clown loaches died

i got 4 clown loaches from lfs 1st 2 i got are still living then l got another 2 from lfs they lasted 2 days then died check my water it is alrite amonia o nirite o nitrate o ph 7-6 i done the drip for hour for 1st 2 and 2nd 2 i live in soft water area dont understand it any adivce welcome.:wondering::sick::wondering: cheers

 

Sorry to read.What other fishes are in the tank?

 

Hi redtail

May I ask what size the clown loaches were when you bought them? In general, I can offer the following comments:

1. When buying clown loaches, look carefully and avoid fish that look thin. When young, they are prone to intestinal parasites. A thin fish could also indicate poor feeding/care/transport stress/etc.
2. Try to avoid fish smaller than 5cm, because it is at this young age when they are very prone to ich and other problems
3. Clown fish are bulky, wide fish. A fat clown fish is a healthy fish. Thin looking fish should be avoided.
4. They are pretty hardy when fed well and not stressed out
5. Water parameters make not much of a difference. They can adapt to pretty much any water and as you used the drip method I don't see any issues there
6. What temperature were they in the tank at the LFS? Often people don't know they prefer the warmer side of tropical, which is around 28 degrees Celsius, even up to 30 degrees.
7. I would also advise that you ask the LFS to feed the fish before buying. Lethargic feeders should be avoided.
8. Lastly, they are very sensitive to any chlorine in the water. Ensure that you always dechlorinate properly.

Regards
Lauré

 

hi Redtail , great advice from Laure. the most important point there is the fishes belly, clown loaches are bulky so look for the ones that are fat. i have almost always seen the thin guys die. and it is definately worthwhile to spend a little more cash and buy bigger fish, these fish are simply stunning and well worth it.

 

I have also learned that some of them have some other disease (for the life of me i cannot remember the name) that basically stops them from growing and they do not pick up weight. I have lost one like that.

These fish are very sensitive and are quite easily stressed out.

The biggest thing when buying them is as stated above is to look at them at the LFS and picking the healthy ones. Introducing them to the new tank should also be done very carefully.

Be sure to have PLENTY of hiding spaces for them as they will be very stressed out in the beginning.

Be sure that you don't have any "territorial" fish that will chase the loaches around and stress them out even more.

 

hi donny fish in my tank is pleco/platys/redtailshark/zerba danios/glowlight tertas/serpa tertas.the biggest is comon pleco 6 inchs they where no bite marks on them

 

hi laure temp is 26d 2inchs they were the clownloachs they were thin got them for 8 quid for 2 of them but other 2 were thin and same size they are still alive maybe it just luck i know they are prone to itch 1 had some whitespots on its body turn temp up 30d and put some tonic salt in the tank half tsp to 5gals for 10 days it went away then 2 days turn it 28 and 26d so should i keep temp at 28 or 30 cheers i knew they get plump belly when they get bigger didnt know when they are young cheers

---------- Post added at 19:10 ---------- Previous post was at 19:10 ----------

i ernstb cheers

 

hi inga great adivce from laure i only thought they get fat when they were older now i know now they are beauiful fish goin to get more but i get bigger ones they 2 inches long got 2 for 8 quid selling bigger ones for 10 quid 4inches long cheers

 

Hi redtail

I assume you are writing on your mobile phone? It makes things a bit difficult if you don't use punctuation. Anyway, always try get bigger ones; i promise you will be much happier with the 4inch fish, even though they are more expensive. However, make sure you still buy a healthy looking fish. When I said the younger ones should not be thin, but fat and broad, I meant within reason. Yes they get much fatter when they get older, but you will clearly see the difference between a healthy, fat young fish and a thin, skinny fish.

Clown loaches are not really that sensitive; they are quite hardy. This misconception came about because they are mostly sold when very young and small, and it is then when they are prone to ich and other problems. Another issue is that you should always buy at least a group of 5 as they are very social fish. They stress when in pairs or alone. The higher price tag of bigger fish often lead to people ignoring this aspect, which I have found is critical to their well being and happiness.

The problem you have is that most of your other fish won't like 28 degrees much. Danios, platys and the shark all prefer the lower side of the 20's. It is for this reason that I always tell people that clown loaches are not exactly a community tank fish. Furthermore, you must watch out for the shark, as these fish become very territorial when older and will chase anything that remotely looks like them. This includes loaches. However, the clown loaches are pretty capable of defending themselves. I have never kept any redtailsharks, and I have also heard contradicting stories as to the success of this combination.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Lauré

 

I agree with Laure about the loaches being quite hardy i once had my 4 survive when my filter just died on me, lost most of the fish in the tank but the loaches made it. but i do beilive that they are sensitive to medication, so if you medicate for any reason, you must half the dosage if you have loaches in your tank.

 

sorry to hear about your fish... hope you figure out what happened.

 

Dont worry i have also lost about 4 loaches, really expensive buggers. Think the were just a bad batch, but agree laure dont get little guys cause they always pegged first. Had one to begin with but he never come out of the cave as soon as i got more loaches the more active they got.