Permanently Gray Clown Loach?

[cypher1024]

Hey guys,
I have a clown loach that hasn't been looking well for a while.

At first, I thought he was just trying to assert himself as the alpha loach, by staying greyed-out. He's far from the biggest clown in the tank though. He's been like this for a few weeks, but he tends to hide whenever I come near the tank to attempt to inspect him, so I hadn't got a good look at him until today. I don't think he's got velvet, because I can't see any individual spots.

Aside from his body lacking colour, the backs of his fins (particularly the tail) look like they're in bad shape (almost like they're rotting - see the photo), and he is always rapidly opening and closing his mouth to breathe. His eyes also seem to be cloudy, compared to my other clowns.

Apart from the heavy breathing, his behaviour seemed very normal. He is still feeding and putting on weight. Whatever it is doesn't seem to have infected the other clowns, but just to be sure, I've put him in my quarantine tank for observation (and possible treatment).

Any suggestions/diagnosis' would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
- Luke

 

[Mo0]

hope everything goes well

 

[redinfinity]

I don't think he's diseased - I have one loach that's relatively gray compared to the others, and my biggest loach is not the alpha loach (don't know why). Is anyone else grayed out?

I cant really tell from the photo is his fins are damaged. Is it getting worse over time?

Has he always had a cloudy eye? It might be due to trauma from a fight if it just showed up one day.

So does he open and close his mouth all the time? Some of my loaches yawn sometimes but definitely not constantly.

 

[cypher1024]

hope everything goes well

Thanks bud. He's currently sulking in a hollow log in the quarantine tank

I don't think he's diseased - I have one loach that's relatively gray compared to the others, and my biggest loach is not the alpha loach (don't know why). Is anyone else grayed out?

Not really. I think because there's 5 big guys and a lot of hiding spots, no one has really tried to claim seniority. The loach in question is much smaller than the 5 big ones though, which is why I don't think he/she is going for alpha status.

I cant really tell from the photo is his fins are damaged. Is it getting worse over time?

Sorry about the quality of the photo. My brother is getting a macro lens for his DSLR soon so hopefully I can get a better shot then. I can't say whether or not his fins are getting worse. I only noticed them on the day I pulled him out of the tank.

Has he always had a cloudy eye? It might be due to trauma from a fight if it just showed up one day.

Ordinarily I'd think the same thing, but both eyes appear cloudy (I think). I'm pretty sure they've been cloudy the whole time he's been gray, because I think I never remember noticing his eyes being blacker than his stripes.

So does he open and close his mouth all the time? Some of my loaches yawn sometimes but definitely not constantly.

Yeah, it was pretty consistent. He looked like he was gulping 3-5 times per second.

I just took a look at him in the QT, and he doesn't seem to be doing it now. Hopefully that's a good sign...

 

[justin guest]

From the photo and your description of his behaviour he's got a bacterial problem. Treat with acriflavin (that's the active constituent's name and not a product) as it's much safer for cl's than malachite. Alternately the salt/heat option would be good but don't bump up the temp too quick as the immune system of the fish may not keep up with the increased bacterial growth on the skin that the extra heat may generate. If he doesn't react to the acriflavin he may well also have white spot but only on the gills, which does occur more often than people realise. In this case definately follow up with the salt/heat option (check older threads for dosage) or if you are willing to take a risk then you could alternately try white spot meds at half dose.

j<><

 

[cypher1024]

From the photo and your description of his behaviour he's got a bacterial problem. Treat with acriflavin (that's the active constituent's name and not a product) as it's much safer for cl's than malachite. Alternately the salt/heat option would be good but don't bump up the temp too quick as the immune system of the fish may not keep up with the increased bacterial growth on the skin that the extra heat may generate. If he doesn't react to the acriflavin he may well also have white spot but only on the gills, which does occur more often than people realise. In this case definately follow up with the salt/heat option (check older threads for dosage) or if you are willing to take a risk then you could alternately try white spot meds at half dose.
j<><

Thanks for the reply mate.
How safe is acriflavin? Should I treat my display tank with it as well to be sure?

 

[SteveR]

Haha I must be asleep today, as I read this thread as "permanently *** clown loach".

 

[cypher1024]

Haha I must be asleep today, as I read this thread as "permanently *** clown loach".

LOL
I'm not sure which ones are dudes, but I suppose that's possible too!

 

[Diskboy12]

Looks good anyways

 

[justin guest]

Thanks for the reply mate.
How safe is acriflavin? Should I treat my display tank with it as well to be sure?

I've never seen a fish killed by the correct dose of acriflavin and I've overseen the dosage of hundreds of aquariums and ponds with lots of different freshwater species. Just make sure oxygen levels are ok.

Re display tank: Disease can only exist where fish have compromised immune systems. The bugs that cause disease are almost always present in the tank water but only multiply when fish are stressed. If the other fish aren't showing signs of disease within about a week after removing the sick fish then there is usually no reason to medicate the display tank. On a personal note I like using uv lamps when keeping cl's as I have less problems introducing new fish to the school.
Good luck

j<><