Bad Clown Loach Bad! Help!

[saphphx]

I did, out of curiosity, a head check tonight on my clown loach grow out tank. I counted 6. There should be six. So I removed everything, moved the filter up (fluval 2, stuck to the sides with sucky cups, at an angle to give them another hid out and a current to play in) and nothing. So I get frustrated, take ALL plants out, air out, pull the filter out of the sucky holdy thing, and there he was, squished between the cup and plate, and the actual filter, like you know where it slides down and together? in the slide down bit! But alive! His stomach is a bit bruised looking, and kinda swollen to one side, but he is swimming around with his mates, and appart from looking squished, is swimming and acting normal.

So, I mean, is he going to be ok? I have taken the filter off the holder, and used the holder to prop the filter on, so its vertical and kinda held up, but loose between the glass and the holder, so there's nothing to get trapped in, but I'm wondering if I should treat him with something? What are the odds of internal injury? I didn't know he was there as I checked between the cups and looked all around it before moving it as I know they sit on and under it, but never thought he could get between the sucky cup plate and the filter top! No idea how I would have removed it/him if I had known, prob same way I did but more carefully, but, I don't know! I mean is he going to die? I am freaking out, but slightly feeling better because he is swimming around with the rest of the pack like loonies, but he just looks horrible! I can't get him to hold still for a pic :/

Ideas?

my poor loachy..

[jm1212]

do you have a QT tank?

separate him so he can recover. keep the water extremely clean

[saphphx]

do you have a QT tank?

separate him so he can recover. keep the water extremely clean

he's in it already, unfortunatly. I do have a spare upstairs, but last time I had one on his own he died and the loach people I know said he died because he was on his own, I was treating him for a cut on his side. Do keep it very clean though, as a plus..

[jm1212]

he's in it already, unfortunatly. I do have a spare upstairs, but last time I had one on his own he died and the loach people I know said he died because he was on his own, I was treating him for a cut on his side. Do keep it very clean though, as a plus..
it sounds to me like he died from the cut, not being by himself. he should be fine for a few days or weeks until he is fully healed, and then he can go back to playing with his friends.

[is300zx]

I'd leave it in the tank. Trying to move it will stress it out further. And how exactly will you go about treating it if it is injured internally from being squished? If it's acting normally then it's probably fine. If you determine that it has something else like internal parasites then yes put it in QT and try to treat it there.

[loaches r cool]

Loaches will try and squeeze into wherever they can. Many clowns have died after growing to large and trying to fit into tiny caves they once used to. Some take silicon and fill in holes in decorations so they cant wedge in. Take at look at this interesting video clip of a loach going where he shouldnt: http://www.schmerlen.de/video/histrion-out1.avi

I also lost a tiny zebra loach who apparently tried to cram himself into the prefilter on a powerhead (with very narrow slots btw). By the time I found him he was bloated around the squeezed body and dead, poor fella. :sad:

[saphphx]

it sounds to me like he died from the cut, not being by himself. he should be fine for a few days or weeks until he is fully healed, and then he can go back to playing with his friends.
-nods- he seems to be doing just fine today. Zipping about with his mates like nothings wrong. May move him anyway, as some other fish in that tank are due to move on to a larger tank, so will already be fishing about with a net and upsetting everyone.

I'd leave it in the tank. Trying to move it will stress it out further.
-nods- I keep thinking that too. Will probably leave the lot for a few days, then see how it goes and sort everyone in one go.. donno, I hate making calls like this lol!

And how exactly will you go about treating it if it is injured internally from being squished?
You know, you are always my voice of fishy reason it seems lol. I wondered that as well, my husband just gave me a blank look when I asked him to check. Didn't come to me that, well how WOULD you check? It's one of those weeks already...

If it's acting normally then it's probably fine. If you determine that it has something else like internal parasites then yes put it in QT and try to treat it there.
He seems in good health other then being a bit odd shapped. He's pinching bloodworms out of the mouths of his mates and bopping about like normal, so I guess I should stop stressing.


-hugs to all- thank you all so much! sorry for freaking out, I've been breeding fish for ages, but get really stressed when favorites turn ill and what not. I've been up and down for the last two weeks checking panda corys and my new cory fry as there have been some problems, now Loachie Boy has joined the "3am hospital checks" - I think I need to just let them be fish and grow up on their own or something lol! this is why I don't have kids.... lol...

[saphphx]

Loaches will try and squeeze into wherever they can. Many clowns have died after growing to large and trying to fit into tiny caves they once used to. Some take silicon and fill in holes in decorations so they cant wedge in. Take at look at this interesting video clip of a loach going where he shouldnt: http://www.schmerlen.de/video/histrion-out1.avi
Oh my! I had a weather loach that did things like that, so ended up having 2 caves for the three to share and putting panty hose over EVERYTHING else they could even see into. Guess I should have done that in this case, though I would have never thought about the back of the filter anyway to be honest, it just looks impossible, even looking at it now!

I also lost a tiny zebra loach who apparently tried to cram himself into the prefilter on a powerhead (with very narrow slots btw). By the time I found him he was bloated around the squeezed body and dead, poor fella. :sad:
-hug- thats horrible! Makes me want to wrap everything in sponge and panty hose...Very very sorry for your loss!

[saphphx]

He's quite bruised looking today, but eating well and swimming about like a normal loach nuttie :) I think he is going to be fine, thanks so much everyone :)