precautionary meds - clown loaches

[Dahlia]

As a followup to the precautionary meds link below... are clown loaches a fish that this should be standard practice for? I noticed Oriongirl mention puffers and some others as fish that you can usually expect to have problems. The one time I tried to keep clown loaches they wasted away on me... seemed to be eating well, water tested clean (and it was an established tank so it was not cycling). They didn't have ich. But in spite of eating they wasted away and died. I read websites like this one later:

Loach Parasites treated with Levamisole hydrochloride (http://www.loaches.com/faq_parasites.html)

The link basically states that nearly all clown loaches have internal parasites due to being live caught, and the way to get rid of them is to obtain this difficult to find medication (says it is only available through farm feed stores and vets where they sell it for use on sheep). When I called around to feed stores here none of them had it, and the vet told me they'd have to order it.

Is this true? If clown loaches are likely to have parasites as this site describes is there really no more easily available aquarium drug that can be used? Is this really what my fish died from or was it something else? Next spring I'm planning to get another large tank in order to keep these fish, so I'm hoping to get it right this time.

[LMOUTHBASS]

as well because if the loaches all have internal parasites how woul we know??? besides them just dying - also would they be contagious ???
some loaches must be raised on farms?

[Dahlia]

Some loaches are raised on farms, but not the clown loach species because they are not known to breed in captivity. From everything I've ever read they are live caught. I believe this is even supposed to be done sustainably, and that only fish of a certain size are allowed to be shipped so that the adult (parent) fish are not depleted from their native waters.

[TwoTankAmin]

Yes, clowns are all wild caught. As for whether they should.need to be given precautionary meds really depends on where ou get them and the route they have travelled.

Some importers/wholesalers treat all fish they receive and will not sell them until they are sure they are healthy. Others just want to turn them over ASAP and do nothing. The route your specific fish travels will often determine its condition on arriving in your tank.

As for treating for interneal parasites, you can try Metronidazole (by SeaChem), which is available from online fish goods suppliers. This is the active ingredient in hexamit if you want a smaller amount sold more expensively. It is best to make medicated food with this as the target you are after is inside the fish and medicated food is the way to deal with this.

I also strongly recommend that you quarentine willd fish for at least 4 weeks before introducing them to their permanent tank, longer is even better. Parasites can be transferred to other fish, a risk not worth taking imo.

[Tiger15]

I keep many clown loaches. Over the years, I learned my lesson on what not to do. Don't buy the smallest size loaches, even though they are cheaper, because they tend to be weak and sensitive fish. Don't buy them when they have just arrived a week or so in the store. Wait a few weeks for the die off before buying. Examine the fish carefully in the store for sign of ich and don't buy them if you see even a suspected spot. Clown loach are highly suceptable to ich and is not easy to spot. Don't skip quarantining your new clown loaches because apparently healthy clown loaches can show up with ich a week later because of the changing . As soon as you see sign of ich developed in your clown loach, don't delay treatment. Clown loaches are highly susceptable to and fatal from ich which will multiply quickly in loaches when other fish can easily pull through. My prefferred treatment is SuperIch Cure, Maracide and other propritary brands that contain a green dye known as Malachite Green, though it is often labelled differently as Victorian Green, Benzaldehyde Green, Annilin Green . . .etc. Don't use half dosage but full dosage as instructed because underdosage can delay cure and do more harm. Despite the toxicity warning, loaches can tolerate Malachite Green at recommended dosage and the cure is very fast, often in 3 to 5 days.