sick little yo-yo

[mister ben]

if your loach has ich, you'd know about it because you'd see the small white parasites attached to him

I figured as much. Since I am new to the hobby and have never had to deal with any diseases before, I was willing to believe/try just about anything. Through my own research I had deduced that it was an internal parasite, based on the appearance and behavior of the fish, but then again, what the hell do I know? Nonetheless, when I returned home this afternoon, I found the poor loach just about to enter my filtration system Too bad.

As far as the cory goes, I don't know what happened to him. He just went belly up within about 4 hours of showing any strong signs of disease. Previous to that he had developed slightly shiny gills and a darker overall color, but no major behavioral changes. I have another cory that appears to be just fine, as well as 4 seamingly perfectly healthy rasboras.

I guess my question is, now that a good chunk of my young tank has been decimated, what do I do? Restock immediately? Wait a little while? Med the tank? Break it down and start again?

I'll say it again, this is my first battle with any sort of disease in a tank, so any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks again.

 

[NowherMan6]

Very sorry to hear about your losses... is the loach completely dead yet? If you think he's too far gone, I'd suggest euthanizing him by putting him in a little cup with some tank water, then add some clove oil.after he's knocked out, cover it and put him in the freezer. The oil will knock him out, and the freezing will finish him off painlessly.

As for the rest of the tank, I'd treat with some sort of anti-parasite foods or meds anyway. The parasites can still be easily transferred to the other fish through the feces of the old fish. I'd do a good water change, and treat for a couple days. Then keep an eye on them and make sure they look fine. You never know when one might stop eating, so just make sure you keep an eye out for this sort of thing and treat for it as soon as it starts. Trust your instincts; if something doesn't look right, it probably isn't Good luck!