Clown Panting

[Hally]

Hi there I've just joined this great site, I only found it recently great forum.. Anyway I'm writing about my 4" Clown Loach (1 of 5) I've only had him 3-weeks, he developed Ich I have treated my aquarium for "Ich" & there is no sign now ... I used Malachite green & Formaldahide 1\2 strength plus Salt then temp raised 29C ... now the temp is stable back at 26C ... The clown is hiding behind a rock & sits there, it looks like his gills are panting like crazy ... he acts very shy, in fact both the new Clowns 4" are very shy. My tank is 6' x 24"D x 27"H its around 780 litres ... Long story short; I have had a 10 year break from this great hobby because of a huge disaster where my old 6x2x2 aquarium stand collapsed destroying everything including fish. Our home was nearly destroyed too, it took 2 weeks to clean up the disaster & we were so disheartened. Good news is I'm now back in this great hobby again 6 weeks ago I got my new tank for my birthday, were in the process of stocking it, so far I've got 5 asstd corydoras, 5 clowns, 1x13" plecostomus, 2 salmon cats, 1 bristle nose, 2 pictus cats ... sorry about the long post but has anyone got idea of whats wrong with Mr Clown loach ... I'm wondering if something I read about recently has anything to do with why they're timid, its called the "Dithering Affect" (?) because I've at the moment only got all bottom feeders ... Apparently when fish don't see others swimming around they think a predator is lurking, I don't know how true that is ...
I'm getting some Geophagus Jurrapari Surnimensis & Brassiliensis very soon.
Oh BTW I've been in this great hobby for a long time, I havent got high readings in Ammonia Nitrite or Nitrate .... Any help appreciated

 

[OrionGirl]

The behavior, combined with the fast breathing, indicates that you might not have completely cleared the tank of ich. I normally treat ich, with salt and temp, for a minimum of 4 weeks. Ich attacks the gills first, so can be very difficult to see and diagnose. I'd recommend raising the temp and treating for a further 4 weeks, to ensure that the parasite is removed from the tank.

 

[Hally]

Thanks Heaps

I appreciate your help OrionGirl I'm worried about my clown so I will definately continue the salt & temp thing for a few more weeks ... Thank you

 

[OnyxFishies]

One thing to mention, especially with bottom fish, gill problems and raised temperatures.. make sure you have plenty of aeration! (either with more surface ripple or bubbles.. I think surface ripple works better, but thats just my opinion.)