Skinny/Sunken Belly Loaches

[Chizzle]

Hi everyone so I just purchased a group of 16 loaches from a fellow local hobbyist and noticed 3 skinny ones with sunken bellies. While I am QTing and treating the whole group prophylactically, I separated these 3 from the rest for a more intensive quarantine because they definitely appear sick. What are the chances they improve if I treat them with a few levamisole baths and also feed them pellets soaked with levamisole/praziquantel/metronidazole? Will they stay super skinny or is there still hope they will recover? Please take the time to read my entire post before posting and please answer the question. Looking for answers with personal experience with skinny/sickly loaches only. I posted on a loach group on fb and everyone was scrutinizing my QT skills and nobody was answering the question.

 

[esoxlucius]

There's a very good "sticky" by RD. in "bottom dwellers" under "eels and loaches" regarding skinny disease. Just in case there's anything else you need to be aware of i've tagged the OP of the original sticky, and maybe he'll comment further to advise you.

 

[RD.]

Not my sticky, but I posted in it a number of times on the last page.

Treatment of skinny disease (nematodes). Downloadable PDF

Here's a PDF from the University of Florida aquaculture department. This is a method to treat intestinal nematodes which frequently plague loach species. I also personally recommend a very high protein diet during treatment. Feel free to post comments, questions, or ideas on this thread...

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

There is always a chance for recovery, but like most illness/treatments there is no absolute guarantees.


Good luck