New baby Kuhli loaches are dying

[Lys]

NO3 = 0

NO2 = 0

pH = 7.0

KH = 80

GH = 30

temp = 80F

I’ve lost 3 of the 4 I bought 3 days ago.  They are/were in a quarantine tank, but they were sluggish, not running away from my hand.  I’m not even sure they’re eating.  I’ve already dosed once with Maracyn and once with Paracleanse, starting yesterday.  They are so small I can’t tell what looks off about them, except maybe the one’s hills are red.  No white spots that I can tell.

Q1:  Is it possible my water sample from the top of the tank is cleaner than where they are swimming at the bottom?

I am feeding them frozen baby brine shrimp, sinking waters and blood worms.   I did a 25% water change yesterday, but because the tank is sitting in my bathtub, my suction cleaner doesn’t work because it is level with my bucket.  So there is still food at the bottom of the 10 gal tank.  Maybe I will do 100% water change today.

Q2:  Should I try aquarium salts?  If so, how much for 10 gal?

 

Many thanks!

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Hi @Lys, welcome to the forum. Very sorry about your Kuhlis, that's very sad. Being as how you got them 3 days ago, it wouldn't be unusual for them to have already been sick or exposed to something. 

I see you don't have an ammonia reading and primary reason for red gills is ammonia burn. Do you  not have a way to test for this? They could have gotten that from either where you got them from (were they shipped or did you buy them at the store?) or in your QT conditions (potentially from food left in the tank, you can use a turkey baster when your siphon isn't working to clean a lot of this up). Sometimes fish will get a secondary bacterial infection from ammonia burn which can be treated with antibiotic, some are so damaged they never recover. Clean water, water conditioner (if it has aloe some say this helps) are the best remedies unless you also need to treat with antibiotics. BUT primary thing to do is get rid of any ammonia sources and test for it if you can. 

I personally do not use aquarium salts for ammonia burn unless I'm using it as the only option for bacterial infection. 

Edited January 27 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/27/2024 at 8:31 AM, Lys said:

temp = 80F

https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/pangio-semicincta/

Temp listed on their site is 21-26C.  That would be 70-79 degrees F.  Optimally I would shoot for the middle of that range, 74-75 degrees.  As temp goes up, that means that oxygenation goes down, which can cause some gill issues and added stress.  What that means is that if you can, adjust the temp down, but also be aware of adding an air stone as a benefit for the loaches in particular.

Edited January 29 by nabokovfan87

[TOtrees]

Agree with @xXInkedPhoenixX that it would be nice to know if ammonia is present. I'm not the sort to harp on whether a tank is cycled or not, but you do need clean water. You can keep fish just fine in an uncycled tank (like a qt setup) so long as you change water often enough to keep ammonia and nitrite, if any) very very low. 

For the situation you describe, I'd say the most likely causes of the fish dying are 1) diseases acquired before you bought them; 2) stress of moving/different parameters (this could relate to store to you, but could also be wholesaler to store, with you seeing the consequences, depending on how long the store had them before you bought; or 3) ammonia in your qt setup. It's also possible (I'd venture to say likely) that a combo of these, or one making another one worse, might be going on.

The first you can't do anything about except treat prophylactically (though you don't know what to treat FOR, and that's always an issue). And, many times, treatments are administered too late. I bought fish. They "got" sick. I treated them. They still died. That's not a case of the treatment not working, it's just the disease is too advanced. Or you're treating for the wrong issue. 

The second you can tackle by asking questions. Ask the store, what are your levels (so you can compare to your tanks)? How long have you had these fish in? Have you had any losses (in transit, or in the store)? 

The 3rd is just water changes and Prime. I know, some folks say it doesn't bind nitrite or ammonia. Maybe true, maybe not. But it's almost impossible to find a reputable source that says it's harmful, so I use it. 

Also, can you describe your filtration/circulation? Not looking to compare or evaluate what brand or any of that, but kuhlis don't tolerate still or low-O2 water all that well, so you should have either or both of a filter that moves water around well enough, and/or an airstone. Not looking for a whirlpool, just circulation. 

[Whitecloud09]

If you did salt,I reccomend fritz aquarium salt and add t. 2 tablespoons 

Didn’t read much of what other members had to say so u might not…😆 @Lys