Loaches Online Forum

Hello,

I have a sick golden dojo loach. He is swimming oddly like he cant control his direction well. Sometimes hes upside down. I noticed that he had a dark (like looks like a bruise) slightly swollen place around his back end. I have started to treat the tank with melafix. What else should i do? Im fairly new at fish keeping so any suggestions would help. Someone said dosing with aquarium salt. Can I do this if Im treating with melafix?

Jennifer

Yes, you can combine sodium chloride and Melafix. I am not sure that either of these will help, and salt is not good with Loaches, so I would not add salt.

Loss of equilibrium is often a problem with the swim bladder, and by the time you see the symptoms (fish up-side-down, unable to control their orientation) whatever damage has happened is beyond repair Not always, though.
Swim bladders are not near the back end of the fish, so the dark area might be something else.
Swim bladders can be damaged by disease (bacteria, virus or other) and can be damaged by one fish attacking another and ramming into the victim. A fish being chased and crashing into tank decorations might get hurt, too.
Another cause of swim bladder problems is much more prevalent in fish that have been bred with distorted spines such as Fancy Goldfish, and 'Balloon' varieties (Mollies, Platies, Rams and others). The arched spine leaves less room internally for all the organs in their correct places, and something like constipation can cause problems that also impact the swim bladder.

I am not sure what is going on with this fish. If you think it is bacterial, it is internal, not external. Melafix can help if the disease is on the outside of the fish. Get some actual antibiotics and try that.

i had this problem with my dojo. he was almost slithering and curling his way along the bottom of the tank and didn't seem capable of swimming where he wanted or keeping up right so i moved him to his own little tank so the other fish wouldnt bother him and it turned out that he was constipated, the dark patch was a bruise from being blocked up!
i changed his food and he's been fine ever since!
hope your loach gets better soon!!!