I got my Khuli Loaches!

[kveeti]

How are your other fish doing now, Beeker?

As mentioned when you first got them, I have been after kuhli loaches for a long time. A couple stores I asked, said they won't bring them in any more because of mass deaths. Last Friday, a store I regularly called finally had some. I bought 6. They were in quarantine, didn't notice anthing adverse at all. But Sunday morning 2 were dead. Another day the 4 were fine. Monday evening I noticed one was spinning around. Yesterday, he was dead. I have 3 left, and one can't seem to stay 'upright' long, he keels over on his side. (Side note, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate all 0. This was a newly set up quarantine with established sponge from another tank.)

Too bad, they're so cute, but I don't know if I'll have any left.

 

[Beeker]

I just updated my member page. I lost all four of my Tetras, my Sparkling Gourami, one Platy, and two Corys. I went back to the store Monday and used my store credit towards some Erythromycn tablets. The four Platys and the five Corys I have in that tank seem to be doing a lot better. The 10 gallon tank is on Maracyn 2. My Betta and the three Platys in that tank seem to be doing fine too. I think this weekend I will stop the meds and see how things go.

 

[Beeker]

Just an update: After asking around and doing a bit of research, I learned that there has been a problem with Khuli Loaches. Most, if not all stores are getting bad stock of Khuli Loaches or have just decided not to order any at all to avoid internal and customer problems. If you find any around, avoid them. If you find them irresistable and decide to purchase them, USE EXTREME CAUTION!!! Quarantine them for two weeks before adding them into your main tanks.

 

[thesydmonster]

So sorry for your losses, Beeker!! That is such a shame

I did not realize kuhli loaches were having such a hard time... I have 4 banded and 2 blacks and have had no problems with them, they are doing great. I hope you find some good ones or some of the yoyos you are looking for!!

 

[nursie]

If you quarentine everything before you add it to your main tank you don't run the risk of loosing your stock. I know you know that now, Beeker...just want to point it out to other folks out there. Once you have a healthy tank going, you can't just go out and buy fish and put them in. no matter how much you trust your LFS.

 

[loaches r cool]

Quarentineing new fish would definately be the way to go, that being said I have never quarentined anything as I didnt have room for another tank. Guess I am living on the edge. But I did just get a small 10g for acclimating some plants to brackish. Might be too small for a quarentine tank though.

That realy sucks about the Kuhli's. They are about the only loach I have seen for sale that I havent tried... as they are typicaly realy small and I worry they would get eaten by my big catfish (I got to find a new home for that cat). Although I did buy a realy small horseface... but he is realy darn quick!

 

[fishpoor]

In this area kuhlies have been hard to get for a while now. Last year I made a deal with my brother , we bought<I think 8 of them, I bought the medicine and he treated them in quarentine for a couple of weeks. We used maracyn & maracyn11 and I don't think we lost any. My are still alive. I don't know what they are coming in with, but it is treatable.

 

[Beeker]

I think it might be a bacterial infection because it hit and killed so fast. The LFS I bought them from is on a central filtration system, of course, and they run copper in it. The Khulis died anyway. I don't use copper in my tanks. I tried Maracyn 2 to save them but it didn't work. What seemed to save the fish I have left is the Erythromycn tablets.
A new small LFS just opened down the street from where I work and they have separate filters on every tank. The only centrally shared system is the aeration. I plan to buy from them from now on.

 

[fishpoor]

what i didn't mention before and should have is the stress factor. The quarentine (sp?) tank was an established tank with lots of plants and hiding places. Kuhlies are somewhat reclusive and this might be important.

 

[Beeker]

There were plenty of hiding places. The tank is very well planted. It wasn't the stress. I agree the problem is treatable, I stopped it from killing the rest of my fish with the Erythromycn tablets. The Maracyn 2 didn't work for them. I tried that first.