posted 02-24-2004 08:09 PM         

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

posted 02-25-2004 09:19 PM         

quote:

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Add salt if tank contains none then raise temp. to 85 or 86 for about a week or two

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Personally, I wouldn't try salt with the clown loaches. I tried an ich medicine a while back that was safe for scaleless fish and tetras and worked pretty good, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it was. I'll do some looking around and see if I can figure out what it was.

Also, your friend should know that columbian sharks are actually brackish. They start out able to tollerate freshwater, but as they mature, they need more & more salt which the clown loaches won't tollerate. He'll most likely have to separate them pretty soon.

posted 02-25-2004 09:47 PM         

Clear-ich

According to THIS SITE it is "specifically designed to combat Ich in scaleless and tight scaled species like Tetras, Eels, Loaches, etc."

And Rid Ich + is also supposed to be safe for most scaleless fish.

-Chelle

posted 02-26-2004 09:48 AM         

Did your friend remove the activated carbon/charcoal filter element from the filter(s) before treatment? The ich treatment will be ineffective if this filter element is not removed as it will neutralize the active ingredients in the ich medication. Be careful raising the temperature too high as well. The higher the temp the lower the oxygen saturation capacity of the water. Low O2 could stress the fish and exacerbate the situation rather than help.