Two Fish Suffering...would It Be Kinder To Euthanise Them?

[cheenickle]

i have a 25 litre tank and did a water change 7 days ago. I got a little carried away with my gravel siphon and ended up sucking out more than 2/3 of the water. I replaced with fresh water (treated with toxivec as usual) and prayed that i'd left enough of my cycled water in the tank. it appears not. two days later, i got home to find one of my clown loaches had passed away. his nose was pointing upwards and he bobbed at the bottom of the tank, white-ish in colour. i removed him with a heavy heart (he'd seemed fine that morning).

i immediately noticed my remaining clown loach acting lethargic and hanging around the same spot in one corner...a stark contrast to the comical pair i'd seen wobbling animatedly around the bottom of the tank only days before. is he pining for his pal? now, a further 48 hours on, he too is stationary with his nose pointing upwards. he hasn't moved in 24 hours and at one point i thought he had given up the fight, only to see his gills softly opening and closing again.

to add to my sadness, the clown loach that now appears to be hanging on by a thread made a last ditch attempt at movement yesterday morning. he rushed to the surface to get flake food (NEVER seen a clown loach eat at the top, have you?) and (no idea if this was aggression or an accident) bit off the tail of a glass catfish! the glass catfish in question now has a white lump where his tail used to be, his body is turning milky and one of his eyeballs has gone inky black. he sort of wiggles about as best he can and the most heartbreaking thing of all is that at first his twin would protect him but 24 hours on, he stays well away and the wounded glass catfish is now being nipped at by my guppy.

i've had losses before but could always put them down to bullying/ulcers. the clown loaches rapid deterioration is out of the blue...unless i directly link it to my over enthusiastic water change? are they stationary with noses pointing upwards because they are gasping for air in their last moments?

another possibility is that i've not been feeding my clown loaches enough/the right food? i put algae wafers and flake food in, but they never seemed to get much benefit as my greedy bristlenose catfish seems to always get there first! he's thriving with an ever expanding waistband, while the rest of my tank seem to be dropping like flies. is this because he's hardy and can withstand a drastic water change?

my next question is one i hoped i'd never have to ask. from hearing my symptoms, does it sound like it would be kinder and more humane to euthanise my sick fish? is the clown loach suffering terribly? i may be imagining it, but he looks really sad and scared, poor little fella. the glass catfish seems to be rapidly losing the ability to swim and is very close to the surface, which i can only assume is because he too can't breathe?

i hope somebody is able to help me here. i've experienced fish passing away before but have never seen them suffer like this. it's horrible! i just want to do what's best for the fish and also ensure i do my best to prevent this in the future.

thank you!

 

[Faythee]

How long has the tank been set up ? Have you tested your water ? Sounds like it could be somthing other than the water change. Your filter holds most of the beneficial bacteria, not the water. It is possible to over-spiphon the gravel and have a mini-cylcle....but not enough to cause what you are describing.

the glass catfish in question now has a white lump where his tail used to be, his body is turning milky and one of his eyeballs has gone inky black

Sounds bacterial and/or fungus. I think you need meds. Hopefully someone with more experience will come along soon.

 

[SharonCC]

A very large water change can sometimes cause a drastic ph difference, if the ph of your tap water is not the same as your tank water. Fish will die of shock, if the ph has changed drastically....clowns are especially sensitive to such changes. I euthanize if I feel there is no chance for recovery, and the fish is suffering. It's a difficult decision....Good luck...

 

[cheenickle]

thanks very much for your replies guys! woke up this morning to find the glass catfish had died. very sad. from what i've read his companion probably won't last long without him, as they are very sociable and don't like to be alone.

my clown loach had swum to the opposite end of the tank in the night, but was still looking very poorly this morning, barely breathing and not moving. if he's still hanging on when i get home from work, i think i'll put him out of his misery, as it seems kinder than watching him fade away like this.

oh well, you live and learn. before i do anything else, i'm going to get my water tested and make sure all the levels are tip top before introducing any newbies.

thanks again!

 

[Athena]

Sorry to hear about all your fish problems and deaths. Yes, those clown loaches are very sensitive fish and notorious for getting whitespot and other diseases and can go downhill rapidly if anything stresses them. Did you notice any tiny white salt-like grains on their body at all?

As I mentioned to someone else today, it's always best to have several medications stored at home so that at the first sign of illness you can identify the problem and start treating asap. The sooner you begin treating the more chance of survival for the fish.

The main treatments you need to have on hand are Whitespot treatment (e.g. Protozin which treats Whitespot, Fungus, Neon Tetra Disease, Velvet, Costiasis and Trichodiniasis), an anti-bacterial treatment (e.g. Pimafix, or Myxazin - "MYXAZIN lowers the count of harmful bacteria in aquarium water, treating Fin Rot, Body Rot, Ulcers, Sores and other bacterial infections. MYXAZIN will also help to control Pop - Eye Disease, Cloudy Eyes and Mouth Fungus" (description taken from online ad)), and Melafix (a natural product containing tea tree oil to help with the healing of open wounds, torn fins etc).

With those at the ready you'll be more prepared to tackle any further common fish illness. Obviously there are many brands of medications and it depends on where you live as to what is available. But your LFS should be able to advise what they have to treat the most common ailments.

Regards - Athena