# Clown loach has white patches on tail fin! please help!!!!!!!!



## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

Hi everyone need some advice if I should treat or worry about my 6" clown loach

I got him 5 weeks ago from another user on the site, he was very healthy and fit in well in my 92 gallon tank!
Even big oscar did not bother this clown nobody bothers with him? the last 3 days I have noticed some white patches near is rear tail fin.
my daughter said she saw him rub against the gravel, I have not seen this myself? but maybe explain spots!

My water was changed today and I perform a weekly w/c of 20% water tested before change of nitrite 0-ammonnia -0 nitrate 10 ph 7.0

I will include pics if anyone can help i would appreciate it, no ich is present in tank, and all other fish are fine in tank!

Clown loach is eating like a pig! I just noticed he disappeared? theres a big shell with small opening and a plastic rock ornament in tank that bgk hides in only two things he could go but, very small area for him? maybe why hes marked up?

Please your input would be appreciated I don't know what I should do if i should move him or? my ht/qt has a clown knife and flying fox in quarantine at this time?

Thank you for any input on these clowns! sorry for crappy iphone pic make it look worst will try to get better pics soon!

Bob
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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

you sure thats not a bite mark, maybe from the oscar?

its hard to tell what is in your tank aside from the oscar, 
in addition and im not 100% on this but im not sure if loaches and stuff like that are supposed to be on gravel, i know cory cats and some other stuff are easily cut up by sharper substrates, im not sure if this is true for loaches however...


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Need better pics. And did this amount of patchiness show up overnight? Or getting worse over the last 3 days? Can't tell if its ich. I would get him in a hospital tank asap if it is.


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## Immus21 (Jun 14, 2010)

Doesn't look like ich to me but the pics are kinda grainy. I'd say do a large water change and treat as if it's a bite or scrape type wound... You could also bump your temp up.


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

I had 16 of these guys and they sometimes get marked up a bit while trying to cram themselves into very tight areas. Give it a few days and see how it goes before you panic too much. BTW they do much better in groups I would get a couple more for company and security 3 minimum. Also make sure they have some areas to hide, I had a big piece of driftwood and they all used to get under it when the lights were out.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

It's hard to tell from the pic, but it looks like a scrape. I would watch it, do a water change, maybe bump the temp a bit and add some melafix. Is the oscar much bigger than the loach? Could be a bite mark.

Loaches will "disappear" - they like to hide, especially if they feel insecure, and a single loach is probably feeling pretty spooked. They really need other loaches for security and to feel safe - keeping one loach is kind of cruel because they are so social. As Laurie said, 3 minimum is best. If you can add some more hidey-holes that would help as well. The more hiding places and company they have, the more secure they feel and the more you'll actually see them. We have 17 loaches who live in a heavily planted tank with lots of driftwood and are out and about all the time.

The only other thing to really watch is that the oscar will grow much faster than the loaches, and it will not be long before he's big enough to eat them if he isn't already. So keep an eye on him and be prepared to separate them if needed. Not ideal tank mates.


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## JohnnyAppleSnail (May 30, 2010)

Looks more like scrapes to Me,My Clowns would get the odd scrape but they would always heal on their own,so I agree don't panic the W/C should help and watch it the next couple days. Ich would be smaller like grains of Salt.


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

Thank you everyone good advice! I agree not Ich had that once more like salt I did not know about them being alone! I have two smaller ones in a 55 gallon 4" and 2.5" I will move this guy in with them as soon has im sure he's ok don't want to spread anything! not sure how he is today lights not on yet and he is in hiding! when lights are out!

Fish in Tank:
92 gallon

6" clown loach
12" oscar
2x 6" super red severums 
4x 2-4" angels
4" bala
8" bgk
6" pleco
4" Catfish
6" blue texas
6" jd
Some of these fish are waiting to be rehomed in another tank I'm waiting to be cycled


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## aquafeet (Jan 18, 2011)

Im not sure what else you have in your tank but adding some salt to your water can help a multitude of ails. If you have plants or freshwater shrimp or snails, do not add salt. However, most fish can tolerate quite a bit and there's often benefit. At a 3% concentration, it will obliterate ich...although I don't think your loach has ich. But it will help wound healing and will rid your tank of some bad bacteria and viruses but will not harm your tank's beneficial bacteria. If I were you, depending on what is in your tank, I would start with 1 to 2 teaspoons of aquarium or pure sea salt (do not use table salt or rock/himilayan salts as they contain other things that could harm your livestock). Make sure you dissolve the salt completely in a container of tank water before adding it to the tank. Keep and eye on your loach. If the patches grow or get fuzzy, you've got an infection going on. The salt may help with that too. However, if after 3 days, the patches get worse or get fuzzier, I put him in a hospital tank and treat him with meds.

Oh yes, some friends for him would help but I'd not expose other fish to this tank until he's better. There might be something infectious in that tank.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

like an oscar bite lol im sure there infectious if he stays in there.. i had an oscar one time choke to death on a pleco it decided to eat..


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

my oscar doesn't bother the clown!! been watching for hrs! will add salt is epsom better or aq salt? and how much per gallon? Thank you oscar is big but there are small angels in there he doe's not bother them just jd once in a while!


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

white blotches seem a bit worst today not sure were he is hiding think it is the shell very small area for the size of clown?


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Use aquarium salt - clowns don't always tolerate it really well, so I would start with 1 tablespoon per 10 gallons of water (knock off at least 5 gallons of your total tank size to account for substrate/ornaments etc.). Make sure the salt is dissolved in water before adding it.

He may be getting scraped up by squishing into a small space - they can get into amazingly tiny spots. Can you add another couple of hiding places for him? Driftwood, a hollow ornament, some rocks securely stacked to make a cave (make sure they can't fall over if the oscar knocks them)? I would take the shell out for now and provide a few larger spots for him.


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

Ok done elle tahnk you and everyone for your help ill keep you all updated!

Bob


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

*Update sea shell was very sharp was not sharp when I put it in? edges some how became very sharp! no wonder the poor guy is scrapped up? thanks for cluing me in! lets hope he heals up and there is no further problems!


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## Immus21 (Jun 14, 2010)

The shell must have disolved and the edges thinned.... Glad you found the source Bob!


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

now take the shell and stomp it into dust ... payback lol

good luck , and i dunno if it was said earlier but scaleless fish and clownloaches need to be careful with salt... just a heads up incase it wasnt mentioned..


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

yes me to! here is
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View attachment 12142
some pic of him may be better lol


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

yes for sure in the trash long ago lol learning the hard way...lol thank you to everyone again!

Bob


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

He seems to be getting better thank you again to everyone take care!

Bob


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