Do not medicate with 2 (or more) meds at one time unless BOTH meds are labeled as safe for use with each other.

okay not that great with computers but will try to upload some pics asap

To find the SEARCH feature here look for it at the top of most pages, (the word Search and a magnifying glass logo) click on it. Type in SKINNY DISEASE and leave the other fields as they are. Click search near the bottom of the table. Look at whatever comes up, and see what is most relevant to your fishes' problem. Yes, a lot of threads will come up, and most will just touch on it, but may have a link to one thread that is more in depth.

If you start from the home page, look at the navigation bar on the left. Click on Articles, or Disease and find LOTS of info in these two locations.
Here is the article about Levamisole:

http://www.loaches.com/Members/shari2/l ... chloride-1

thank you alll very much for your replys