# Possible ich on a few clown loaches?



## hi-revs (Nov 3, 2010)

I've got a group of 9 clown loaches. Biggest being 7" and smallest at 4".
Lately I've been noticing many many small white dots in a line formation along their beak to the top of the head. There's nothing on the eyes or anywhere else on the body. Fins are all fine. 
Not sure if this is early signs of ich, but it doesn't look like what I can see online.
Water temp has always been steady at 80F. Never seen this before. Should I turn up the heat to 82-84 F?
They all eat and swim happily.

Haven't added anything new to the tank lately, and other fish doesn't seem to be infected by this.

Any thoughts?
Should I leave things the way it is and the the problem work itself out?


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Ick cannot reproduce above 85F. Turning it to 82-84F will not eradicate ick, if that is what you have.


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## Tazzy_toon (Jul 25, 2011)

When i had ick they weren't just white spots, but a spot that was raised like a grain of salt. Not sure if they would appear differently on a different species.


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## mdwflyer (Jan 11, 2011)

Anything with an edge they might be rubbing against? Ich looks like they are speckled with salt


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## hi-revs (Nov 3, 2010)

They're little white spots like ich.
I really haven't noticed them rubbing against anything.
I've bumped up the temp to be safe incase it is ich.
Only 3 of the 9 have it. And they have it in the exact same area.
Not sure if they've always had them as I just started noticing in last few days.


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## hi-revs (Nov 3, 2010)

My tiger barbs have had ich in the past, but these white dots are much smaller than what I've seen with ich.


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

Post some pics I have over 16 clown loaches lol a pic will help us indentify!


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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

It sounds like this might be what you're experiencing with your clown loaches: Board Message

Here's some info that I copied & pasted from the link above:

I've found a new way of differentaiting male from female clown loaches.
It has probably been staring me in the face for years but never noticed it before.

Many species, mainly cyprinids, display not only colour changes (sexual dichromatism) during the breeding season but also physical (sexual dimorphism) or anatomical changes. I'm pretty sure that this is NOT known in cobitids (clowns), untill now. The physical change I am refering to is breeding tubercles. This is a very common characteristic in barbs for example. The males form little lumps on their head which are normally only visible when you take a picture of the specimen and zoom in. This was the case for the following male clown loach -

The casual observer might think - ''its ich', but if you look closely the little dots are on the head only, these are breeding tubercles, found only in males, never females.

Obviously only specimens in breeding condition will display this characteristic. As far as I can see it only lasts for a very short time, possibly only a week or so, untill the next breeding season arrives


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## hi-revs (Nov 3, 2010)

Omg Pamela! That is EXACTLY the same as what my loaches seem to have!
Could I be lucky enough to breed loaches? I thought it nearly impossible to breed them in aquaria's?


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## hi-revs (Nov 3, 2010)

2 quick pics of the loaches from my phone.
You can click to enlarge to see the spots on the head.


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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

hi-revs said:


> Omg Pamela! That is EXACTLY the same as what my loaches seem to have!
> Could I be lucky enough to breed loaches? I thought it nearly impossible to breed them in aquaria's?


That's awesome that you're loaches are displaying breeding characteristics!

I don't really know much about loaches . I thought that what you were describing maybe had something to do with their sensory pits so I was googling that & I stumbled across that write up.


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