Abalisa

My rainbow shark is in a 20 gal w/ 6 balloon belly red eye tetras & a raphael striped catfish. (I am planning on getting a bigger tank) Sharky & the catfish are both only about 2 1/2 inches long, but of course the catfish is much fatter. They were actually tank mates when I bought them, but today the shark has a swollen white area w/red in the middle at the end of his tail and before the red tail fin that looks like he was bitten or caught it on something. He was staying behind the same rock as the catfish for awhile, but now he stays behind a different one. Do you think the catfish did this? Should I do anything or just wait it out & see if he gets better. He acts fine & is still a little piggy, I don't even feed the algae wafers anymore because he gets too fat. Any input would be appreciated. I have a 10 gal tank I could move him to if needed, but I'm afraid he would hurt my betta thats in there, so I would have to put the betta in a bowl for a short time (it's a big bowl, about a gallon).

Shawnie

I know my rainbow is very mean and doesnt tolerate anyone...my pictus catfish keep him in line most of the time tho...some suggestions id have for you is get a cave or some kind of house for him to call his own..and maybe get some vita chem, garlic guard, and some fish protector to heal him up nicely...water changes are a must to keep nice n clean water so it doesnt get worse...goodluck!

Abalisa

Thanks for the input. I do have a clay pot I am going to put in there, waiting for my hubby to half it for me. I will look for the vita chem & stuff at the pet stores. Sharky so far has been pretty good, he's seems very social & even comes out to check me out when he sees me looking in the tank. The only problem I had was when I brought him home 2 months ago I had the betta in there & the tetras started really pestering the betta, which made Sharky take an interest in chasing him too, so the betta has his own tank now. (quickly getting MTS!) I'm going to keep my eye on the shark & catfish as they get bigger tho, I'd hate to lose the tetras to them.

Abalisa

I do almost a 50% water change every week. I hope that isn't too much, but I just feel like the fish really like it, and I do have a lot in there for a 20 gal.

Abalisa

Ok, none of the local pet stores have any of the above mentioned items (garlic guard, vita-chem, or fish protector). When I asked one of the guys at a chain store he said to just use Melafix w/out even asking what else I had in the tank, he was also very dismissive [insert your own profanity here]. I have the rainbow shark, a raphael striped catfish, 6 balloon belly red eye tetras, & now a very small black pleco w/white spots. I know I shouldn't use Melafix w/bettas, are any of the above fish going to react badly to it? Does it make the water cloudy or anything? Marine Aquatics carries vita-chem but is out of the freshwater version and won't have any until next week. Should I hold off on the Melafix and wait for he vita-chem to come in? BTW... I have purchased a 75 gallon tank from a friend, I just haven't brought it home yet, so my little friends won't be crowded for much longer.

Abalisa

Ok, I could not find vita-chem or garlic guard anywhere. I have been using 1/2 doses of Melafix until the pet store gets more freshwater vita-chem in. The injured area got really swollen and white. Now I'm not sure if he was injured or had some kind of bacteria. A few days ago I was watching and a small piece of white stuff came off. He has been hiding out for a few days now, & I finally saw him this am when I fed. I'm kinda freaked out because all the white stuff is gone, but he has a hole all the way through where it was and his tail fin is split (the area is right where his body ends and his tail fin begins). I can't get a pic because he won't stay out long enough for it. Any input here is appreciated, I don't care if he doesn't look perfect, I just don't want to lose him. The water is slightly cloudy now too (white cloudy).