Catfish slamming face into gravel

[Daviem]

Hi, my catfish has started slamming his head into the gravel every now and then and then sometimes jumps upwards when swimming, could he be trying to find food using his barbels when he hits the gravel?, im not sure why he jumps upwards randomly though.

 

[Meg0000]

Hi, my catfish has started slamming his head into the gravel every now and then and then sometimes jumps upwards when swimming, could he be trying to find food using his barbels when he hits the gravel?, im not sure why he jumps upwards randomly though.

My corys do that sometimes too in the sand, I hope it is normal

 

[Byron]

Any chance of a video? And you posted this in brackish not freshwater, was this intended? What is the catfish species?

 

[Essjay]

I moved the thread, then thought to check and the OP has columbian sharks - so I moved the thread back to the brackish forum

 

[Colin_T]

video and pictures

 

[Daviem]

I will try and get some tomorrow, they are so scared they scurry away each time I go near them, but I noticed this odd behaviour last night from a distance, I do have an issue at the moment my reverse osmosis kit was faulty so Im waiting for a new one so there hasn't been a water change in a while, the nitrites, nitrates and ammonia are still at 0 though, but just to be on the safe side I added seachem prime I think it calmed them a bit, also they were both the same size when I got them but one has grown the one acting strange hasn't. I will though try and get a video of whats happening but its hard as I have to be near them and they just swim all over the place when I go near them. I had to put a towel over half the aquarium to calm them down. They seem more stressed now then when I got them.

 

[Daviem]

Ok, I haven't had a chance to get a video/photo yet but today I think I figured out whats going on, one of the sharks is chasing and trying to nip the other shark, is there anything I can do to stop this, someone said get another 1 but I dont see how this could help if two turn one 1? they used to stay together all the time but for the past 5 days one tries to stay away from the other one the same one that jumps. As for the head slamming I actually think theyre looking for food in the gravel because when I fed them they both did that today.

 

[Retired Viking]

That could be it, I have seen my cory to some strange things since I got them too.

 

[Byron]

Ok, I haven't had a chance to get a video/photo yet but today I think I figured out whats going on, one of the sharks is chasing and trying to nip the other shark, is there anything I can do to stop this, someone said get another 1 but I dont see how this could help if two turn one 1? they used to stay together all the time but for the past 5 days one tries to stay away from the other one the same one that jumps. As for the head slamming I actually think theyre looking for food in the gravel because when I fed them they both did that today.

We don't have much info here, and we are assuming the "catfish" to be the species Ariopsis seemanni (common name Colombian Shark). We also don't know your level of knowledge on this fish, it is worth mentioning that it gets 30-35cm (12-14 inches) and needs a tank no smaller than 240 cm (8 feet) by 60 cm (2 feet) dimensions. It is probably best alone, or in a small group. Two fish may see each other as rivals or invades of territory. This can easily account for the behaviour. More info here:

Ariopsis seemanni (Colombian Shark Catfish) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

 

[Daviem]

We don't have much info here, and we are assuming the "catfish" to be the species Ariopsis seemanni (common name Colombian Shark). We also don't know your level of knowledge on this fish, it is worth mentioning that it gets 30-35cm (12-14 inches) and needs a tank no smaller than 240 cm (8 feet) by 60 cm (2 feet) dimensions. It is probably best alone, or in a small group. Two fish may see each other as rivals or invades of territory. This can easily account for the behaviour. More info here:

Ariopsis seemanni (Colombian Shark Catfish) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Yes theyre columbian sharks, well I have a lot of conflicting knowledge on them as everywhere online the literature states different figures for them, ph, gh, salinity, Im fully aware of their potential size and the aquarium for them is large enough for when theyre adults! so that certainly isnt a issue, one keeps going to the other one then gets chased and sometimes stays away and the other one swims towards the fish and chases again, could a different set of smaller fish being added who are not small enough to be eaten help the situation as I dont want to get a 3rd shark. I do believe a 3rd could make the situation better or worse and I dont want to risk the latter.

 

[Byron]

Yes theyre columbian sharks, well I have a lot of conflicting knowledge on them as everywhere online the literature states different figures for them, ph, gh, salinity, Im fully aware of their potential size and the aquarium for them is large enough for when theyre adults! so that certainly isnt a issue, one keeps going to the other one then gets chased and sometimes stays away and the other one swims towards the fish and chases again, could a different set of smaller fish being added who are not small enough to be eaten help the situation as I dont want to get a 3rd shark. I do believe a 3rd could make the situation better or worse and I dont want to risk the latter.

If this is interactive aggression--which can be any level from mild chasing (appearing more like "play") to intense physical attacks--it is a common result of stress. Many things cause stress, and one of these is having too few in a group if the species is inherently shoaling. From the data in the link I gave previously, it would seem possible this is the issue. However, adding more might not solve the problem even if you could do this; once a fish is "pushed" into such a situation, it tends to be permanent and seldom reversible. I do not know enough about this particular species to offer more than this generic comment. Separating the two individuals is really the only option, if your observation confirms this as the likely issue.