Dead Striata - Consumed by Tankmates!

[BotiaMaximus]

I had a striata last week that had a white film over his eye, looked like an injury, not fuzzy, just like a damage layer. I found him dead this morning in the tank and a good portion of him had been consumed by his buddies.

Now my big concern is if this wasn't just an injury, what was it and what should I do for the other fish in the tank now that they have eaten potentially diseased fish? I really don't like the idea of doing anti-biotics on the whole tank but don't want to lose anybody else!

Water parameters are all good - 0 amm / 0 nitrite / <10ppm nitrate and I'm about to do a big water change also.

Advice needed - I've never had a eye problem disease before and now this is another situation that is new to me.

Thanks!

Here's a couple pics of his eye problem - RIP little Buddy

[BotiaMaximus]

CORRECTION - STRIATA ID

This wasn't the striata with the eye damage - he is still in there doing fine. I was doing an eye survey and realized my mistake. He remains the only fish with an eye problem.

This is now a mystery death, I have no reasons to think anything is wrong in the tank. Water parameters good/fish parameters good (behavior, appetite).

I can only speculate at a possible injury during Friday's water change when moving things around to clean.

If anyone has any suggestions on things to test for or be on the lookout for I would appreciate them.

Thanks-

[FishyLady]

Really sorry to read this Keith, this is a long shot but could both striata have been attacked?

Val

[BotiaMaximus]

I hope not Val. The Synodontis Eupteris cat could be the only possibility I would think. All the loaches get along quite good. This one has me scratching my head and I hate not having answers for something like this, now I'm stuck on high alert until I know the cause, which might not be possible.

Very upsetting and aggravating.

[chefkeith]

Sorry to hear it. I can only guess what could of happened to the poor loach.

I'm probably going off topic here, but one thing that doesn't get discussed enough is loach proving your tank so that loaches are less likely to get injured or killed.

Loach caves and hidey holes are potentially dangerous. Holes need to be big enough so that loaches don't get stuck in them. There must also be no sharp burrs in the holes so that they don't cause scrapes. There also needs to be a maximum capacity law passed for loach caves and hidey holes. We need fish that will enforce that law too. You just can't trust loaches these days.


Can a loach suffocate or gets injured while in the middle of a loach pile? Yes.
Who decides how many loaches can fit in a hole before it becomes overcrowded? We do.

Some things I do-
I try to keep PVC pipe no longer than 6-8" inches long.
I'll also drill some holes in the pipe or cave so that water can circulate in it better. Water in a cave or pipe can probably get funky if too many loaches are in it.
Also if I do drill holes, then I'll also need to remove any burrs that that the drill bit created or else the loaches will get scratched up on it.

[BotiaMaximus]

Good points Chef.

Another question - Can loaches be knuckleheads? - Yes.

I take pretty good measures to round of sharp edges and de-burr inside ornaments. I have some hollow stumps and filled the legs with gravel so no one could think about wedging themselves down in there.

My guys do still scare me stuffing their head under rocks and such to get at that last morsel they just can't live without, which is my theory on the eye injury.

I pulled off another big water change today - everything was good - still good.

Best I can do is monitor closely for any signs of trouble and be prepared to react quickly. Aside from the striata with the bad eye, everyone in the tank looks great and no signs of any trouble.

[chefkeith]

Unfortunately, I had a loach die Yesterday also. It was a small 1.5" clown loach that didn't grow much since I got him about 4 years ago. He was stunted for whatever reason.

I've been keeping a close eye on him for awhile now. He was being lethargic and was the only clown that didn't sleep with the rest of the clowns in the island in the river tank. He wasn't eating during the last few feedings either. Luckily his corpse was easy to find and fully intact. It was nestled in a small hole in some driftwood near the the front of the 85g tank. It was easy to pull out with some plant tongs. I didn't even have to move the driftwood. What a great loach he was.

Earlier this week I was thinking of setting up a quarantine tank for him. I don't know if that would of helped anyway. I think it was just his time to expire.

[FishyLady]

I don't think the syno. would attack them, chase them maybe but not attack.
Sorry to hear about your little loach chefkeith it is so upsetting when one of our fishes die.

Val

[BotiaMaximus]

I think you are correct Val, the syno is cranky, but not a killer.

Sorry about your little guy Chef. I have some tiny yo-yo's and some are far outpacing the others in growth - none are skinnies, but large differences in overall growth. All seem equally active. They will be moving up to the larger tank in a few months and we'll see how they do.