Loaches Online Forum

My newest yoyo is acting really weird. He just swims in circles around the glass in the front of the tank. He has been doing this for about a week and a half or so. I've had him in the tank for about a month and he never did this before. He did the normal loachy dance with the other loaches but has stopped. The bad thing about his circling is he doesn't even stop to eat, the only time he stops is to maybe swim to one side of the tank, but then he swims back to the middle and starts circling again. So he is not putting on any weight at all.
I did a levamisole treatment when he was in QT just in case of parasites. I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and do another one anyway. If I do should I just treat the whole tank or put him in QT and do it? The tank inhabitants that are in the 55gl are the loaches, SAE's and rainbows. Would mixing some crushed garlic with the food tempt him out of his circling to eat? He even ignores the frozen bloodworms.

Anyway here's the tank info.
PH-7
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-10
Temp-78

4 Yoyo's including circlehead
1 Striata
2 SAE's
4 Australian Rainbows.

That's really strange that he won't even stop to eat. How's he doing now?

Any chance you could take a video of that?

About 5 years ago, I had a new clown loach that swam in circles for about 3 weeks. The poor guy swam in clockwise circles 24/7 and didn't stop to eat or rest. There was no cure, it died soon after it quit swimming in circles. I blamed the problem on osmotic shock because I bought several other clowns with this one but they all died soon after I tried acclimating them to my quarantine tank.

Loachmom- He's still circling. When I put food in the tank, he goes over to where the food is, but then turns right around and goes back to circling.

Palaeodave- I can try to take a vid if I can figure my camera out.

Chefkeith- I'm sorry about your fish. This loach varies which way he swims. Sometimes it's clockwise and sometimes counter clockwise. I thought I had acclimated him well. A month in QT and then a 2 hour drip when going into the 55. Maybe someting went wrong.

This may disturb some people but I know my loaches really enjoyed it and shows how the circle loach is really ignoring food for his circling instead. As some of you know I have a pair of albino bristlenose plecs that have been spawning like crazy. Well I watched the pair really close so I new the female had just laid eggs again. Since I already have over 50 fry and no more tank space I needed to remove the eggs and throw them out. Instead of chucking them in the trash I tossed them in the loach tank. It was a feeding frenzy and the eggs did not last long, but of course the circle loach just kept swimming in circles and ignored what was floating past him. So he's ignored frozen bloodworms, live worms and eggs. I don't now what else I can try to tempt him or if I should just let it go and pray he recovers or if need be humanely put him out of his misery.

Sorry he's not doing any better. That's too bad.

I decided to move the yoyo to the QT last night and do another levamisole treatment, figured it wouldn't hurt. I have a few tiny MTS in the tank and a couple tiny guppy fry in there with him, so maybe either of those will tempt him to eat. I'm going to also try some grindal worms again this afternoon. Maybe with the bigger loaches not being around he will try it. So far he has not started circling, change in environment maybe. Hopefully he will start eating and put on some weight.
Does anyone have any other suggestions I can try?

The poor loach past away last night. I think he tried to swim up the filter outflow and ended up on the floor. I found him this morning but it was to late, he had been there for awhile.
I know it sounds bad, but I think it may have been for the best. He still would not eat anything and I had been seriously considering euthanizing him. I just wish he hadn't had to suffer on the floor.

That's a real shame. At least it's over now.

sorry to hear that. its always awfull to have something like that happen, but it does sound like things werent right with him.