Glass Catfish - Antennae Shorter

[kmaisch]

Hi all,

Over the last few days my glass catfish has not come out of its hiding spot to eat (usually it will come to the surface and eat with the other fish). Now it stays in its hiding spot and nibbles on some food that passes by it. It seems more timid that it used to (avoids all other fish).

This morning I noticed that its antennae are much shorter than they used to be (maybe 1/2 to 1/3 the length). I have not seen anything pick on it - but I am thinking that maybe something has been picking on it.

Would this be the most likely answer? Or can antennae get shorter if the fish is stressed about something else?

Cheers,
Kim

 

[Soaup]

What other fish do you have in the tank, who might be picking on it. I believe its being harassed and is hiding for a reason.

 

[kmaisch]

i have a bristlenose pleco, a peppered catfish, 6 neon tetra's and 1 harlequin.

The pleco i have seen chase the peppered catfish, and also harass the tetra's if they come near it when it is eating. That seems to be the only aggressive fish in the tank. I have not seen it go near the glass catfish - but I suppose that must be it.

Would stress make its antennae get shorter? Or would they only get shorter if they have been physically damaged?

Kim

 

[penguinpimp1990]

thats odd a pleco acting aggressive they are the most peacful fish youll ever find, looks to me as none of those fish would be picking at him as they are all peaceful.

 

[Chris Allan]

If I were you, I'd check your water parameters. Glass Cats are quite delicate and their barbels goings white and disappearing is the firsyt sign of stress. Also, they should be kept in groups of about 6 or more (correct me if I'm wrong). They are also susceptible to bacterial infection as well, so make sure no white/grey patches appear on their body.

Chris

 

[kmaisch]

i have started lowering the tank temperature (after treating fish for whitespot) and the glass catfish has since come out of hiding. Maybe the higher water temperature stressed him a out a bit.

I'll keep a close eye on it - will also try and get some other glass catfish to keep it company. My tank is too small for 6 tho... would it be better to have 2 of them rather than 1? Or should I try and find a new home for it?

Kim

 

[freddyk]

would it be better to have 2 of them rather than 1? Or should I try and find a new home for it?

My answer is always this: if you don't have room for an appropriate group, the tank is too small to keep them. Switching mine from their previous 25 gallon to their current 75 gallon has truly raised them from living to thriving.

 

[kmaisch]

i will be changing my tank at some stage in the next couple of years, but cant afford it right now...

The fish shop sold me 1, so now I am either stuck with it as a lonely fish, or could squeeze a second fish into the tank (but probably not any more)... just not sure what is the best option. The fish shop wouldnt take it back, and i dont know anyone that would have room of it in their tank. Not sure what to do...

Kim

 

[freddyk]

How big is your tank? If it's 20 gallons or bigger you can do a trio. Under 20 and it would really be best to try and find another home for him.

 

[kmaisch]

How big is your tank? If it's 20 gallons or bigger you can do a trio. Under 20 and it would really be best to try and find another home for him.

my tank is only 12 gallon, so probably not big enough for a trio of glass catfish. I'm not sure if I can find another home for him... the pet shop sold it to me saying it would be OK by itself so now I dont know what to do

How many years would it take for the glass catfish to grow in size? At the moment it is fairly small - about 1.5" long. If they are slow growers then maybe I could get another one - as I plan to get a larger tank in a year or so...

Kim

 

[freddyk]

If you're going to keep one you can keep another, they will share the tank and hang out together anyway. They do grow slow, but keeping them in an undersized tank won't help matters in that department.

 

[kmaisch]

Update:

My tank was short of plants for a while, so I had been waiting for my local pet shop to get a new supply. On the weekend I purchased a heap of nice plants for the tank - and since then the glass catfish seems a lot more comfortable coming out from its hiding-hole. It is swimming around the tank and comes to the surface for food now.

So it is definitely true what I read (I think on this site) - they do not like open-plan tanks, lots of plants make them much happier