Catfish shedding skin?

[jbatt]

My boyfriend is abroad at the moment and I'm looking after his tropical fish. Before he left he did a quick water change (1/4 of the tank) because nitrate levels were alittle high. I tested this 6hours later and the levels were fine. I then noticed that I was losing fish - guppies & mollies. When I checked the pH levels I noticed it was too high so I'm currently bringing this back down.
I'm not really having much luck with all this because I've now noticed that one of his catfish isn't moving around and is breathing very fast. He also looks alittle like he is shedding his skin. Any ideas what I should do? Would metafix solve the problem? - if so, does metafix damage elephant fish?
Many thanks to all that can help me
Sophie

 

[WILDER]

Best not to do large water changers as it can alter the tank stats to much best gradually doing it, does the fish skin look like it's peeling or stredding.

 

[jbatt]

Not really sure - the skin looks ok underneath the flaky skin thats hanging off him.

 

[WILDER]

Don't really no what's going on you can get peeling and stredding skin with columnaris is there any white fluffy patches or little white spots on his back or fins

 

[smithrc]

sounds like ammonia burns...

when you did the first water change - did you de clodinate the water you added back in?

If not you may well have killed off teh benificial bacteria leading to a LARGE ammonia spike. this is the most toxic to the fish - hence to losses.

keep doing water changes to keep the levels down - make sure that the new water is declorinated.

If you can, try to get some media (foam/sponge) from an enstablished filter and put it in yours asap.

 

[jbatt]

Nope - his skin looks fine. Hopefully he will get better as the pH levels drop.

 

[WILDER]

Do you have a test kit to see if that 's what s causing the skin to stredd ammonia burns.

 

[jbatt]

I think my boyfriend has an ammonia kit - I'll test the water to see if it's ok.
Cheers for the help.
Sophie

 

[Oddball]

The catfish, is it a raphael cat? (dora?)

 

[jbatt]

The catfish is like this one

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/mocho...nodont/95_1.php

What should the PH of the water be?.

Thanks

 

[Inchworm]

Hi jbatt

What are the Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate readings?

One more thing....................

Leave the pH alone!!!!

 

[Oddball]

I agree with inchworm, that catfish prefers a higher pH roughly about 7-8 so that cant be hurting him. Maybe its had a scrape on a decoration and damaged itself?