Rescued Cory, cotton mouth or barb infection?

[Colin_T]

Don't take the fish out and clean the tank. Just leave the fish there and gravel clean the substrate regularly like you have been doing. If you start chasing the fish around or moving gravel now, you could kill the loach.

If the tank was neglected for some time, the fish would have been in acid water with a high nitrate and suffering from old tank syndrome. If you do large water changes on a tank that has old tank syndrome, you can harm or kill the fish. So small water changes several times a week for a month and then bigger water changes.

I can't see any diseases on the fish other than a red nose and that would suggest a sinus infection that should clear up with clean water and a varied diet.

I would be careful using chemical medications on loaches because they are scaleless fishes and don't like most chemicals.

 

[RescueNewbie]

Thanks everyone for your advice and help.

I took the plunge yesterday and took them out the tank and did a big tank clean up. I realised all that gunk at the bottom was going to cause amonia spikes and also read that amonia spikes can actually cause them pain. Felt that gradual cleans and ongoing spikes would have been cruel.

Well one very leaping loach later and swearing fish newbie later - and both have survived and are loving life. Have set up YouTube channel to share his rather playful adventures today.

https://youtube.com/@RescueNewbie

He still shows moments of stress ( tank is too small and he is on his own without loach buddies) but I'm trying to add enough interest in the tank to keep his little fish brain a bit happier until other arrangements can practically be made.

I'd say he is looking 80% happier and less stressed than he was. Mission to make him 20% happier is yet to unfold - the boyfriend has agreed that if he survives when we move house, that we should get a bigger tank and some buddies for him. ( will take advice at that point on how best to do so).

Bump on mouth also looks better, and gaining more interest in finding food, and so he seems to be self-healing in a cleaner tank.

Really appreciate everyone's advice and support, as does Fish the loach and Chips the tetra. (Yep I've now named them, my friend's son demanded I did so).

This weekend he will be getting wormy treats in his new sand bed ( and more sand is on its way to make it deeper too).

 

[Ellie Potts]

Post pictures as the tank/fish improves!! Always fun to see it all unravel