New baby clown loach - Am I dealing with a sick loach?

Coryloach

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Thanks Alistair. They've been in the big tank for a week with the other loaches and he's really enjoying it. He's still paler, skinnier and smaller by a tail than his buddy I bought together with him, but he's constantly foraging for food and is very active and lively.
I've decided to dose them with flubendazole(Kusuri wormer plus) to cover round worms too plus a range of other stuff prazi doesn't treat. I should receive it in the post in the next couple of days and some of my older loaches including a few years old kuhli loaches, also recent additions barbs and SAEs have never been de-wormed, so it won't harm to do the lot at once....once in 5 or so years :)

Fingers crossed something will eventually work but that's my last option. I already fed the small loach hex-shield at the very start I bought them which contains metro and epsom salts...so out of ideas after this.
 

smjack

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Did you see any worms? I am seeing 3 in the pack that is thin. Am feeding shrimp aside from carnivorous pellets.
 

RD.

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If after being dewormed, it continues to eat and act normally, I wouldn't worry about it. It could possibly be an abnormal color morph cause by injury while in fry/larval stage, genetics, or? Keep us posted!
 
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Coryloach

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Did you see any worms? I am seeing 3 in the pack that is thin. Am feeding shrimp aside from carnivorous pellets.
No. I haven't seen any worms at all. I've always fed mine NLS and frozen food here and there. All the other loaches have been healthy for years and grown well on that food so I see no reason to change the diet, including the sickly fellow's buddy of same age who is looking really good now.

f after being dewormed, it continues to eat and act normally, I wouldn't worry about it. It could possibly be an abnormal color morph cause by injury while in fry/larval stage, genetics, or? Keep us posted!
Thanks RD. I dosed the meds last night. The fish didn't seem bothered at all so I was relieved. The little fellow has been otherwise very lively and feeding well for weeks now.
 
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Coryloach

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Well, its been roughly 4 days now since I dosed the flubendazole and I think I am already seeing some more signifficant colour improvement. The white loach is still skinny but hopefully that will change too in a bit more time.

I took some bad pictures which I will show below but the loach is no longer "white"



He looks good to me considering a few weeks ago he looked this washed out colour with a lot of white around the tail...which is not a picture effect...






But there is more to be desired to look as healthy as his two buddies below....

 

tlindsey

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I once had a small CL that looked exactly like yours skinny pale would browse but wouldn't eat like the others though. Lived for over 2 months btw treated with Hex-Shield. Happy that your loach is eating and gaining color.
 
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Coryloach

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Thanks tlindsey.

I treated with hex-shield in the first week, before I even saw the columnaris on the rasboras, and before treating with seachem kanaplex, or the prazi and flubendazole subsequently....That's a lot of meds but it was spread over a period of time...The rasboras by the way are too in the big tank and doing great...

The hex shiled didn't make any difference. Now that the loach seems to be getting his colour back, I'll be expecting a weight gain too if all is fine. I've had him for 11 weeks now....He's still going and I think slowly improving although I did read that clown loaches are extremely resilient to long periods of starvation...its how they survive in the wild.....I do see him eat though. He just munched on quite a bit of blood worms...

I am thinking to do a second dose of flubendazole after the water change today...just in case...which is recommended for extreme infestation...but I wouldn't know the level of "infestation" in the first place...or whether its just the good water quality and good food that gets him through whatever the issue is....
 
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RD.

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FYI ..... Hex-Shield doesn't treat internal worms, so if your loach has worms one must use a dewormer/anthelmintic such as flubendazole, praziquantel, etc.

Glad to hear that it is doing better.
 

Coryloach

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Thanks R.D. Yes, I am aware of that, hence I started with the de-wormers.
 

RD.

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Ok, all good. I didn't want anyone thinking that Hex-Shield could eradicate worms.
 
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