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Help Please - Stripped Raphael Catfish Dying

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Zuluwhiskey

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My Raphael Catfish is about 3-4 years old.
About 3 days ago in the morning I noticed that his barbels and his upper lip have been bitten of. He was also almost always laying on his/hers side and reluctant to move (with short improvements when he would swim arround or move into a normal position, though he would roll back on it's side shortly)... Its belly is also inflated.
I quarantined him/her today, gave it 2 baths ,in the past days, with table salt (read that on yahoo answers). But no visual improvements yet....
Any help would be greatly appreciated! :-(

P.S. Tank - temp 25 *C, 80 l, visual water quality excellent;
quarantine tank ~ 3 l (I know it's too small), temp ~ 23.5 *C.
 

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We need more information: http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/2330-please-read-before-posting-to-emergency-section/

How is the fish actually doing? Make the quarantine tank a nice environment for it and treat with a generic anti-bacterial and anti-fungal medication. (I would use eSHa 2000.) Then wait.

I would advise against salt baths, especially with table salt: fine salt is not suitable because it has other additives, rock salt is usually also not suitable because it is different salts from what the fish can deal with. The only table salt which can be used for fish is rock sea salt. Aquarium salt is still better. Most catfish don't react well to any sort of salt anyway, did you check if yours could handle it first?

And I have seen lots of complete and utter ##152### posted as replies on Yahoo Answers for fishkeeping.
 
Request Help

Tank size: 80l (tank); ~3 l (q.tank)
pH: ~6.5; 7
ammonia: don't have test kit :no:
nitrite:don't have test kit :no:
nitrate:don't have test kit :no:
kH:don't have test kit :no:
gH:don't have test kit :no:
tank temp: 24.8 *C; 21.9 *C

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): mouth and barbels bitten, normal, reluctant to move and tends to lay on it's side.

Volume and Frequency of water changes: never; every day 10 %

Chemical Additives, media in your tank: None; rocks on the bottom and plants.

Tank inhabitants: Corydoras aeneus x1, Harlequin rasbora x1, unknown (catfish?, large) x3.

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): None

Exposure to chemicals: None

Digital photo (include if possible): only quarantine tank, the other pic is too large.
 

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Also fish stores are seriously unpopular in my country (Lithuania) so the only anti-bacterial medication available is that for humans or via internet (too late).... :sad:
 
Zuluwhiskey said:
Also fish stores are seriously unpopular in my country (Lithuania) so the only anti-bacterial medication available is that for humans or via internet (too late).... :sad:
Click to expand...
Ah, I see.

For now, add some plants to that tank, add some sort of mature filtration and do daily water changes: without surface movement, that fish can suffocate and without mature filtration, it can get poisoned by ammonia and nitrite. Also, I realise this is summer, but it's a tropical fish and the temperature can drop overnight, so some sort of heating is required.

Is it possible for you to make or buy something which can float in your main aquarium? For example, something like http://www.plantguild.com/NET_BREEDER.jpg ? For short term, you can make it out of some netting (or even an old stocking or two!) and some wooden sticks, then suspend it in your main aquarium.

It is still worth getting the medication, even if you do not get a chance to use it this time.

I future, if you need any medication or anything like that, I would be happy to ship it to you.
 
Zuluwhiskey said:
unknown (catfish?, large) x3.
Click to expand...
Can you get a photo of these so we can ID them? You can upload photos to somewhere like http://www.imageshack.us/ for free, then link to there or use something like http://www.shrinkpictures.com/ to resize the photos.

p.s. esli ponimaesh etot iazik tozhe, to mogy pomoch i na etom no togda pishi PM :)
 
I think you should put it back in the main tank. The pollution in that small bowl will kill the fish.
 
Kitty Kat said:
Zuluwhiskey said:
unknown (catfish?, large) x3.
Click to expand...
Can you get a photo of these so we can ID them? You can upload photos to somewhere like http://www.imageshack.us/ for free, then link to there or use something like http://www.shrinkpictures.com/ to resize the photos.

p.s. esli ponimaesh etot iazik tozhe, to mogy pomoch i na etom no togda pishi PM :)
Click to expand...

My aquarium and the unidentified fish in front (that's a fantastic site! :good: )

P.S. Aš nekalbu rusiškai :D (I don't speak russian, sorry)
 

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Kitty Kat said:
Zuluwhiskey said:
Also fish stores are seriously unpopular in my country (Lithuania) so the only anti-bacterial medication available is that for humans or via internet (too late).... :sad:
Click to expand...
Ah, I see.

For now, add some plants to that tank, add some sort of mature filtration and do daily water changes: without surface movement, that fish can suffocate and without mature filtration, it can get poisoned by ammonia and nitrite. Also, I realise this is summer, but it's a tropical fish and the temperature can drop overnight, so some sort of heating is required.

Is it possible for you to make or buy something which can float in your main aquarium? For example, something like http://www.plantguild.com/NET_BREEDER.jpg ? For short term, you can make it out of some netting (or even an old stocking or two!) and some wooden sticks, then suspend it in your main aquarium.

It is still worth getting the medication, even if you do not get a chance to use it this time.

I future, if you need any medication or anything like that, I would be happy to ship it to you.
Click to expand...

1 I contacted a specialist and he advised me to put him back in the tank, do a 50 % water change and try and get as clean as possible.
2 Made a short bath with antibiotics.
3 That floating thingy is awesome! I'll make that in some time so I won't need a seperate tank in case of emergency :nod:
4 Anyways, if You get any ideas of what disease it may be I'll be more than glad to hear them ;) .

P.S. After I let it back to the tank it went to its usual place - a spot by the heater. BUT it is now so close to the filter exaust that his gills are being "peeled" back a bit. Any ideas?

Here's the pic. He used to be behind the heater, near the bottom. And yes I'll clean the weed today.

 
Have you got enough caves for it to hide in? They are quite shy. It really needs a bigger tank if you can.

Put in some caves or bogwood, don't feed for a few days, keep the fish in the dark and do a 505 water change every day for the next two days.

Then see how he is. Good luck!
 
fluttermoth said:
Have you got enough caves for it to hide in? They are quite shy. It really needs a bigger tank if you can.

Put in some caves or bogwood, don't feed for a few days, keep the fish in the dark and do a 505 water change every day for the next two days.

Then see how he is. Good luck!
Click to expand...

I don't have any caves, but am planing on a way bigger tank; ok will do.
Thanks.
 
Ours hides nearly all t time when the lights are on; they prefer to come out and eat when it's darker. They are quite greedy too, so a couple of days without food won't do it any harm. You could see if it will eat a few cooked shelled peas in a couple of days.
 
OH CRAP IT'S SHOWING NO SIGNS OF LIFE EXEPT FOR THE GILLS TWITCHING. I think it died....



No it's breathing, but not moving at all, even when moved arround in a net.... PARALYSED???!!!!!

Only his right gill is moving and I saw one gasp.
 
just leave it alone for a while Put a flower pot or something in for it to hide in and leave it in the dark. Don't look at it again until tomorrow.

Do a water change, by just syphoning out from one corner and syphoning back in, very gently.
 
The unIDed cats are quite common, although I'm not sure of the species, ask around.

Water changes and putting it back in the tank are the right things to do.

Turn lights off and leave it alone. Adding a flower pot or two will help (wash them first).

If the gills are moving, it is still alive.
 
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