Please help,Clown loach sick

[jeep04]

This sis only my second post, But my biggest Clown isnt feeling very well. He's about 5 inches long and i have had him for almost 2 years. Last week i found a couple black spots on his top fin then his tail area, Today i came home and fed his favorite,Bloodworms. He didnt come out at first so i put some in front of his cave and he did eat them and came out for a second. This is when i noticed more black spots around his face and he is very pale, Water test is fine except Nitrates are high, That was my first post here. I just did a 25% water change 2 days ago and cleaned the cannister added new Chemi-pure. My Filament barbs are trying to spawn so the water cant be that bad, The other 2 Clowns are nice and dark no spots and eating fine. Please help me save Elmer, He's a good friend to my smallest clown. Thanks for any help. [/b]

[jeep04]

Just figured i would add the results of the water test, Ammonia 0,nitrite 0, Ph is 7.2 and Nitrate is 40 to 60 ppm. The nitrate is a work in progress i do and have always done 25% weekly water changes and i keep up on filter media. But this issue was addressed by a previous post on this forum.

[Diana]

There are some other posts here about black spots showing up on Clown Loaches when you use activated carbon and do not rinse it really well.

What is the actual test result for NO3? If it is over 20 ppm, do another water change, and another... until it is lower. You could do 25% every day, as long as the new water has a similar mineral level as the tank. Does not have to be right on, though. A 25% water change results in only a minor variation that the fish can usually handle, even if the GH and KH are as much as 3-4 degrees different between tank and tap water.

[jeep04]

That kinda makes sense because i just put the xp4 up June 13th, The bio zorb pouch that comes with the filter might not have been rinsed enough since i handed it too someone that was helping me. But would it really change his eating habits and his coloration, seems like that would be just topical and its just this one Clown nobody else. I will check the forum for these other posts, sorry i forgot to do that first. Thank you for the answer

[chefkeith]

I'd suspect a problem with the tap water and/or something leaching in the tank.

What kind of rocks and gravel are you using?

The carbon causing black spots is most likely a myth. The source to that myth was by someone who was adding salt to their aquarium water regularly. When Clown Loaches experience changes in the salinity (or TDS) level often , they may start having glandular problems. This glandular problem causes the black spot outbreaks. Each fish may have a different tolerance to TDS changes, so some may have black spot breakouts and others may not. I think it has something to do with the wear and tear or mileage of the pituitary gland.

It would be wise to purchase a TDS meter so that you can check the incoming tap water and aquarium water to see how close they match. These TDS meters only cost $10 - 20 on ebay.

[chefkeith]

I just got back to read the other thread you have. Now I think this is definitely a tap water problem. Your LFS confirmed that tap water isn't trustworthy to do twice weekly water changes. A TDS meter is mandatory so that you can determine how unsafe the tap water is.