I have been away for a long while because I just become so emotional reading other people's pet stories... I love animals so much!

But my current question pertains to my fish... I have been to numerous pet stores and no one seems to be able to answer my question...

I have two dojo loaches (or weather loaches) in my tank (they are the only fish in there). The older and bigger one is about 7 years old. I have read that they should live to about 15 years so I don't think it's old age that he's suffering from. But anyway it started about a week and a half ago that I noticed that his back end was starting to float a little bit and that he was breathing quite hard. It has progressed to the stage where he literally floats at the top of the tank on his side and I think he's dead but then he will dart into action when I approach. He is having trouble even getting down past the halfway part of the tank (and for anyone that doesn't know these are bottom dwellers). He is still always breathing so hard even when he is floating.

I have noticed that sometimes, when he is trying to get to the bottom so his head is down and his rear end is up, that some gas bubbles will escape his... um... rear end...

I wonder if he somehow has a build up of air in his system (he has been going to the surface to gulp air lately) that he can't get rid of... I have tested my water and it is fine. I do regular water changes and the other fish is not exhibiting any of the same signs.

One pet store told me it might be "bloat" and that the cure is to not feed the fish for a couple of days. I have done that, but it is not helping. I am concerned now that even when I do put food in the tank (algae wafers) that he will not be able to get to it because he has trouble going to the bottom. They also suggested frozen peas, which I tried but they remained un-eaten.

It has been a week and a half so I don't know what to do at this point. I just feel like I'm watching him slowly die a little more every day and I hate it.

Does anyone have any experience with either these sympotoms or this fish? Everyone that sees them are disgusted by them (they look like little eels) but I think they are the cutest things and they do have their own little personalities...

Please help if you can. Thank You.

Mokanee

(PS. I am also adding some aquarium salt to the tank to try to minimize his stress level...)

or this one
http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/swim_bladder_disease/

Check the aquarium forum as well.

From what I've read they are mainly carnivorous and their diet should consists of insect larvae and small worms. Has he been getting any protein or mostly 'greens'?
I hope things work out OK for the little guy........

I am sad to report that my swimming companion of the past 7 years was not able to recover from his illness and that when I got home last night he was no longer among us.

I am so sad and had a long cry. I also hate that there is no dignified way to 'bury' these guys. He was definitely too big to be of the 'flushable' kind (and I don't know if I could bring myself to do that anyway...) so I had no choice but to put him in the dumpster (I live in a condo, so no other choice, really). That made me even sadder. I hated giving him such an undignified ending to his life (I'm even crying now just thinking about it). But I hope that somehow, even though he was a fish, he knew that I really cared about him. I'll miss him.

This is such a kind community... I really should hang out here more often... maybe just try to stick to the cheery, happy stories that are posted (I'm sure there are more than a few)... I do most of my 'computing' from work and I'm sure people look at me funny when I just start crying for no reason while looking at my computer screen...

Again I really thank you all for the suggestions (even the post mortem ones were good) and I wish you all good times and happy days ahead with your furry (or scaly) loved ones!