I've just bought 3 Clown Loaches, after 4 days they developed White Spot. This is a new tank setup so I was surprised to see this. Apparently they are prone to this when being moved to a new tank, how can this be avoided and more importantly will they survive. I have started a course of treatment but I am worried about the removal of my charcoal with this being a new setup.
wd101's Emergency
- Thread starter wd101
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nmonks
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Yes, clown loaches are prone to this disease. No, whitespot won't kill your fish if you treat it promptly.
(Incidentally, it's often said loaches are prone to whitespot because they have "no scales"; this isn't true, they have scales, just small ones, on the sides and back. Only the belly is scaleless, and this isn't where the whitespot is confined, so the connection seems, to me, to be erroneous.)
Anyway, it's difficult to avoid whitespot when introducing new fish because the parasites probably came from the fish shop. Quarantining fish for a few weeks is often recommened to stop whitespot (or whatever) spreading to other fish, though hardly any hobbyists do it. In lieu of that, get a whitespot treatment from your local aquarium shop. Check that it is safe with loaches. There's some discussion as to whether copper-based medications harm loaches. Copper is toxic to the parasite, that's how it kills it, but it is also toxic to some fish. There is a useful summary here.
You absolutely, 100%, MUST remove charcoal before using any medication. I've written a guide to filter media for beginners elsewhere on this site. It will explain why you need to remove the carbon. If you don't, the medicine won't work, and your fish will remain ill.
In most aquaria, carbon is unnecessary. It's something retailers like aquarists to buy without actually thinking about what it is for. It solves very specific problems, and is totally redundant in a properly managed freshwater aquarium.
Cheers,
Neale
(Incidentally, it's often said loaches are prone to whitespot because they have "no scales"; this isn't true, they have scales, just small ones, on the sides and back. Only the belly is scaleless, and this isn't where the whitespot is confined, so the connection seems, to me, to be erroneous.)
Anyway, it's difficult to avoid whitespot when introducing new fish because the parasites probably came from the fish shop. Quarantining fish for a few weeks is often recommened to stop whitespot (or whatever) spreading to other fish, though hardly any hobbyists do it. In lieu of that, get a whitespot treatment from your local aquarium shop. Check that it is safe with loaches. There's some discussion as to whether copper-based medications harm loaches. Copper is toxic to the parasite, that's how it kills it, but it is also toxic to some fish. There is a useful summary here.
You absolutely, 100%, MUST remove charcoal before using any medication. I've written a guide to filter media for beginners elsewhere on this site. It will explain why you need to remove the carbon. If you don't, the medicine won't work, and your fish will remain ill.
In most aquaria, carbon is unnecessary. It's something retailers like aquarists to buy without actually thinking about what it is for. It solves very specific problems, and is totally redundant in a properly managed freshwater aquarium.
Cheers,
Neale
Thanks for the info. My treatment is not copper based and is Loach friendly. I am glad my fish should be ok they are real characters and hide inside the holes in my driftwood so are near impossible to catch. will let you know how i go on.
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