# Clown loaches- 2 fat, 1 skinny.



## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

I have 3 loaches, 2 are very healthy and plump and the 3rd is skinny and a duller color. He doesnt seem to eat as much as the others or really at all. One day he was laying on his side and my corys were eating off him. :x He does swim with the others but not as much. 

I dont have my perameters right now cause Im at my dorm and they are at my boyfriends house. 

Do you think hes not able to get food or just is skinnier? he has two white dots sticking out of his head but I dont know if its ich or hook worm... it doesnt seem like it. 

He may be the one I bought at walmart but the other 2 I bought at True Value Hardware (yes strange but they have sold fish for 11+years!) Im not sure which one he is though. 

I treated the tank (cure all) after a 2 platys died and I spotted him getting sick. I also add about 1 teaspoon of salt for the whole tank. (55g)


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## Teelie (Feb 13, 2005)

A few things:
Clowns are extremely prone to sickness and almost as prone to get sick from medications used to treat sickness so you might have made it sick(er) with the treatment on top of the existing disease.
Salt is a bad thing for Clowns. They have no scales, only skin and salt can easily burn them.
Ich is more like white sprinkles on the body and not usually bumps like that.
WalMart and TrueValue are not from the healthiest stock you can get so it's possible it was already sick or stressed and it's now starting to show.


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

he is still living and still skinny. He is almost the most active, eating off plants and the filter and swimming all over and not just on the bottom. He just isnt piggy like the others and thats why hes not as robust. I think he is just fine, looks like a skin fluke but its going away. 

I realize salt is bad for clowns as well as cories but the amount added was not enough to prob even change the salinity. 

I actually work at the Walmart I buy the fish from and work in the pets, so I am the one treating them and doing water changes. I pride myself on how healthy our fish are compared to many other walmarts, we are the highest seller of fish in our region and the most reliable. 

Our TrueValue is the best place even over the pet store to buy fish, they get a great variety and specialize in Freshwater. All of the pet stores and places including Walmart get the same fish from the same supplier in my town. You actually see the boxes labeled for the other stores on the truck and often times get their stock instead so that is not the issue.


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## Teelie (Feb 13, 2005)

Sounds like one of the handful of Walmarts then you can get fish wthout having to wonder what they've been exposed to or that they lived in terrible conditions. Figures. 

Still, the disease and disease treatment are the more likely culprits behind the frail appearence of the Clown. Being that in even the best kept aquariums and from the best suppliers, they are still easily prone to ich and treatments, your response narrows it down to probably one of the two IMO.

I'm not sure how to treat them exactly. Just keep the water clean and you can try using treatments at half or quarter doses. I've been lucky to only have had fish with ich once and it was with a goldfish that recovered.


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