Jane Hambling - 2023-03-12
One of my Dojo loaches has developed 2 circular patches that are pinky red with white/yellow edges. It is eating well and it’s normal lively self . It is 23 cm long and tend to bully other fish especially a bristlenose and rearrange the aquarium decor. Has it been bitten by the bristlenose or is it a disease?

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Jane Hambling - 2023-03-11
I have a large dojo loach (called Henry ) who lives in a tank maintained at 22 degrees with a smaller dojo loach, a large bristlenose plus Congo tetras and a few red eye tetras . Henry may have been fighting or attempting to move the aquarium decor while we were away on holiday . He has two distinct round patches on his body that are orange with white / yellow edges. Has he been ‘bitten’ by the bristlenose or has he got a disease and what’s the treatment?

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ERC1 - 2022-05-20
Snails or snail eggs snuck into my 20g aquarium of cory cats and soon enough were running amok. This Monday I ran to the LFS in search of some type of small fish with an appetite for snails. I've had yoyo's clean a tank for me before but they eventually grew too big. I had zebras clean a tank for me too but only after an ineffective vacation feeder gave them no other option but get uncivilized and go primal. I found and bought these 3/4in 3 for $9 skunks with the plan to starve out them and the cories until they got to work...Instead, before I had to resort to such draconian measures, by Wednesday to my astonishment my tank was cleaned of almost all mollusks except for a few stragglers. + so far they're not bothering the bigger cories; Maybe that's something to watch for when they grow bigger.

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Lou - 2021-03-11
I recently rescued a dojo loach from a friend's community tank. I have cared for other aquatic pets but not these guys. This page was very informative and I feel a little more confident I'll be able to care for my new loach properly.

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Mike - 2009-09-07
I have two YoYo Loaches who have lived happily in a Cichlid tank for a couple of months. Yesterday, I saw their behaviour change from amusing to bizarre! They chased each other for about twenty minutes, circling and almost digging a hole in the gravel - at high speed. What really surprised me was that one of the loaches almost completely lost its colour, becoming nearly totally white. As soon as it had begun, the "ritual" ended and they swam off happily to continue eating. The one who had lost its colour regained its normal look within a couple of hours.

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Oliver - 2019-01-19
Hi there, I've recently gotten a golden dojo loach from an extremely dirty tank and was previously housed with two goldfish. The current setup for her tank is now completely clean. It is a 5 gallon tank, with a cleaned filter as well as a fresh filter, a bubbler/airstone, two fake plants, and very soft, fine sand. She is the only fish right now. We would like to get her company, but only until she is healthier and not stressed out by an addition to her evironment. Her back end was floating up a lot, indicating swim bladder disease. She would wedge herself between the plants to keep from floating. Already, in 24 hours in this cleaned envIronman, her back end floating has reduced significantly. She definitely has an appetite. We give her sinking wafers, and she destroys them. I'm worried she may be constipated, though. With her eating her wafers very quickly and coming from a tank with severe detritis, I'm wondering if constipation could also be contributing to her back end floating. In the past, I have treated goldfish for constipation in our 'fish hospital' with cycles of clean water and small amounts of Epsom salt. Is this safe for loaches? Additionally, while she has a good appetite, she looks a bit thin, and her sides appear to have very slight lumps. Nothing huge, just very slightly. I'm worried she may have 'skinny disease,' which I do not know how to treat. She has also lost a lot of her original golden color from poor health, and I'd like to restore that in her. I have read from one source that it can be good to cleanse a bloated loach by fasting it for 3 to 4 days to stop food intake, then feed it a piece of a soft, shelled pea, to help clean out the system. However, I have only read this from one source, so I'm wondering if this is safe? She isn't incredibly active. She is to feed, and that's it. I know there haven't been any storms coming up, and she doesn't have any loaches to play with. We keep her on a regular day and night schedule, and the tank is around 72-74F. I've read that loaches can 'lounge.' She likes to wedge herself vertically in the plants or drape herself across the branches and just...lay like that. It's like she plays dead. There's been many times where we've thought she's dead, only to have her activated when we check. Is this normal behavior? Sorry it's so long, wanted to be thourough! Thanks for any help

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Tom Robertson - 2019-04-18
I've had six clown loaches for over six years now in a 70 gallon tank, but just in the past two weeks they all are obviously ill, three weeks after I introduced some newly purchased tetras. While I can't make out classic ich spots, I have started malachite green treatment, although two of the loaches already look very bad. Are there other diseases that so selectively affect loaches? All the rest of the tank inhabitants look and act normal.

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Anonymous - 2019-04-06
I have 2 yo-yos. One is fine, I don’t see him during the day. The other is distressed and I don’t know why. It is constantly swimming round as if it’s being chased, which it isn’t. Often darting around and hitting the tank lid, like a balloon when it is let go of and darts around. I tried adding in another hiding spot (a plant pot) to try and give it somewhere else to hide in case the other loach is chasing it out of it’s hiding spot (I think it is), but he doesn’t seem to want it. Does anyone know what I can do to calm it down?

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Derald Lewis - 2014-12-21
I have bought 2 Zebra Loaches to control an outbreak of snails in my tank,this job was done very quickly and now swim very lively around the 33 gal tank with very little hiding.Just the other day my 13 year old said there is something strange about 1 of the Zebras and upon inspection it seems as thou the fish is pregnant with a swollen mid section.Can anyone give me any kind of info to work with if this is the case.

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Val Green - 2010-04-10
I have a pair of cichlids they are long snake looking with black and yellow stripes. They are now breeding, already produced seven babies growing well. The mother is always hiding under gravel. Seems like she is producing more eggs, what can I expect in the future? The male chases her she seldom comes out with the other cichlids in a large l00 gallon tank.

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