Kuhli loach dead in quarantine

[Anomaly16]

Hello all, I'm just going to start with water parameters:

Temp:  77°F

pH:  7.6-8.0ish

Nitrates:  0ppm

Nitrites:  0ppm

GH:  300ppm

KH:  80-120ppm

Chlorine:  0ppm

 

For the pH, Aquarium Coop's test strips don't have a reading between those 2 so it might not be exact, and the GH is a lighter purple than what's on the label (I'll include a picture for those who don't have Aq. Coop strips in case they're different), but we do have very hard water here. 

Now I'd set up a clear tote for quarantining new fish for a 29gal I finished cycling just recently and then got 3 kuhli loaches and 1 hillstream on Sat, 7/15 from a local pet store (local being an hour drive). I floated them for about 30min, opened the bag and tested the water they came from, plus my own, and drip acclimated them as well. After releasing them into the QT tank, I left them alone for the rest of the weekend to give them a bit to settle down. I didn't notice any overt signs of illness when I got them. 

I began preventative treatment following Aq. Coop's recommended med trio (Ich-X, Fritz Paracleanse, and Maracyne) on Mon, 7/17. Everything seemed to be going well for the past couple days, but today I got home from work and found one of the loaches had died. To be honest, this is my first time keeping kuhlis and I don't necessarily know what to look for. I didn't see any white spots so no ich, but the belly has some teeny tiny red spots and there's that redness toward the upper length of the body (by the head) and a white tendril. Is that a parasite?

I haven't dealt with too much fish sickness since I started the hobby about 3 years ago, so any insight would be appreciated.

[Colu]

 looks like hemorrhaging it could have swim into something and killed it self fish decompose really quickly  after they die that could be changes to the tissue after it has died the white line on the body doesn't look like a parasite to me so I would just keep monitoring your other fish for now to see if there's any change in behaviour and there still eating ok I would also add an extra air stone to increase levels of desloved oxygen @Anomaly16

Edited July 22, 2023 by Colu

[Anomaly16]

On 7/21/2023 at 3:41 AM, Colu said:

 looks like hemorrhaging it could have swim into something and killed it self fish decompose really quickly  after they die that could be changes to the tissue after it has died the white line on the body doesn't look like a parasite to me so I would just keep monitoring your other fish for now to see if there's any change in behaviour and they still eating ok I would also add an extra air stone to increase levels of desloved oxygen @Anomaly16

Ooh, I didn't even think about that possibility. I turned up the settings on my air pump to max to make sure there's enough oxygen, and I am monitoring the other fish. So far they seem to be okay, but I'll be keeping a close eye on them.

[Anomaly16]

So the rest of my fish weren't displaying any abnormalities since that one kuhli died, but today I noticed one of my other kuhlis swimming frantically to the point of tiring himself out and sinking to the bottom to rest before doing it all over again. It looks like he is trying to launch himself out of the tank, which is never a good sign, so I checked my water parameters but everything is exactly the same as when I initially posted. When he's on the ground and staying still, I can tell that he's breathing rapidly, and his gills do look pretty red. The other surviving kuhli and hillstream loach are hiding in their little cave and aren't doing any of this, so I don't know what's going on. I ended up doing a partial water change out of paranoia, but it doesn't seem to have helped and he's still swimming around like that. It's breaking my heart because I don't know what to do for him. Everything I find online keeps saying to check the water parameters, which I've done, and nothing seems out of the ordinary.

[Colu]

Red Gills can be a sign of ammonia burn I noticed you haven't put any parameters for ammonia so I would start there test your ammonia do another water change and add a double dose of prime that will help to detoxify any potential ammonia if your ammonia comes back fine you could be dealing with Gill flukes they can also cause some of the symptoms your seeing for that you would want to do is treat with paracleanse every 2 weeks for 3 full courses of treatment @Anomaly16

[Anomaly16]

On 7/23/2023 at 5:17 AM, Colu said:

Red Gills can be a sign of ammonia burn I noticed you haven't put any parameters for ammonia so I would start there test your ammonia do another water change and add a double dose of prime that will help to detoxify any potential ammonia if your ammonia comes back fine you could be dealing with Gill flukes they can also cause some of the symptoms your seeing for that you would want to do is treat with paracleanse every 2 weeks for 3 full courses of treatment @Anomaly16

I feel like an idiot. Of course, that's one of the first and main things you check for. I ended up doing another water change like you said but had to run to the store for an ammonia test kit (I should have had it on hand).  If it was ammonia, the water change solved it - I should have kept a sample of the water I changed out to check. That one little guy didn't make it before the water change, unfortunately, but the other fish seem to be doing okay for now. I'm going to be religiously testing the water from now on and keeping an eye out for any more of that kind of behavior. If I see those behaviors again, I'm going to follow your advice. Thank you for helping me out. I feel so dumb about the ammonia, but I won't be making that mistake again.

[anewbie]

It could also be a bacteria - kuhli are fairly sensitive to bacteria and it can be quite deadly - having said that your water really is too hard for kuhil - they prefer much softer water... 

 

Also if it is ammonia water change will only help for a short period; it means the tank isn't cycled and it will rapidly build back up. You can partially neutralize it with a water conditioner like prime for a few days but long term you need to get that aquarium cycled (big if).

[Anomaly16]

On 7/24/2023 at 3:36 AM, anewbie said:

It could also be a bacteria - kuhli are fairly sensitive to bacteria and it can be quite deadly - having said that your water really is too hard for kuhil - they prefer much softer water... 

 

Also if it is ammonia water change will only help for a short period; it means the tank isn't cycled and it will rapidly build back up. You can partially neutralize it with a water conditioner like prime for a few days but long term you need to get that aquarium cycled (big if).

Sorry for the late response, I have been doing daily water changes and just haven't had the motivation to actually check my mail. It is a quarantine tank that I didn't have set up for long (roughly 2-3 weeks before getting fish). I had placed an extra sponge filter (which was running in my cycled 10gal) in it to bring over beneficial bacteria, but that does not make the tank automatically "cycled" from what I've read, it just helps it along, and I should have read more on that.

I'll keep bacterial infections in mind. And I did read about kuhli loaches preferring softer water - the only reason I decided to give it a try is because I've heard that others have kept them in very hard water and they just kept the acclimation process very gradual. From what I've read for those who have done this, they have better luck doing so with captive bred kuhlis. I checked with the store where I got them, and they did state that the kuhlis I got were captive bred. Still, although it may have worked for others, maybe it's just not meant to be for me. 

I added some floating plants from my 10gal and a catappa leaf. Those additions, along with water changes, seem to be doing the trick for now. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with me. I'll be sure to take this as a definite (if unfortunate) learning experience and read up more on any other fish I intend to get. I'll also be making sure to not rush things and take it slow with the whole process of acquiring them.