New Member

Posts: 2
From:Geneseo, NY 14454
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 12-17-2002 05:52 PM            

---

Hi! I'm really worried about my catfishes. I have a 10 gallon tank with two red-neck turtles in them (size of small palm) and I use to have a few minnows in them to eat. Other then that, I also have 3 catfishes (pleco-something? sorry, not sure of full name) and 1 upside down catfish. Now I don't know what went wrong (its been a half a year and evrything was fine) when all the sudden all of my catfishes started coming out of their hidding places and started swimming near the surface of the tank. The upside down catfish did that for 3 days (i changed the water the second day thinking it might be the water...but it remained swimming around the mid-upper level of the tank) and the next day it died! I thought it might be the oxygen level and I have a filter as well as a oxygen bubble thing running, but to no avail. Now ALL my remaining 3 catfish are swimming around in the open all looking as if they are coasted in white dust or something and they look sick. They NEVER swam out in the open, sometimes not attaching to things...just floating around and that scares me. I thought they might be starving, but I've fed them well! And it couldn't be my turtles attacking because I think BB and GG are actually afraid of the catfish! Plus, there;s still a rosy barb just swimming around for them to eat if they do want to eat fish.... My upside down catfish didn't die of any obvious bites or marks from my turtles. This has never happened before. So I'd really really love some help fast! I'm so nervous.....PLEASE RESPOND SOON! I don't know who else could help me!! Thanks~*

[This message has been edited by lirnchang (edited 12-17-2002).]

IP: Logged

New Member

Posts: 2
From:Geneseo, NY 14454
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 12-17-2002 09:31 PM            

---

I think what could be causing this might be fungus? I have no idea, but after reading about fish sickness, I think I'll wash everything and dry out everything before moving the fish back into the fish tank...oh...another catfish died...sigh...I'm down to two....

IP: Logged

Member

Posts: 96
From:El Paso, Texas
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 12-19-2002 11:51 PM         

---

First of all, I don't think I've ever heard of two plecos living in a ten gallon tank... much less three. Secondly, it sounds more like you have a terrarium than an aquarium.
Plecos eat algae, or algae wafers, not guppies. They need plenty of room as I have owned ten and twelve inch plecos. What type of filtration do you have and is the water level to the top of the tank, or mid level?
In half a years time a pleco can grow to be five or six inches long under the right circumstances. I have no experience with turtles, however this is the first case I've heard of turtles and fish being mixed together. You should never wash and dry evrything out in an aquarium as you will be killing all of your good bacteria and the fish will die. Since you , however have more of a terrarium, I have no idea what type of water quality we may be dealing with.
Sorry I couldn't help.

[This message has been edited by Hooben (edited 12-19-2002).]

IP: Logged

New Member

Posts: 1
From:Lima, OH 45801
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 12-20-2002 04:23 PM            

---

I hope you are able to read this in time. sounds like your fish have Ich. Its a parasite that lives on fish and attacks the respitory system (sorry for spelling) go to your local pet store and ask for ich cure. they sell it. you have to begin treating them asap. and hopefully its not to late. the pet store should be able to tell you what you need to do in order to get rid of this. I purchased some pictus catfish at Walmart a few months back and this is what happened to them within a week of buying them. i posted my situation and someone told me about ich (pronouced ick)Unfortunatly my fish all died. Hope you are able to save yours.

IP: Logged

All times are ET (US)