ok i did a dummy move

[vaderbanger]

i went to the petstore (thatpetplace) with intentions on buying kuhli loaches, now i was there last week when they first got them in and they had about 50 of them all swimming to one side of the tank in an upward frenzy.
today when i went back they had only about 8 live ones and about a dozen dead ones with a big sign on the tank that said "restricted" which means there is no gaurantee on them. but i wanted one so bad that i bought 3 of them for 6.00 dollars, pretty cheap i guess. well its been a few hours now and allready one is dead lol. im such a dummy to buy them lol but i thought maybe if one will live id be happy, but i can tell the others arent right. my tank water is fine...and judging by the numorous deaths and restricted sign they must have known they would all perish.
so what is wrong with them? what happend? did they just come in all bad? or sick with something?

[Spunky]

They could have some sort of internal parasite. Stress of moving never helps either...

I bought some Australian rainbows a couple weeks back that were being kept in yellow water, I did not even think twice about getting them (or really notice the water) until I was home and 6 of the 9 died. What we both need to do is work on self control ;) Then maybe I would be more observant. I get excited and jump the gun often :D

[fishpoor]

if any are still alive, try maracyn 1 & 2 in combination. Leave the lights out or low and give them lots of cover. good luck

[vaderbanger]

its morning and 2 are alive yay, now if i can get them to eat ill be home free.

ok i found this article and it makes sense! ive had healthy kuhli loaches in the 1980's since then ive rarely seen them sold...so apparently im not the only one :huh:






Sick Kuhli Loaches
Thank you for considering my question. I actually have two which are related.
1) My local pet store used to be able to get healthy Kuhli Loaches all the time. In recent years (no matter the source) they arrive sick and the whole lot of them die. The symptoms are reddish gill area, then swirling, then they die. Any recommendations. We would love to be able to get some "new stock" in our area.
2) This is my main question, the first is background for what knowledge I do have. This morning I discovered one of my Kuhli Loaches is pinkish around the gill area. I have had my Kuhlis for quite a long time and have not introduced any new fish for - 6 weeks. What is my best bet for treatment? I don't want him to follow the same fate as those at our pet store.
<<Hello. Kuhli loaches are a problem lately in most stores. The stock is just not healthy anymore, and they seem particularly prone to bacterial infections and gill flukes. Stores can treat them with antibiotics, and if lucky, some may survive. Strong antibiotics will kill your nitrifying bacteria, though, so be careful! For you, I would recommend Melafix and salt (a teaspoon per gallon). Or you can try to find yourself some Maracyn Two, which is a safer antibiotic to use since it's relatively gentle, and not as much of a threat to your nitrifying bacteria when used as directed.
To prevent further Kuhli problems in your tank, maintain good water quality and do regular gravel cleaning. This will help keep the nasty bacteria levels in your substrate under control, which promote infections, and prevent anoxic areas from developing underneath your decorations and rocks. It's hard to vacuum using a regular siphon, since cutting your Kuhlis in half with the tube is always a possibility, so what I recommend is that move the decorations around, and you "sift" the gravel with your hands regularly to release the debris, and let your filter remove it. Make sure you have good water circulation, so the suspended debris is removed by your filter. If need be, you can add a powerhead to your tank for circulating the dirty water during this cleaning process. Then clean your filter floss and do a water change about an hour later.
Also, if you happen to see the solid black Kuhli loaches for sale, buy them instead. They are (thus far) much hardier, easier to keep, and just as entertaining