# Sick Yoyo Loach



## jediwiggles (Aug 29, 2009)

Hello all, I'm having a problem with 1 of 3 of my yoyo loaches. My water conditions are as follows.

12Gal eclipse
9 hour light cycle
fishless cycled to completion
Nitrate/Nitrite/Ammonia: 0 
Ph: 7.1

gravel substrate
No Co2 or ferts
1 piece of malayasian wood
1 clump of java moss
2 Amazon swords

1 Angel fish - 1 1/2 inches
the 3 loaches - 1 about 1 1/4 inches, 2 about 2 inches in length:

The tank has run for almost a year now, regular maintenence. Water change every week 35% R/O. Every month filter gets rinsed in tank water. Angel was added, then loaches, they make a funny pairing 

The Problem: 1 of the larger loaches keeps thrashing every now and again @ the gravel going absolute nuts! like rocks the fish tank! It seems to mostly happen in the evening. Im noticing now that he's chasing off the other loaches in the tank(mid afternoon). Could size of the tank be an issue? I have a 50 gallon that there going into but I didnt think they needed to be transfered until @ least 3 inches big. The loach has no signs of stress other than this crazy "tantrum" it throws. I need someone with some yoyo loach experience to help me out, I've grown fond of the little guys even though I hated there snail extreminating ways @ first. Thanks for any and all help, I'll post a few pics later today. Cheers.

JediWiggles


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## bluekrissyspikes (Apr 16, 2009)

chasing the others away is normal behaviour for loaches. he is probably trying to establish himself as the alpha-loach and keep the others in line. they would probably be better off in a bigger group, but i don't suggest adding more until you figure out what's going on.
as for the thrashing, can you discribe this better? is he rubbing his gills or anything on them? does he have any marks, scratches or anything? he may have some sort of parasite that needs to be treated. has anything been added to the tank lately that could have brought something in?
having them being in the 12g is probably not the best for them. they tend to be increadibly active fish and need the extra tank length to get enough activity. i'd also be worried about stunting because if they have been in there for a year they should be a bit bigger than that. i would probably not wait for them to grow before transfering them, sooner will be better than later. you will probably see them being extra hungry and have a growth spurt as soon as you move them to the bigger tank. also, is there a reason why you are using ro water instead of your regular tap water? probably not the best idea.
i just want to tell you in my personal experience, i have owned yo-yo loaches two seperate times. one group was kept in a 50g, one was in a 55g. both groups were at least 3" average by the first year, with the alphaloach being slightly bigger and the bottom ranking loach being just over 2"


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## jediwiggles (Aug 29, 2009)

bluekrissyspikes said:


> chasing the others away is normal behaviour for loaches. he is probably trying to establish himself as the alpha-loach and keep the others in line. they would probably be better off in a bigger group, but i don't suggest adding more until you figure out what's going on.
> as for the thrashing, can you discribe this better? is he rubbing his gills or anything on them? does he have any marks, scratches or anything? he may have some sort of parasite that needs to be treated. has anything been added to the tank lately that could have brought something in?
> having them being in the 12g is probably not the best for them. they tend to be increadibly active fish and need the extra tank length to get enough activity. i'd also be worried about stunting because if they have been in there for a year they should be a bit bigger than that. i would probably not wait for them to grow before transfering them, sooner will be better than later. you will probably see them being extra hungry and have a growth spurt as soon as you move them to the bigger tank. also, is there a reason why you are using ro water instead of your regular tap water? probably not the best idea.
> i just want to tell you in my personal experience, i have owned yo-yo loaches two seperate times. one group was kept in a 50g, one was in a 55g. both groups were at least 3" average by the first year, with the alphaloach being slightly bigger and the bottom ranking loach being just over 2"


They haven't been in there the full time the tank has been running, more like 5-4 months but your right, they need to be moved. I try my best to mix the tap water with r/o for the angel, seems to be a little happier. I think this is the alpha male because he is the biggest of the 3. No scratches on his side and its sort of like a 'wriggling'. all over the place. Im thinking it could be a parasite. Where can I find info on that sorta thing?

Thanks for the first hand experience.


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## bluekrissyspikes (Apr 16, 2009)

http://www.loaches.com/disease-treatment
i did not read the article but the best place to find out about loaches is on loaches on line. lots of experienced and very smart people on there.
his behaviour sounds a lot like what they do when they have ich, so check him closely for small white spots. if he doesn't have any my bet is on gill flukes. i have never had to treat these before, so i can't really help with that. good luck. 
also, there is someone on here who usually has some levinsol for sale if you post in the wanted section


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