Botia Histrionica

[LongS]

Had the little guy for about a year maybe a bit less. He is one of five in the group. However he doesn't seem to be getting fat like the rest. He was always been the smallest but seems to be very thin. I lost a couple last year due to them being skinny and not eating and being generally inactive and withdrawn.

I did treat the tank on more than one occasion with kusuri wormer but still lost a couple. The difference with this guy however is he does not seem withdrawn and is constantly out and about with the group searching for food. I witness him eating but still he puts no weight on and has barely grown since I got him. He also seems to have a bit of a red belly. I'm not sure if its normal for such a small scaleless fish to have this characteristic.

Anyone experienced skinny loaches before?

 

[snazy]

The kusuri wormer needs to be repeated weekly for 4 weeks from what I read. But then again it's kind of a fluke treatment, and a weak one.
 
Read here for loaches specific skinny disease treatment:
 
http/www.loaches.com/Members/shari2/levamisole-hydrochloride-1

 

[MBOU]

It sounds a bit weird but often have the same problem with young clown loaches, I treat them regularly with Kusuri Wormer but whilst I have  the wormer mixed with a bit of hot water (makes it mix better), I soak a couple of prawns in the mixture.
 
I thin break them up and chuck them in, enough that the skinny ones get a look in! Then treat the tank too, I just found that making sure they are actually ingesting a little/tussling over something with medication on made sure they got a better dose of it. Seemed to work well.

 

[LongS]

thanks for the replies, I will try treating again over the month with kusuri. Once every week, I didn't treat that often last time. Would soaking any type of fish food work aswell do you think? Like blood worm or tubifex?

If there is no improvement over the next few weeks it will have to be Levamisole hydrochloride. I'll have a good read through the article.

Out of interest have eiher of you actually had success with levamisole? Is it simple enough to use?

 

[snazy]

Sorry LongS, I haven't treated my loaches, but I do browse reading about stuff in case I do.
So no experience at all. But the dosage recommended is in the article. The success depends on what type of parasites yours might have. Here is a cut out of the article describing what levamisole treats:
 

Which parasites will respond to treatment with Levamisole HCL?
Levamisole HCl has been found highly effective in the treatment of mature and developing immature stages of major stomach and bowel worm species in cattle and sheep including gastro-intestinal worms such as:
Stomach worms--Haemonchusspp; Ostertagia spp; Trichostrongylus spp;
Roundworms--Nematodirus spp (which include threadworms); Cooperia spp;
Nodular worms--Oesophagostomum; Chabertia spp;
Hookworms--Bunostomum spp; Necatorspp; and Ancylostoma spp; and
Lungworms-- Dictyocaulus spp.
Nematodes (roundworms) in particular are a common problem. Nematodes such as Capillaria, Eustronggylides, Camallanus, and Contracaecum are common among many fish species. Levamisole HCl is highly effective as a treatment against nematode species.
 
It is INEFFECTIVE as a treatment for:
 

• 
  Cestodes (tapeworms)
  For Cestodes the recommended treatment is Praziquantel.
  
• 
  Trematodes (flatworms or flukes)
  For Monogenean Trematodes with a direct life cycle the suggested treatment is Formalin, administered as a short-term or prolonged bath.
  For Digenean Trematodes which have a complex life cycle, using differing hosts, the best control is to break the life cycle of the parasite. Elimination of the first intermediate host, the freshwater snail, is often recommended.
  

TREATMENT
 
Dr. Roy Yanong, V.M.D. recommends the following for treating fish with internal parasites susceptible to Levamisole HCl:
"In answer to your question, the dosage rate for levamisole in a bath is 2 mg/L (2 ppm) for 24 hours (followed by 70-100% water change, and siphon the bottoms of the tanks), with repeat treatments necessary--retreat in 2-3 weeks, and probably one more time after that. This is regardless of size of fish."

The 2 mg/L dosage rate (of the active ingredient Levamisole) is currently (2007) the level being used by the scientific community. It effectively paralyzes Levamisole susceptible parasites at that concentration. Increasing the dosage level does not seem to have any greater effect. (Another good reason to avoid overdosing.) Paralysis of the worms takes place when that level of Levamisole is present in the host--your fish. Dr. Yanong recommends, whenever possible, trying to diagnose what parasite your fish are harboring prior to treatment. Work with an 'exotic pet' veterinarian, or a fish health specialist to insure you are treating with the right medication.

 

[LongS]

I can't take it to a vet I can't afford to go to them lengths, however I could probably get hold of some hci. I really have no idea what type of worms (if any) my fish would have. However, reading through the article it seems it will not affect the filter media or plants so if the kusuri doesn't help I may just run the hci through a couple of times. What would you do if it were you? Treat the whole tank ?

 

[snazy]

 I don't like taking fish out of a tank because I think it causes more stress leading to a weaker immune system but I guess sometimes it's inevitable and you may have just one loach affected, not all fish.  However, from this article it seems that levimasole isn't that dangerous as a med, it even says it's been found to be good for the immune system of the fish, so it's up to you. If you think some other fish maybe affected, then treat the whole tank but make sure you remove the previous med first, and even give them a break so the loach can recover in case the kusuri did work as it will take time.
From another point of view, I think if a med didn't work before, then no point trying it again. Try something else instead. And from a third point of view, I think one has to be thinking twice before treating a tank with meds because they can be as harmful as the disease itself.
 
 If I were you, while treating with the kusuri, I'd start giving them fresh garlic, try to make them eat it somehow, either put in in a veg they normally eat, or stick their wafers in the garlic, or chop it in small pieces in the hope they'll eat some, depends on your fish. Or try to soak it with blood worms or similar.
 The tank will stink but it's really good for the fish and especially internal parasites and such.
Also, increase the water changes as much as you can and as large as you can to provide the best enviroment so the fish immune system can fight it off whatever it is.
If you can get a hold of some medicated fish food as well to give them at the same time, it can have a better effect or as MBOU suggested, put some of the medication in food.