Help! My loaches suddenly look beat up...
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Help! My loaches suddenly look beat up...
I have no idea what's going. Yesterday they looked fine (besides normal wear and tear) and today, my Striata, one Botia Modesta, and my Botia Longiventralis all have white patches/gashes on them. The Modesta has one eye that vaquely starting to cloud, but the the Striata now has one eye completely bunged up and white. What the heck could have happened??
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Graeme Robson
- Posts: 9096
- Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 4:34 am
- Location: Peterborough, UK
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Sounds like Territorial fighting. They often line up side by side and then nipping and spine flashes happen, resulting in damage. Especially between the Y modesta and S longiventralis with the B striata being caught up in the middle. How large is your tank? Do you have plenty shelters? How many groups of each, do you keep?
I'm beginning to think that's the case too. The loaches actually look better this morning. The problem might be that the 3 Modestas I have are full-grown (5" or so) and they share space with two very territorial clown loaches (8-9" and 6-7" from nose to tail tip). Those two are at each other pretty often and cause a great ruckus in the tank.
As for shelter, I have a couple pieces of bogwood, though I'd very much like to have more. I thought about the issue of shelter and realized I need a lot more of it for loaches of this size (and especially for the little guys). I used to have a really big cave that the modestas loved but I have yet to find that in my numberless boxes at home
As to the tank size.... it's been painfully small for over a year, and yes, it's risky and it's embarrassing
. I'm desperately looking to get a bigger tank, preferably a 55 gallon, but anything bigger for a cheap price works too. My budget has been horrible as I'm a college student and I had to fly with these loaches as carry-ons from Alaska to Pennsylvania!
As for shelter, I have a couple pieces of bogwood, though I'd very much like to have more. I thought about the issue of shelter and realized I need a lot more of it for loaches of this size (and especially for the little guys). I used to have a really big cave that the modestas loved but I have yet to find that in my numberless boxes at home
As to the tank size.... it's been painfully small for over a year, and yes, it's risky and it's embarrassing
. I'm desperately looking to get a bigger tank, preferably a 55 gallon, but anything bigger for a cheap price works too. My budget has been horrible as I'm a college student and I had to fly with these loaches as carry-ons from Alaska to Pennsylvania!
Yes, the gashes on body are most likely to fighting. The eyes, another possibility for cloudy eyes are water condition (ammonia, chemicals or medicine, salt, ect..). Some fish even of the same species are more sensetive than others to chemicals. Botias are very lovable. Ice, I know you love your fish like most on this forum. You traveled with them, very admirable. What did you use to transport them anyway? I do hope you get lucky and score a bigger fish tank or even another 30 gallon to seperate the Modestas.
120 gallon planted aquaponic tank with 10 clown loachs, first one since 1994, 1 modesta and 3 striadas.
Yeah it must have just been a rough fight. They are definitely looking better today. I do put aquarium salt in the tank because I heard it helps gill function and prevents infection from open wounds, and the fish seem to take to it just fine.
And yes I do love them very much, and I'm trying my best to get them a bigger tank without breaking my bank. There are good deals, I just need to time it right.
As for transporting the fish... I didn't have as much luck as I would have liked. All my big guys, the modestas and the clowns, and some of the little guys, made it. But a smaller bag of little loaches died because the air somehow got squeezed out of the bag, I was so horribly sad But the other little back of little loaches made it.
As for the big guys, I had all of them placed in a carry-on suitcase that was lined with styrofoam. I also had microwaved heat packs in with them (I reused the heat packs that our tropical fish distributor gave us with our fish orders). I then put each big clown in a separate bag, and all 3 modestas were put in a bag together. Filled the bags with just enough water to cover the top fins of the fish, then went to a scuba shop to have them pump pure oxygen into the bags. Sealed them all up, and away we went. Had them in the overhead compartments of the plane.
This was all before the liquid ban, thank goodness, though that's going to prove irritating when I have to fly my fish back, eventually.
Overall, my fishies lasted a good 15 hours travel time!
And yes I do love them very much, and I'm trying my best to get them a bigger tank without breaking my bank. There are good deals, I just need to time it right.
As for transporting the fish... I didn't have as much luck as I would have liked. All my big guys, the modestas and the clowns, and some of the little guys, made it. But a smaller bag of little loaches died because the air somehow got squeezed out of the bag, I was so horribly sad
But the other little back of little loaches made it.As for the big guys, I had all of them placed in a carry-on suitcase that was lined with styrofoam. I also had microwaved heat packs in with them (I reused the heat packs that our tropical fish distributor gave us with our fish orders). I then put each big clown in a separate bag, and all 3 modestas were put in a bag together. Filled the bags with just enough water to cover the top fins of the fish, then went to a scuba shop to have them pump pure oxygen into the bags. Sealed them all up, and away we went. Had them in the overhead compartments of the plane.
This was all before the liquid ban, thank goodness, though that's going to prove irritating when I have to fly my fish back, eventually.
Overall, my fishies lasted a good 15 hours travel time!
you've got to increase the "footprint" of your tank.
The loaches footprint is floor area.
Get a lot of large slate and do levels. That will increase the footprint and space out the floor for the loaches.
IMO - get rid of some of your loaches. You are going to lose some anyway and maybe all when desease breaks out. Imagine your clowns dieing of whitespot.
I knew a guy that bought a 125 gallon with mods, robusta, kubs, large clowns, tiger, horseface, yoyos, skunks, zebras etc...in it. It was a war zone. The large clowns were scarred and freaking and a large yoyo had its top fin ripped off. It wasn't a good place to be a mild loach. Even the large Yoyos were in trouble. I eventually bought the remaining fish off the guy after he lost interest. Why I own a clown loach actually.
Alot of the fish vanished.
I think you've got to decide what loaches you want to keep. Your mix is not healthy.
If I recall some of your loaches have already vanished and you had a kuli (sp?) loach in your tank too.
You''ve got to provide a tank of hiding spots. It will not look good but your loaches will be better off for it. I never see my eos, rubusta or my mods (RIP) cause they like to hide.
The loaches footprint is floor area.
Get a lot of large slate and do levels. That will increase the footprint and space out the floor for the loaches.
IMO - get rid of some of your loaches. You are going to lose some anyway and maybe all when desease breaks out. Imagine your clowns dieing of whitespot.
I knew a guy that bought a 125 gallon with mods, robusta, kubs, large clowns, tiger, horseface, yoyos, skunks, zebras etc...in it. It was a war zone. The large clowns were scarred and freaking and a large yoyo had its top fin ripped off. It wasn't a good place to be a mild loach. Even the large Yoyos were in trouble. I eventually bought the remaining fish off the guy after he lost interest. Why I own a clown loach actually.
Alot of the fish vanished.
I think you've got to decide what loaches you want to keep. Your mix is not healthy.
If I recall some of your loaches have already vanished and you had a kuli (sp?) loach in your tank too.
You''ve got to provide a tank of hiding spots. It will not look good but your loaches will be better off for it. I never see my eos, rubusta or my mods (RIP) cause they like to hide.
drain your pool!
The slate idea actually sounds like a good idea. Once I have that larger tank, I think I will try doing levels, and get more bogwood and a cave. That will all help loads.
And yes, I realize it's not a healthy tank by any means. But I already had to make sacrifices when I moved these fish, so I just can't part with any of them, especially since I will very likely have a bigger tank within these next couple weeks. It would be awful to give away fish I've had for 6-10 years to someone I don't know, and when I might have the new tank only a couple days later. Your advice is sound, but it's just not advice I can take after all I've been through with these fish. I promise they will have a new tank even if I have to bend over backward.
They've put up with the current tank for over a year, too, with no casualties, so I'm confident they will manage for another 2-3 weeks.
I almost lost one of the skunks to an internal parasite, but it survived and regained its health. I was amazed at that.
As for moving fish by plane, I'm glad my info was helpful. The essential thing to do is to ABSOLUTELY get pure oxygen into the fish bags. They won't last the trip, otherwise. The other thing is to NOT overfill their bags with water as the air space is very important. Warmth is also important, of course. Good luck when you finally have to make the move!
And yes, I realize it's not a healthy tank by any means. But I already had to make sacrifices when I moved these fish, so I just can't part with any of them, especially since I will very likely have a bigger tank within these next couple weeks. It would be awful to give away fish I've had for 6-10 years to someone I don't know, and when I might have the new tank only a couple days later. Your advice is sound, but it's just not advice I can take after all I've been through with these fish. I promise they will have a new tank even if I have to bend over backward.
They've put up with the current tank for over a year, too, with no casualties, so I'm confident they will manage for another 2-3 weeks.
I almost lost one of the skunks to an internal parasite, but it survived and regained its health. I was amazed at that.
As for moving fish by plane, I'm glad my info was helpful. The essential thing to do is to ABSOLUTELY get pure oxygen into the fish bags. They won't last the trip, otherwise. The other thing is to NOT overfill their bags with water as the air space is very important. Warmth is also important, of course. Good luck when you finally have to make the move!
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