Clown Loach - Rapid Breathing

[Hash]

Hello Everyone, Newbie here, my first post.
Today I noticed that my Clown Loach was lying on its side and breathing rapidly with its mouth.

Over the last 10 days I have been reating my tank with medication for ICH as I believe my tank was infested as I had lost number of fishes.

I follow the normal process of raising the temperature, water changes, weater tests etc and managed the get the tank stablelized, but as stated I am now concerned with my clown loach. I had already lost one clown loach with the same symptoms.

Any advise wld be much appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[TheKeyToArson]

Which medication did you use? Loaches can be very sensitive to some medications. Make sure the meds you are using say it's okay to use with scaleless fish.

If you think its the medicine you should get some activated carbon into your filter to help absorb it. also make sure you have a large airstone running to help oxygenate the water while the heat is turned up and you are medicating.

 

[mamapuff]

How long has the tank been set up? Did the tank cycle before you added fish? What are all your water parameters? What indications made you think it was ich? Were there white spots on the fish? Loaches are pretty hardy fish, and can usually pull through most illnesses, but are sensitive to most medications. I've only lost one of my 50ish due to my stupidity of turning out the power head and not seeing the baby inside it. For my loaches, I would only dose 1/2 strength, and very slowly increase as needed. Make sure your have enough oxygen in the water, as stated. I would lower your water level (if full) and let the filter create more surface agitation to see if that helps slow the breathing a little bit. Hopefully with some answers about your water, we can help a little bit more

 

[Hash]

Thank you all for the reply.
The tank has been setup for 6 mths and has been cycled. I went to the LFS who is very reputable and knowledgeable and he stated the same i.e. medication was built up in the tank. The medication contained copper.

I installed the carbon filter.
As stated earlier changed 20% of water.
Reduced the temperature to 28C
Put the loach in my hospital tank which had no medication, was cycled etc.
Seems to be all OK so far.

Thank you all for your help and advise.

 

[Vincentii]

ive kept clown loaches for 20 odd years and would like to say that clown loaches have a very fast metabolism and sometimes they go into a bout of dashing around their tanks, chasing each other, sometimes for fun and sometimes to reorder the pecking order in the heirachy within the group. . . then they all tend to go into a period of rest where they would all rest and breathe heavily. . . this is very normal. but if the heavy breathing is constant it may well be a water issue. . . lots of partial daily water changes if symptoms persist . . . and see what happens in the next few days.