Loach stuck, real problem

[palaeodave]

Thanks saphphx, that sounds like a really good way of doing it. I think with an every day medication scheme I might try to find a half way house with the dosing. So 25% water change every day and with it a dose of melafix that is for more than just the replaced water but not as much as the whole tank volume. Although I feel like I should be following the instructions on the bottle....it could be that the medication is intended to build up over the week. Although Shari's experience suggests that her method provides successful treatment.

I think I'll go with the half way house idea unless anyone else has anything else to pitch in with?

Wolfram, your idea is singluarly terrifying! I don't think I'd have had the nerve to try that! That said, it would be much less stressful to the fish as there wouldn't be the noise and vibrations of using a rotary saw.

Interesting point about not feeding too much to avoid pressure from inside....I had the complete opposite thought that it would need plenty of food in order to repair itself. Hmm. Decisions decisions!

Thank you all for your input and encouragement. Keep it coming!

[saphphx]

the halfway sounds best with loaches to be honest. I think the point is that the medication slowly builds up instead of one massive dose, which I always thought would be best way to do it anyway I would do slightly more and more but perhaps not a whole dose just the same, loaches being touchy and all I normally go for 1/4 of the dose, or if its ich, I dip them, wipe the white spots off, then move them to a clean tank and treat the origional tank heavily so the actual loach goes to a clean un-medicated QT but the tank is still cured. Worked well so far, little stress on the fish but better then medicating as far as I see it.

Would have been iffy useing hot wire to melt it, but you do inventive things to save the fish you love. I'd rather loose a fish trying to save it then stand there and watch him die. Spent an hour once swishing a little panda in a dish of water as I was watching them eat and he suddenly stopped breathing and fell over, so I swished him for almost an hour to keep water flowing, then suddenly his tail twitched and off he went, I cried for days because I should have left him at the fish shop as I knew he was ill, but as my husband said, they would have never stayed up til 4am watching him and saved him like that, Little Blue is alive and well today He doesn't swim quite right, think he may have suffered some slight brain damage from lack of O2, but seems happy, swishes the other fish about and loves his sand digging parties. Just every now and then has a good twitch and then off he goes to normal.

[palaeodave]

Little Blue is alive and well today

What a great story!

[saphphx]

What a great story!

He's a very special fish. I spazed today when he started showing swimbladder signs thanks to that stupid nitrate remover stuff, but seems better now, I've been checking him non stop, but he seems just fine again.

It really erks me when people do the "it's just a fish" thing. Little Blue is a prince in this house, that's for sure Even my husband calls him the "lucky little bugger" (but still calls me "slightly insane" lol) But there is a reason I check on the fish all the time, that's why. If you have the feeling to check on them, check on them. If I had gone back to sleep, he would have died.

Should make a Near Death Fish Story book of all of our horror stories. I would have freaked if I was you. I don't think I would have handled it as well as you did. I probably would have got a hamer and started after the ornament and probably accidently kill the poor loach.

[palaeodave]

Possible proplem. I wasn't going to update until I could get some pictures to go with it but for the last while she's been hiding under a knotted-root type ornament. Its quite a small thing and only has room for one loach under it at a time lying on its side, and you need to burrow slightly to get under. I saw her yesterday morning before she went hiding and she was look a bit better, able to flex the body more. But then she went under there and hasn't come out since, so presumably not eating.

I thought it best just to leave her yesterday but I'm starting to wonder if I should lift up the thing to let her out....

[shari2]

She will be alright for several days without eating, and as she rests she may be doing the best thing for her recovery. I wouldn't stress her just yet by removing her 'recovery room'.

Clarification on the Melafix. I do follow the suggestions on the bottle at about 1/2 dose. I just do the water changes and add in the needed amount to the return water. The bottle doesn't mention doing water changes, and yes, it's intended to build up over time, so I want to pursue the same effect. But I do use less than the recommended dose.

There have been some reports of 'overdosing' Melafix causing major problems in aquaria. One report I've read led to death with a double dose. most say it's dangerous at a quadruple dose. That shouldn't be a problem for you if you're already planning to use a half dose.

Remember when dosing any med that contents of the tank will affect the true volume of water. Wood, decor, substrate all displace water. Several pieces of decor, rock, wood, substrate will displace water and the true volume of a tank will be perhaps 20% or more less than the volume of the empty tank. This should be considered when you dose any med.

If you removed everything from the tank, and look at the water level, how much water will you have? Certainly not a 'full' tank.

[palaeodave]

You're quite right on that Shari. Difficult to estimate how much by though. At first I thought 20% seemed too much but looking at my tank now that might not be far off. I'll lower the dose a little more I think! Need to do that now actually.....

[palaeodave]

Actually I'd like to check my dosing with you.

My tank is supposedly 180litres, so going with a conservative estimate lets say the true volume is 160litres. Melafix is to be dosed at 5ml for every 40litres, so thats 20ml for my tank. If I change 25% daily, that 25% is keeping the level of melafix the same rather than having a net increase, so even if I put in the full dose in there would still be less going into the tank than is stated on the label. I was thinking to put in 15ml daily with the water change. Do you think thats alright or should I go with 10ml?

[shari2]

AAAAAAAhhhh! Mathophobe here.

Yes, I'd say the 15 would work. It's a fairly safe medication even if you go the full 20 with the water change you should be ok. Just watch the fish.

[LoachOrgy]

looks like shes perking up a bit!

[saphphx]

glad she's sounding better

[palaeodave]

Just saw her out and about, swimming quite happily. The mark on her looks absolutely horrendous. Really deep looking bloody red. But she's alive and well. Looking good for a full recovery....fingers crossed! I'll try to get some pictures in the morning.

[shari2]

It's good that she's moving. Hope it all works out well.

[saphphx]

Just saw her out and about, swimming quite happily. The mark on her looks absolutely horrendous. Really deep looking bloody red. But she's alive and well. Looking good for a full recovery....fingers crossed! I'll try to get some pictures in the morning.

Squishy the Misadventure Clown Loach looked the same up until a few days ago. Its horrible to see them a bit mangled (his stomach is still off to the side, but he seems normal and almost happier then the rest, guess he is enjoying his third life, going on forth now) but good to see them still swimming and happy

His friend has a black nose from today as well.

Keep us updated!

[wasserscheu]

... just the day after my reply here, my daughter´s favorite cat, Acanthodoras spinosissimus, the largest fish in that tank - trapped himself in a ceramic loach cave. How annoying! That cave has an elongated shape with to smaller holes to the top and a large one to the side, in the center of the cave. Hi stuck his body into the cave while I was watching, as if he were checking for food - just taking a look - but then he turned left and later snaped in his tail to - there he was ... I left him there more then an hour, decided that he need help, as he startet scratching his skin open (on the bottom). As I entered the room again with the pliers in my hand to break the top holes larger, he was out already - never saw him that exhausted...
I guess he was cunfused due to the german "spring time-change", lights went on an hour earlier - he also was confused seeing me at the tank before lights on - I guess that messed him up really

Wolfram