Bloated weather loach - please help!

H

Help my loach

AC Members
Aug 11, 2012
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Hello everyone!
this is my first time posting on a forum. I am so worried about my loach and I am hoping someone that actually knows something about fish could help me because I'm certainly not an expert... A few days ago one of our loaches got really bloated from the head down and it stops the bloating at the end of the tail. It has always been bigger than its loach friend. Now it seems like its uncomfortable and not as active as it was before. All of the other fish are fine. We read on one forum that it could be have eggs or have gas problems. We have always fed it the same diet - just goldfish flakes. We have been feeding it skinnned peas for a couple of days and I don't see much improvement... Another forum talked about how the oxygen in the aquarium could be giving the loach bubbles under its skin...we just put a bubbler back in the tank after a few weeks of it being gone...other than the bubbler nothing has changed in the tank. If someone could please help us. I just don't want my loach to be suffering. Thanks in advance!
 
Pictures? - N
 
We need a bit more information about the tank the loach is in...

Tank size?
Full stock (what species of loach)?
How long has the tank been setup and is it cycled?
Parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc.)?
What is your normal maintenance routine like?
Have you added anything recently?
How often are you feeding?
 
I'm going to take pictures of the loach and attach it.
here are answers to most of the questions asked...
The tank is 30 gallon.
There are two gold fish, two weather loach (when I looked them up onlinethey say gold dojo)
The tank has been setup for around 2 years.
We do 50% water change every 2 months filter change every 3 weeks, I'm not sure what cycling means but we do have a biological filter. Also not sure on nitrate levels.
nothing has been added recently except for the bubbler. We had one before a couple of months ago and it didn't seem to bother any of the fish.
we feed twice a day.

Sorry we don't have all the information. We will send the pictures tomorrow.
 
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I'm curious as to what your water parameters are. Even though your tank is lightly stocked goldfish can make a bio mess. I'm not sure about the loaches. What do you mean filter change? Do you put new cartridges in? Is it your only filter? I would start by doing 50% water changes. Reduce feeding amounts. Is the loach showing signs of bloat (long white stringy poo)?
 
Bloated loach

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I have done a 50% water change and cleaning since this photo. I'm going to try and figure out the water parameters soon. My goldfish are very messy and makes it hard to keep the tank clean. I do put in carbon filter cartridges and is my only filter on the tank. should I think about adding? I also have seen the long white poops floating in the water so it could be bloat. Thanks again for all the help the loach and I appreciate it.
 
Keep doing water changes and reduce feeding. Is the loach eating? If so you can skin and boil to soften peas and treat with a 3% epsom salt solution. Not sure on how but you can google it or find it on this forum. Loaches do get gas and sometimes need help clearing digestive tract. Man those weather loaches are hard to kill. They can take allot of abuse
 
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