Sick 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

 

[HillFish]

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.

Have you checked your nitrate levels? Those symptoms seem like high nitrates. Sometimes just one (or a couple) of fish can react to high nitrates while the others are fine. It could also be pH.

 

[cypher1024]

Have you checked your nitrate levels? Those symptoms seem like high nitrates. Sometimes just one (or a couple) of fish can react to high nitrates while the others are fine. It could also be pH.

Thanks for the suggestions.
My nitrates are very close to 0ppm, and my pH is 7.0 - 7.2.
Could the pH be causing this?