Help, Clown Loaches Look In Bad Shape

[Neo8223]

Temperature: 27 celcius
Tank size: 72 US Gallons
Nitrite levels: 0.3 Mgl (apparently really low)
pH: unknown. probably 7.5 though
Partial water change frequency: 30% of tank water once every 2 weeks and treated with aqua safe.
Health of all other fish: Excellent
Feeding: Twice a day a lot of flake food (I have tin foil barbs which devour the food)

Hi all. My clown loaches have all been looking pretty bad recently. After treating them for white spot sucessfully when i first got them, a few weeks later i then noticed sort of whitish marks on them and a bit of nipped fins. There were also evident bite marks. This then healed by itself for most of the clowns but has since came back in force effecting all 5 clowns. Here are 2 pics of what i think will be helpful:

That one looks the worst. The picture also doesnt capture the full picture. There is also noticeable lighter round marks on the fins and body of the clown loaches.

Any ideas of what it is and how to treat it would be most appreciated.

Thanks for reading
Paul

 

[WILDER]

What other fish are you keeping with them, it looks like a bacterial infection to me, them sores are really red.
Plus you have a nitrite reading and that won't be helping i would do another water change.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing or laboured breathing as i'm thinking flukes maybe with the bite marks.

 

[Neo8223]

3 tin foiled barbs, = these mabey causing a bit of stress cuz they are always hyperactive racing about the tank.
2 angel fish (Male and female)
5 Dwarf Gorumis (3 male 2 female i believe)
4 Clown Loaches in total (1 died last night)
1 Plecco
1 Red finned shark
I alo have just recently removed 3 guppies but they never even came close to the clowns.

By the way, the infection is only seeming to effect the Clown loaches. The one in the pic has passed away but the other clown loaches are developing early symptoms of the same thing but are very strong still so should take well to anti bacterial treatment They were just chasing the tin foil barbs around the tank and keeping up! so they must be strong to a degree.

 

[WILDER]

Would like to look at full water stats in ammonia as well.
How long have you had a nitrite readings, as the pink gills could be down to water quality and the finrot.
Clown are very sensitive to water quality.

 

[Neo8223]

Would like to look at full water stats in ammonia as well.
How long have you had a nitrite readings, as the pink gills could be down to water quality and the finrot.
Clown are very sensitive to water quality.

I had finished testing the nitrite levels 10 mins before i sent the post.

It seems as if theirs white clouding on them. It has gotten worse.

 

[WILDER]

When fish have whitespot they can also come down with bacterial infections, any sign still of laboured breathing or flicking and rubbing on objects.

 

[Neo8223]

rubbing against each other. They both rub as if they want to go into a ball and they both loose their colour really quickly and get it back just as quickly.

 

[Neo8223]

Update: Bought some anti-bacterial/fungal/fin rot treatment and the white patches on the clowns have reduced dramatically. Thanks people and in particular wilder for helping me to get rid of this

Off topic a bit but: WOW THESE CLOWNS KNOW HOW TO GET RID OF SNAILS. I transgered a few plants to my new tank and although i thought there wernt any snails in the plants, there deffinately are hehe. Just the clowns pretty much got rid of them before they could even get onto the glass so the tank seemed to be snail free. Now i got a nice little challenge getting rid of the snails using chemicals

 

[WILDER]

Good, maybe go in with another round of the med, good luck.

 

[Neo8223]

Good, maybe go in with another round of the med, good luck.

Hmmn found this post from a long time ago. Happy story, the clown loach is still there! Snails havnt been seen in the tank tho lol.

 

[WILDER]

Glad the clown loach is ok.