jezza

I recently bought 4 clown loach one has died and I noticed a red marking on his face. I did not worry about it much but now a second one has got the same markings again and is acting the same as my dead one did. Now I am worried.And I especially don't want my albino and non albino bristle nose to be affected. If it is harmful.pls help.

sasha

How long have you had the tank?? jezza

Butterfly

Jezza sorry to answer your questions with questions. How big is the tank? How long has it been set u? What are the water readings (ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates)? What other fish are in that tank?
Welcome to FishLore!
Carol

lee

hi jezza,
just wondered if you had a pleco or other suckerfish in there. i had this problem with my loaches and it turned out my pleco was sucking the loaches to the bottom of the tank and drowning them, the red coulor was the result of having the life sucked out off it.

lee

Tumbleweed

It could be Bacterial Ulceration. It can be caused by damage to the skin from parasites or chemicals (for example exposure to high levels of ammonia or nitrite or high/low pH). Fish can also be susceptible if their normal defenses are compromised by stress. High numbers of opportunistic bacteria, such as would be found in water with a high organic content or other diseased fish, also increase the risk of infection.

If just one is affected it is probably due to a health problem specific to that individual. However if several are affected it is quite likely that there is an underlying environmental problem. In this quite common situation it is no good simply throwing in some anti-bacterial treatment and hoping.

I found that information on the following link. Hope that helps.

http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/disease/ulcers.htm

jezza

Thank you for the help. The tank is 180Litres (I'm not sure what this is in gallons). All I've got in with them is a bristle-nose catfish and an albino bristle-nose. And a clam. Mum checks all the water levels and says they're fine.

I've had the tank set up for a couple of years with the catfish in it. (There were some goldfish of Mums but the last of these died earlier this year - aged 14 years). The clam was added in March this year and I got the clown loach 3 weeks ago. My bristle-nose never seemed to be agressive with other fish they've been with in the past.

Also, one of the clown loaches loves hanging out between the filter and the side of the tank. Is this normal / okay?

Butterfly

First Welcome to FishLore! If you haven't all ready stop in at the welcome forum and let us welcome you properly
Your tank is approxamately 45 Gallons and the perfect size for your bristlenose (aren't they cool? ) although it is too small for your Clown Loaches and in a few months they will need a larger tank as they grow pretty fast the first year. I 'm just wondering if since Clown Loaches are avid snail eaters if maybe they were trying to eat your clam( I know their not snails but...) and got injured on the shelll and got an infection.
As for hanging out behind the filter, they need lots of caves and hiding places and will find the tightest places to get into.
Also I have never seen a bristle nose be aggressive to their tank mates. Usually the reason a pleco starts sucking on the slime coat of their tank mates is because they need some protein in their diet. Depending on the type how much. Bristlenose need 90% vegetation /10% protein. Hope that helps.
Carol