need to medicate goldfish but have weather loaches in as well - ideas?

Question

I have a tank with goldfish (5) and weather loaches (3) The goldfish have a thin fungus coating going on, one is looking very ill, and my levels have been off as there were serious pH issues calling for the removal of all the gravel and putting new stuff in, which has helped sort some of it (I can now get the pH to 6.4... whole nother issue as it wont go up no matter what goes in) so anyway, the tank is basically re-cycleing except the filter is the same as is most of the water (standard 25% water changes weekley) so I did a water change, treated with stress coat as per norm, but noticed the smallest of the goldfish (a beat up rescue who just finished quarenteen) has come down heavy with fungus. The sick tank currently has a very very small goldfish in it that this one could possibly eat, so I would have to move the small goldfish to isolate him, but the other goldfish have it anyway, so have to treat them all, so could move the loaches to sick tank and put the little fish in (contd..)

another container and put the loaches in there and treat them with 1/2 the meds as you do with scaleless fish, or put them in a large tub (the sick tank is only 2x1x1foot) so they dont get crouded. I just have no idea what to do as all the goldfish have it (in various degrees) and the loaches look fine, so its shifting everyone around as all my sick tanks have quarenteened fish in them - even the tropic one! Any ideas guys? Also I am out of the normal fungus stuff I have, so all thats left is the Protozin, which says it does fungus as well. The worst off goldfish has started to lay on the bottom and really doesn't look well!!

I have tried pH up, I have tried Perfect 7.0 and 7.5, I have tried crushed shell, coral and Tufa to get the pH up, it just doesn't stay up no matter what I do.

I've also tried Easy Balance and other things, there is something in the tank that is chamging it, its not overstocked, and everything in it has been replaced with new stuff that should make the pH rise, not fall.

Answer 1

25% is good :) E-mailed you a list of things for your Ph. Try a large plastic tub for your loaches, as they will require 50% medicating, as they are a scaless fish, you really can't avoid it. You could do 50% on the whole tank but may have to treat it longer, and its like only taking half your antibiotics, you can become immune as can the thing its trying to kill.

Good luck, e-mail if you need more info!

Most fungus meds treat white spot and all that as well, so you are probably fine with it. Most are in two dose sets anyway, its just cost difference, different instructions, and so on. I've not found much difference in any except what colour they change the water lol

Answer 2

The first thing that I would recommend doing is reduce the amount of water you are changing every week. Try doing a 10% change instead. You dont really want to do more than 40% per month (realize though, that like most things in the fish world, this is an opinion. I used to maintain aquariums as a job in college, which has informed my opinions)

The next thing that I would do is get some paraguard. It is made by SeaChem, and is kind of a shotgun type medication to treat everything. I say that because without seeing the animal I only have to assume that you identified the sickness correctly. If it really is a fungus then get some PimaFix. Your LFS should have it.

I think that separatin the loached out was a good idea. You can also add some salt to the tank and raise the temp some.

Answer 3

Put your weather loaches in your small tank and treat it with a 50% dosage, and treat all your other goldfish at full strenght in your regular tank. Next time, just buy some pH up at the pet store.
A

Answer 4

take you own time