Oddball loaches, need some help

[jmart.cooper]

I know not to do the antibiotic at the same time as the dewormer, but do it later. I have read that the nematodes can cause the loaches to get a secondary bacterial infection, so my thought was that I may want to treat them with an antibiotic at some point.

Should I stop the dewormer and concentrate on the ick first. I guess that would make sense, seeing how you said the dewormer would suppress their appetite. They eat ok right now, I dont know if they would eat better if they weren't being dewormed.

What I think I will do is large water change, add carbon to remove the rest of the dewormer and then add some salt to help with the ick.

The temperature in now at 87 degrees. Do you think I could finish the dewormer medication. I am following the directions found in the article on loaches.com. They say to do one round (which I have done) then wait a week and do another.

Do you think they could be over the ick well enought to do another round of dewormer in a week or should I just postpone this treatment until they get a bit bigger?

I just got some new sponge filters today and I was wondering if I should ad another sponge filter and take out the AC 50. Since they are so small I dont know if the current from the HOB is too much. I have it turned down most the way right now and they seem to do ok with it, but less current may make it easier for them to find the bloodworms.

Well I am off to go do a water change, any more advice would be greatly appreciated.

I will continue to try to get some good pics. They move to quick for my lame camera.

 

[Lupin]

I know not to do the antibiotic at the same time as the dewormer, but do it later. I have read that the nematodes can cause the loaches to get a secondary bacterial infection, so my thought was that I may want to treat them with an antibiotic at some point.

You cannot say for sure bacterial infection will happen and don't treat unless it did happen. What is not broken, doesn't need to be fixed.

Should I stop the dewormer and concentrate on the ick first. I guess that would make sense, seeing how you said the dewormer would suppress their appetite. They eat ok right now, I dont know if they would eat better if they weren't being dewormed.

Whichever you think you can do, go for it but if I were you, go over salt and levamisole hydrochloride. I elaborated earlier you cannot combine both with antibiotics however. The combo is far lethal and very stressful. Focus on foods while treatment is ongoing and keep the lights off while treating with levamisole. It is ineffective when lights are on.

What I think I will do is large water change, add carbon to remove the rest of the dewormer and then add some salt to help with the ick.

No, you're fine with both treatments. Just be sure to add salt slowly to avoid osmoregulatory stress.

The temperature in now at 87 degrees. Do you think I could finish the dewormer medication. I am following the directions found in the article on loaches.com. They say to do one round (which I have done) then wait a week and do another.

Yes, you should. As much as possible, stick with daily water changes and add treatment of levamisole per the water volume replaced. This is very tricky. You need the daily water changes to compensate the water quality as you are keeping inch sized clowns.

Do you think they could be over the ick well enought to do another round of dewormer in a week or should I just postpone this treatment until they get a bit bigger?

Keep both treatments ongoing together.