Posted: 2007.01.14(Sun)14:25 Post subject: Depressed YoYo?
I have had my YoYo loach a little less than a year now, and he has done great until recently. The lat few days he has acted depressed: not eating, not swimming very much--just sitting on the bottom, and he will tilt to the side. All my water parameters are normal: NitrIte: 0, NitrAte: 0, Ammonia: 0. I have had higher pH water (7.6-7.8 due to hard city water); however, he should be accustomed to that, as it has not changed since he's been in. Any ideas?
Well, you should know that leaning to the side is a normal thing for yoyo's, and many other loaches. More than once I have momentarily panicked after finding one or more of my clowns literally on their sides on the gravel. Apparently it is just how they sleep.
Your water parameters look good, other than your pH. It isn't that it's high, (I keep my yoyos in 8 and have had nary a problem) but does it swing around between 7.6 and 7.8, or can your test kit not distinguish between the two? Chances are, if it's been a year and it's just now bothering the little guy than it's not your problem, but it's worth looking into.
Since you didn't mention other physical signs of disease (swollen abdomen, lesions, etc), I'm going to say it's loneliness. Yoyos are actually a schooling fish, and should be kept in groups of at least three, the more the merrier. If you have room, you really should get him some buddies.
Just in case it ISN'T loneliness, though, I would wait for a little while to see if he presents any other symptoms before you add ANYTHING to the tank.
In the meantime, keep up the water changes, keep an eye on the water parameters, and try varying his diet to get him to eat. Loaches love tubifex worms, but you could also drop in some blanched cucumber, bloodworms, etc.
Let me know what happens!
He doesn't have any sort of physical abnormalities that I can see, and I try and vary the food I give them with bloodworms, flake and veggies. He is usually the first to eat the bloodworms, but I have not seen him eat for the last three days. He just sits on the bottom. He used to play with the two striata loaches that I have, but now just sits and hides.
Hmm... well, I would still play the waiting game with him. It's exceedingly difficult to even attempt to diagnose a fish that shows no physical signs of illness.
I did a quick internet search for fish diseases, hoping to turn up something (I don't have a lot of experience with diseases- I've been lucky over the years). The only thing I could turn up that remotely sounded like your problem is Ichthyosporidium.
Quote:
Ichthyosporidium
Symptoms: Sluggishness, loss of balance, hollow belly, external cysts and sores.
Ichthyosporidium is a fungus, but it manifests itself internally. It primarily attacks the liver and kidneys, but it spreads everywhere else. The symptoms vary. The fish may become sluggish, lose balance, show hollow bellies, and eventually show external cysts or sores. By then it is usually too late for the fish.
Treatment is difficult. Phenoxethol added to food as a 1% solution may be effective. Chloromycetin added to the food has also been effective. But both of these treatments, if not watched with caution, could pose a risk to your fish. It is best, if diagnosed soon enough, to destroy the affected fish before the disease can spread.
The problem is, your symptoms are pretty vague- it might not be that at all. Hopefully someone else will comment...
Wish I could be of more help,
Well, I don't know what it was, but finally after four days, he perked up and started eating again and socializing with the other fish. Maybe he ate a bad worm. who knows! Thanks for your input!
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Thanks for your input! 
