HELP! My dojo loache is floating up side down but still alive!

FishKeeper72 · May 22, 2021

This morning I woke up to one of my dojo loaches floating upside down! He has a big bruise on the side of him and it seems to look like his private part is bloody. He use to be a really skinny guy, but now he’s bloated. What do I do

He’s still alive! Please help.
I have a 75 gal tank, with 3 goldfish, 5 dojo loaches, and 2 plecos. Water measurements are good.

Boundava · May 22, 2021

I don't think she will make it. Unfortunately euthanasia would be the best option now. My euthanasian of choice is clove oil. Make sure you use a disposable container when you mix the clove oil to the tank water (outside of the tank, of course). Add enough oil so the water is opaque and oily looking, this ensures the fish falls asleep/passes as fast as possible. Make sure its not breathing anymore and if you want to be 100% sure you can freeze it.

If you don't have clove oil there are other ways to euthanize but they are a bit more brutal (bash head/cut head-spine). Freezing is not humane as the fish will feel its body freezing when it is not anesthetized (like the clove oil does as mild doses).

Sorry about the Dojo, I love those guys.

BTW what type of plecos do you have in the tank? Some plecos like the slime coating on goldfish and the loaches and can suck on them at night when they are sleeping to the point of ulceration. Also the temperature requirements for the 3 different species aren't compatible. Goldfish and Dojo/weather loaches are cold-water, pleco is tropical.

PlasticGalaxy · May 22, 2021

Boundava said:
I don't think she will make it. Unfortunately euthanasia would be the best option now. My euthanasian of choice is clove oil. Make sure you use a disposable container when you mix the clove oil to the tank water (outside of the tank, of course). Add enough oil so the water is opaque and oily looking, this ensures the fish falls asleep/passes as fast as possible. Make sure its not breathing anymore and if you want to be 100% sure you can freeze it.

If you don't have clove oil there are other ways to euthanize but they are a bit more brutal (bash head/cut head-spine). Freezing is not humane as the fish will feel its body freezing when it is not anesthetized (like the clove oil does as mild doses).

Sorry about the Dojo, I love those guys.

BTW what type of plecos do you have in the tank? Some plecos like the slime coating on goldfish and the loaches and can suck on them at night when they are sleeping to the point of ulceration. Also the temperature requirements for the 3 different species aren't compatible. Goldfish and Dojo/weather loaches are cold-water, pleco is tropical.

I've heard that clove oil can be inhumane since it suffocates them rather slowly. I've never had to euthanise a fish before but I would definitely go for using a large rock since it's the quickest method.

Boundava · May 22, 2021

Never had an issue with clove oil, mine are out within seconds of putting them in the water. Under a minute they have stopped breathing entirely.
Here is a guide for those needing more specific instructions.

4 Steps to Humanely Euthanize Your Pet Fish (With Clove Oil)

So your fish is knocking on deaths door - don't let it suffer any more. You are going to need to put it out of it's misery. Read how humanely kill a pet fish.

fishlab.com

FishKeeper72 · May 23, 2021

T

Boundava said:
I don't think she will make it. Unfortunately euthanasia would be the best option now. My euthanasian of choice is clove oil. Make sure you use a disposable container when you mix the clove oil to the tank water (outside of the tank, of course). Add enough oil so the water is opaque and oily looking, this ensures the fish falls asleep/passes as fast as possible. Make sure its not breathing anymore and if you want to be 100% sure you can freeze it.

If you don't have clove oil there are other ways to euthanize but they are a bit more brutal (bash head/cut head-spine). Freezing is not humane as the fish will feel its body freezing when it is not anesthetized (like the clove oil does as mild doses).

Sorry about the Dojo, I love those guys.

BTW what type of plecos do you have in the tank? Some plecos like the slime coating on goldfish and the loaches and can suck on them at night when they are sleeping to the point of ulceration. Also the temperature requirements for the 3 different species aren't compatible. Goldfish and Dojo/weather loaches are cold-water, pleco is tropical.

Thank you for your feed back. Unfortunately, the dojo has passed. I have 2 clown plecos. But I haven’t had any problems with them sucking on the other fish.

PlasticGalaxy · May 23, 2021

FishKeeper72 said:
T

Thank you for your feed back. Unfortunately, the dojo has passed. I have 2 clown plecos. But I haven’t had any problems with them sucking on the other fish.

I'm terribly sorry for your loss. Losing a fish is never easy.

While I doubt this was the cause, I'd like to add that dojo loaches are sub-tropical/temperate fish. They prefer cooler temperatures (68-72F) than the typical temperature in tropical tanks (72-78F). While they can live in tropical tanks, they're better of in cooler temperatures.

Slaphppy7 · May 23, 2021

That fish was in bad shape.

What are your readings for ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte, using a liquid test kit?

Boundava · May 23, 2021

Sorry about you loss. The clown plecos would not be doing that as they are panaques and are more wood/aufwuchs feeders. As I mentioned earlier, they have different temperature requirements than the goldfish and Dojos (which prefer cold water). I had Dojos in a tropical tank and they did not do well at all, developed red sores and infections, dying within a year or two. My Dojos are currently in a cold-water tank with golden barbs and they are thriving. I have had my two oldest golden Dojos for over 4 years with no issues. The golden barbs also prefer cold water. I had originally had the Dojos with my goldfish, but they started to steal food from the goldfish, even going so far as to suck it out of their gills. So I separated them, eventually rehoming my two goldfish.

FishKeeper72 · May 23, 2021

Slaphppy7 said:
That fish was in bad shape.

What are your readings for ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte, using a

Boundava said:

I don't think she will make it. Unfortunately euthanasia would be the best option now. My euthanasian of choice is clove oil. Make sure you use a disposable container when you mix the clove oil to the tank water (outside of the tank, of course). Add enough oil so the water is opaque and oily looking, this ensures the fish falls asleep/passes as fast as possible. Make sure its not breathing anymore and if you want to be 100% sure you can freeze it.

If you don't have clove oil there are other ways to euthanize but they are a bit more brutal (bash head/cut head-spine). Freezing is not humane as the fish will feel its body freezing when it is not anesthetized (like the clove oil does as mild doses).

Sorry about the Dojo, I love those guys.

BTW what type of plecos do you have in the tank? Some plecos like the slime coating on goldfish and the loaches and can suck on them at night when they are sleeping to the point of ulceration. Also the temperature requirements for the 3 different species aren't compatible. Goldfish and Dojo/weather loaches are cold-water, pleco is tropical.

Click to expand...

do you have any idea how this happened to my loach so I can prevent that from happening to my other ones?

Boundava · May 23, 2021

Like I said, when I housed my Dojos in warmer water I did have issues like red spots, ulcers and even hole in the head. My Dojos didn't live very long in the tropical water. I would remove the plecos and any heaters and reduce the temperature of the tank. Best way to do this would be to do a large water change, good excuse to do a deep substrate cleaning too.

PlasticGalaxy · May 24, 2021

Boundava said:
Like I said, when I housed my Dojos in warmer water I did have issues like red spots, ulcers and even hole in the head. My Dojos didn't live very long in the tropical water. I would remove the plecos and any heaters and reduce the temperature of the tank. Best way to do this would be to do a large water change, good excuse to do a deep substrate cleaning too.

Wow, I had no idea it could lead to such massive issues! I just thought they'd be less active in warmer water. You learn something new every day!

Anonymous Fox · May 24, 2021

I'm sorry for the loss ):

I had 18 guppies die in one day, they did the same thing, floating, but still alive,

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HELP! My dojo loache is floating up side down but still alive!

FishKeeper72

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