loach with ick

[dalf]

just recently my tank came down with ick just b4 i noticed the white spots one of my small loaches died with no visable signs and one of my adult yo-yos died today just b4 i dosed the tank with wunder tonic at half strength but just b4 they died they lost balance and couldnt swim up right so far only 3 of my loaches have but 2 are showing the signs of loseing balance is it ick? or is there something else?

[Diana]

Ick is a parasite that shows up as small white specks on the fish. The fish itch, and may rub themselves on anything in the tank, including whatever you are using as substrate. To scratch themselves like this they will usually flip their whole body around sideways or almost upside down and swim very quickly past the object they are using to scratch on. This behavior is called flashing. The fish are not losing equilibrium, they are not drifting or showing any loss of control. If this is what you are seeing, then the fish may very well have Ich.

Fish that cannot balance in the water may swim weakly, may swim at any orientation (head too high, head too low, sideways, upside down...), or may simply drift in the water with little or no attempts to control where they go in the tank. This is not a common symptom of Ich.
But there is some sort of problem going on. This sort of drifting is common when you buy new fish and the water in the store has a different level of minerals than the water in your tank. There are other causes.

Loaches are notorious for making their owner think they are sick, when they are not. Clown Loaches, Yoyos and others will lie on their side or back when they rest, and the fishkeeper rushes for the net to remove the poor dead fish. When the net comes close the Loach wakes up and swims off normally.

[dalf]

ive had the fish for bout a year, ive seen them rest on there sides under cover but not in the open like they are now. another of the small ones just died and he couldnt swim upright when he went to move, the un balances only appears 1-2hrs b4 it dies