Sweetysmum Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 My clown loach has stopped eating and has started breathing very rapidly these last couple of days. Today I noticed some small amounts of white slimey stuff in her tank, not sure if it is something she is passsing or not. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricketman Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 have you checked water parameters? unfortunately lack of scales means that loaches are extra sensitive to changes in their environ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetysmum Posted January 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 checked Ph ammonia and nitrite last night and all was okay. The slimey stuff I am pretty sure is the protective coating they have over their body. I have found more since. Unfortunately she is quite old, so she has her age against her. She has been blind in one eye for many many years and the other eye is looking raised and cloudyish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkLB Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Has the water movement lessened lately? From a blocked filter or an outlet slipping low or similar? I'm wondering if the O2 levels have dropped for some reason :dunno: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 also lots of information on this site that might help http://forums.loaches.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetysmum Posted January 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Is there a test I can do to see if the O2 levels in the water have dropped? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetysmum Posted January 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Thanks Sophia for that web site. Didn't know it was there. Will take a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetysmum Posted January 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 The slimey stuff is her protective coving coming away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirt Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 I beleive it is called their slime coat. There is a product that helps regenerate their slime coat, I beleive it is called stress coat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetysmum Posted January 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I give her stress coat every water change and last night i put a bit more in to see if it would help. Might add some more again today. Gave her a water change after I noticed this happening Saturday night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I read that those stress coat products work by adding some type of irritant to the water to induce the fish to secrete more of the slime. If there have been no changes in water parameters for a long time, and no new fish introduced for a long time, then one might deduce that the fish is sick from a bacterial infection, and less likely a parasite or worm, and that is why she is losing her slime coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 At 28, is it possible she is suffering from old age? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Old age is not a sickness in itself :smln: With senescence comes impaired immunity, and neoplasia, and general all round reduction in organ function. Since the fish appears wasted, maybe it's an indolent bacterial or viral infection or parasite? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I know it is not a sickness but it does cause various body functions to break down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 And then you can attempt to treat the specific organ failure ... but arguing senescence as the cause would imply no cure is available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetysmum Posted January 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 My vet is making up something and will collect it this afternoon. The slime coating still on her body looks white while still on her today. Last week she was a box of birds. It's happened so quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 What's the vet's diagnosis? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetysmum Posted January 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 We are treatiing her for bacteria as he feels this is the most likely cause. She is to have a five hour bath each day in a hospital tank for five days. Had her first bath last night, much to her disgust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted January 11, 2012 Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 Cool ... the vet and I agree :thup: What antibiotic did the vet dispense? Kanamycin? You could've grabbed some of the water before the antibiotic bath and plated it on an agar plate to see what bugs grow to get a bacteriological diagnosis. I remember doing this stuff when I was at uni. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 11, 2012 Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 Bacteriological diagnosis is a little easier in a bacto lab than a domestic kitchen. You also need to know what you are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetysmum Posted January 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 Baytril. Should that work as well as Kanamycin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 11, 2012 Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 The latter is "not for use on scaleless fish" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetysmum Posted January 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 which one do you mean, the baytril is not for use on scaleless fish??? or the Kanamycin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 11, 2012 Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 I suspect the vet could be treating for haemorhagic septicemia which is a gram negative bacterial disease caused by aeromonas hydrrophila, a bacteria causing varied signs of disease and being common in water. Particularly a problem for fish with a compromised immune system (which can happen with old age). It is a disease maf watch out for signs of in quarantine of fish. Only a guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 11, 2012 Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 The latter---kanamycin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.