People love taking care of clown loaches. These fish are some of the nicest fish that you can add to a community fish tank.
It’s great that they’re so peaceful because they can get along with many other types of fish. They have peaceful temperaments and generally don’t bother others.
They’re also considered to be hardy fish that are easy to take care of. This doesn’t mean that clown loaches are invincible and can’t have problems.
If you see white spots on your clown loaches, then that’s definitely an indication that something is wrong. What does it mean when you see white spots on a clown loach, though?
Read on to learn about these white spots. You’ll also get information about how you can treat this issue to help your fish get better as quickly as possible.
What Are the White Spots?
When you see white spots on clown loaches, it’s pretty much guaranteed that the fish has ich. Ich can be a big problem for clown loaches, and these fish are especially in danger of getting it.
Some fish have scales that help to protect them from problems. Clown loaches technically have scales, but they’re very tiny.
Many refer to clown loaches as scaleless fish. The lack of normal scales makes them more susceptible to ich than many other types of fish.
Are there other potential causes of white spots on fish? Yes, but it’s most likely that you’re dealing with ich.
Some other diseases and infections can cause white spots to appear on fish. When you’re discussing clown loaches, it’s almost surely going to be ich that is the problem.
If you’re seeing white spots on the fish, you’re going to want to start treating it as soon as you can. Learning a bit about ich and what it is will help you to understand what to do.
Clown Loach Ich
Ich is a condition that is caused by external parasites. These parasites will cause white spots to appear on your fish.
The white spots can show up on the body of the fish, but they might also appear on the gills. When ich appears on the gills, it can make it difficult for the fish to breathe.
You can see the parasites with your eyes without having to use magnification. It’ll be pretty obvious when the fish in your tank have ich.
When a fish has ich, you might see it brushing its body up against objects in the tank. They’re trying to scratch themselves to get relief from the spot.
The fish will also start to become lethargic as things progress. Eventually, your clown loaches might stop eating entirely.
Sudden death is also possible as a result of ich. This might not happen, but there is the potential that it will.
The parasites can eventually kill the fish if you don’t treat them. Thankfully, ich can be treated and your fish can get better.
How Can Ich Be Treated?
There are over-the-counter treatments for ich that you can give to your fish. Generally, you’ll just have to buy the medicine and follow the instructions on the package.
If you want things to go as smoothly as possible, then you should seek the advice of an exotic veterinarian. They can ensure that your fish truly does have ich while also providing you with optimal treatment options.
The vet will likely ask you to treat the fish with a recommended medication. You’ll need to follow the instructions while using the medication.
Doing water changes, keeping the water parameters in the right range, and cleaning the tank will help. You should also be trying to feed the fish high-quality foods to help them get better.
The fish might need antibiotics after clearing up the ich. Sometimes fish have to deal with secondary infections after getting ich.
After some time, your fish should start to get better. In the future, you’ll want to work to prevent the fish from getting ich.
What Causes Ich?
Ich is caused by the parasite that was mentioned earlier. What brings ich to your fish tank will depend.
It might have been brought to the tank by a new fish that you decided to purchase. You also might have brought ich into the tank by using equipment that happened to be exposed to it.
Accidentally transferring infected water to your system is possible. This is why you want to be careful to keep such things from happening.
How Can You Prevent Ich?
Now that you know how serious ich can be, you likely want to prevent your clown loaches from ever having to deal with it again. How can you prevent ich?
Taking care of the water parameters will be the most important thing. You want to ensure that the tank stays in the right condition so that the parasite that causes ich won’t be able to thrive.
Stressed fish are more likely to get infected by parasites. If your fish aren’t stressed, then they will have better natural defenses.
Avoid putting your fish in stressful situations. Give them more than enough space to live and feed them well.
Do regular water changes to avoid making the water too dirty. Monitor the pH balance of the tank while keeping an eye on the ammonia levels.
Whenever you add new fish or plants to the tank, you should quarantine them first. Quarantine new fish for four to six weeks before adding them to the aquarium.
Plants should be quarantined for two weeks with no fish before being placed in the tank. Invertebrates that you’d like to add to the tank should be quarantined for two to four weeks if they were previously kept with fish.
If you do an excellent job of maintaining the fish tank, then your fish will be far less likely to get ich. They will be as protected as they can be.
When you also take the right steps to quarantine newcomers, it’ll be easy to prevent ich from breaking out in your aquarium. It might seem like extra work at first, but it’s well worth it.
Being a proactive fish owner is also going to help. Look for signs of sickness in your fish and try to catch issues as fast as you can.
Final Thoughts
You’ve learned about what causes white spots to appear on clown loaches. This is almost surely being caused by a disease known as ich.
Some people refer to ich as white spot disease. It’s a parasitic infection that causes white spots to appear on the body and the gills.
This issue could wind up killing your fish if you aren’t careful. When left untreated, ich can easily kill clown loaches.
When you recognize that your fish has ich, it’s going to be smart to start treatment right away. You might wish to confirm that the fish has ich by talking to a vet.
Otherwise, you can purchase over-the-counter medications that can treat ich. Follow the instructions on the medicine and treat the fish properly.
Be sure to do your best to prevent ich from being a problem in the future. If you have any friends who are dealing with similar issues, then let them know what you learned so that you can help them to protect their clown loaches.
Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his family’s fish tank. Being able to maintain a small ecosystem and observe the behaviors and interactions in the underwater world peaked his interest early on and has kept him hooked until this day. On Avid Aquarist, Jeff shares everything he’s learned about helping aquatic life survive and thrive in a home aquarium.