My Sucking Loach (Chinese Algae Eater) was living happily in a temporary holding tank of only 11 litres after being a bully in my big tank...dont worry, he was only about 5 cm long, was on his own and I am running a massive internal filter which had already been precycled in my 70 litre. There is also some duckweed and hornwort in there to soak up the baddies. Anyway, water stats were good amm 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10, and he was looking very healthy having grown a lot since i got him. Today he was happily sucking away at algae and looking as pugnacious as ever.. However I came back half an hour later and he was stone cold dead, floating on the bottom, and his body was stiff as a board. Does anyone have any idea how this could have happened? Truly shocking thing to occur...
edit: further development, i forgot to add that he was in the 70 litre tank during the cycle, an was subjected to high nitrite levels about a week ago. He has however been in only trace levels of nitrite ever since though. I did see him engaging in some odd behaviour in the last couple of days, sucking along objects that break the water level, then popping his snout and eyes above the surface and staying there for periods of time. Suspecting brown blood disease, i just cut him open and he did a chocolatey colour to his blood....does anyone have any thoughts?
edit: further development, i forgot to add that he was in the 70 litre tank during the cycle, an was subjected to high nitrite levels about a week ago. He has however been in only trace levels of nitrite ever since though. I did see him engaging in some odd behaviour in the last couple of days, sucking along objects that break the water level, then popping his snout and eyes above the surface and staying there for periods of time. Suspecting brown blood disease, i just cut him open and he did a chocolatey colour to his blood....does anyone have any thoughts?
