FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I would suggest you drink a glass or two of the Vodka before dropping the fish into another glassful.

That way you'll be well oiled and won't realize what you're doing, and, if you put your ear up close to the glass you'll hear the fish singing "How Deep Is the Ocean" just before he passes away. A very pleasant ending.

--garyroland.



[span class="edited"][Edited by garyroland 2004-07-30 17:20][/span]

Mine were about 1.5 inches I think. I did notice at LFS the other day some loaches I would consider "tiny" They were quite active but a bit pale. I would not buy one.

I should have mentioned that it may be a good idea to stay away from very small Clown Loaches offered in the stores...

The little guys seem to have a propensity to runt much more than the larger offerings.

I always try to purchase Clowns at least an inch and a half and make sure they are plump and active.

Some are being wild caught way too small and the long shipping trip, bagged up, sometimes takes its toll on their health.

--garyroland.

But I guess the clowns are just very special. Tank entertainers

...
Indeed they are when you have a nice size school of 4-5 clowns, its like watching kids playing at the park.. Yes, very entertaining.
glad to hear you have a knowledgeable fish store,they are hard to come by..
sry again for your loss, keep us updated on any new arrivals in your tank would love to hear..

Sue

So sorry to hear about the little guy..



sue..

..........And thanks StrawberrySue for all your information. I have a great LFS, they are so awesome and genuinely care about the fish. They know me now, but early on every time I purchased more fish they would ask questions such as how big is my tank, what other fish in there, etc. etc. They are wonderful. I still think it is weird about the clown eyes turning all black when sick. I wonder what is up with that? I have noticed, also, that mine are sometimes pale when they may have been "stressed." Why does it hurt me so much more when I lose a clown loach than, say, a tetra? I feel guilty for that. But I guess the clowns are just very special. Tank entertainers

Eddie died yesterday The heck of it is, he looked better yesterday a.m. His back fin was upright again. But he was staying near the top of the tank, with his little mouth stuck open. It was awful, but not nearly as bad the ordeal with Marilyn. Thanks EVERYBODY for your advice and help. I love this forum.

Keepin my fingers crossed for your clown RasboraMary.

The Amazon Nut...

I find that my clowns have that ring as well..somedays more defined than others..Excitment,stress, who knows.
Ive had them now well on to 5 months and they are fine so far..I know when I do a water change and vac, they get larger rings it seems and fade in color a bit..and Im ever so careful too.I keep that tank on small water changes 25% every week and change the carbon alot, quick vac and im out of there..dont like stressing them too much, for they are so sensitive and the water temp has got to be almost exact when put back in.Never had ICK and dont want it,for thats got to be the number 1 killer for clowns.

have you seen him come out yet? dont leave it to long, start searching soon for him..

sue

..sorry to hear your clown is still sick and barely hanging on.
Im all for the freezing method it is very fast. I had a female Electric blue I had to put to sleep. If you dont think he looks good do it right away better than watching him like that,might sound morbid too some but I felt better after doing it.
Im with you! would love to have a tank of just clowns,100gal+ would do with nothing smaller,so they can grow to a wonderful 6-8in size..
If and when you decide to purchase more clowns(any fish for that matter)Do some research on the tanks in your LFS. Find out when they get shipments in and of what, go in periodically and check these tanks.You will see the ones that might not make it, of course alot of fish die after being shipped due to stress,then once the others settle for a bit they should start to thrive. Clowns your looking for ask alot of questions. when did they come in? sold many? how many do you get in at a time? you can tell a good fish keeper,they would be sharp to answer "yes we sold 3 this morning" the store that I stuck with was the one that actually asked me most of the questions at the start..and Ive been back everytime.
I cant stand the ones that remind me of a fastfood joint,there just looking for sales..next pls..]
One experience I had, I was buying 2 upsidedown catfish(?)this guy tore up the tank like no other! banging the rocks on the front glass, he swirled the net around the tank like he was trying to exhaust the fish before netting them now yes they are hard to catch but he had not a care in the world..Get this he banged and tapped the class to move the fish as well..I stood there horrifed

there I stood with the bag studying these poor guys.." can I get you anything else" hell yah, whats your guarantee on live stock again?]:| One died that night and I never went back..
Did nt plan on such along post..sry

let me know how your doing..

Sue

Thank you metalBug. I hope he doesn't get that bad either. I have not seen him yet this evening, but last night he looked a LITTLE better. Now, this is weird. Like Marilyn, Eddie's eyes look strange. Most clown loaches have a lighter circle around their black eyes. When this happened to Marilyn and now with Eddie, the eyes are ALL BLACK. What could cause that? I am at a loss.

There is a temperature shock method where you freeze water or vodka until there is a thin layer of ice ontop, you then break the ice and catch the fish and drop it in. The shock of cold water shuts down thier organs.

The other Vodka method is to simply place them in it. From what I can tell, you pour it straight.

I euthanased my female guppy (bad case of swim bladder) with an overdose of epsoms salt. She just slowed down, and then she was gone.

I hope he doesent get so bad you have to end it, good luck

Maybe I will just give the fish to my cat...................JOKING!

Will someone please help me understand what is going on in my tank? About six weeks ago, one of my clowns, Marilyn, died. It looked like her fins were perhaps rotting, but more puzzling it looked like her mouth was stuck open!! And now, my little Eddie seems to be doing the same thing! His back fin is down against his back, ever so slight piece of tailfin missing, but HIS MOUTH LOOKS STUCK OPEN. What is this? It is making me sick

I don't think I could do it. I think it would be easier for me (although disgusting) to knife it before I could do that. But's that just me. What about the Vodka method? ever tried it? how much to use?

"Runting", or failure to thrive, is a fact of life with many creatures...

Even human babies may present the same indicators.

I expect a percentage of fish I purchase to runt, perhaps three out of a dozen, so, being the hard head that I am, I just throw them in a freezer bag and into the deep freeze.

You can think it cruel, but the fact is they simply, like freezing humans caught outside in an accident, go painlessly to sleep and die.

--garyroland.

Gary, that's depressing. I LOVE clown loaches. My goal someday is to have a HUGE tank with nothing but clowns. But if this thing that happened to Marilyn and is now happening to Eddie is a pattern, I want nothing to do with it. It is horrible to witness. On the positive side, Eddie seems to be eating a little more tonight (or at least TRYING to eat, with his little stuck-open mouth). But Marilyn perked up shortly before death also. It's pathetic. He is not so bad, like Marilyn in her last 2 days, that I want to euthanize him, but if it comes to that, WHAT IS THE BEST METHOD?? I refuse to freeze a fish and can't ponder chopping his head off. What about the Vodka treatment? How does that work? I saw a post on here a long time ago (when I was merely contemplating getting an aquarium and researching the hobby) about euthanasia. Wish i had access to that now, I think I shall need it soon. I am so sad.

When you start to understand Clown Loaches, you'll discover, as I have, that some just fail to thrive...

Either it's the water quality, food or genetics, they will thin out, last for a week or more becoming weaker and weaker, and finally die.

There's a percentage involved. Out of my 35 Clowns, four have failed to thrive over a period of months and died with the indicators I mentioned.

Unless you possess a magic bullet that I lack, there's not a damn thing you can do to reverse the process.

--garyroland.

..Yes DafishMan..I too thought then what about the tail??..hard to say..
Being that hes the newest member,2 months is long but, its possible you purchased the clown with and illness.
this could be a internal parisite as well.
All you can do is wait.its your call to medicate the whole tank,and Yes I would definitely get that hospital tank.

Sue

ALSO, he is trying to eat, I think, but hiding more than usual. He is a little thin. Tonight the fin on his back still is flat against his back. He does not seem to be "scratching" too much against the driftwood. Gills are okay and seems to breathing okay, perhaps a little labored but nothing extraordinary.