Catfish being fin nippy

I have recently added some lake minnows and catfish to my ten gal aquarium which was home to my betta Autumn. I don't know who is doing it but someone has really been tearing his fins up. till I figure it out I have put autumn in a spare one gal. He has lost almost all his color, his fins are still yellow but his body is almost all grey. I don't the name of the catfish, I will post a picture later, but I think that is could be him (since he is the only fish larger than the betta)

what do you guys think?

 

Size has nothing to do with it. Very small fish can shred the fins of a fish that's 10 times larger, all it has to do is move faster.

 

The betta is not used to having other fish with him and poor Autumn has been brutalized by those fish. Any of those fish will go after fins, especially if Autumn was trying to protect his territory and they felt at all threatened.

Rose

 

He was never trying to protect his territory, they scared him away from his. I thought it was the danio causing the trouble so I took him out, but the fin nipping continues. Now autumn often sleeps vertically (with his mouth facing up) I don't know what to do about it. he is in the one gal now with some cultured pebbled from his old tank (I don't use gravel) a rock and some large floating leaves to make him feel alittle more secure.

 

It is never a good sign when they sleep in a vertical position. Are you adding any kind of medication to his water to keep his fins from becoming infected. He really needs to be in a hospital tank with some medication like Melafix in the water. I would find somewhere else for the others and let him have his old home back.

Rose

 

Could you describe this catfish? It isn't a pictus is it? Some catfish can be very predatory actually.

 

the catfish looks like a pictus but he is darker and his scales looks very hard. I have given him some medication I don't know if it will help much. what does it meen if they are vertical?

 

I have pictures.
this is the catfish that I think is responsible



this little guy fidgets too much for a good picture, but I have never seen him bother anything.



and this is poor autumn laying down in his one gallon hospital

 

I am not sure that it means anything specific, I just have never seen a fish that ended up in a vertical position pull out of it. It is such an abnormal thing for them and if they cannot pull themselves out of it, it is a definite bad sign. If he can still swim normally then he has a chance, but he would need to be able to swim and get off the bottom of the tank to get to the top of the tank to breathe through the Labyrinth organ at the very least. I am so sorry to say that if he does not show some signs of being able to do those things, his chances of making it are very slim. (not impossible as some bettas can come back from almost certain death, but he will have to work very hard to live) Is he eating? That will determine a lot. If he is still eating like normal, he has a better chance.

Rose
???

 

I wasn't too worried about the vertical thing because he had been doing it for a few weeks. he can swim (even if the other fish scared him into hiding) But even before I put the new fish in he would sometimes rest on his tail. he wouldn't stay there all day, it is just how he would rest.

Recently (past couple months) he hasn't been too active. He would rest on his tall plant and only come out to swim at night and during meal time. I attributed this all to his old age since I've had him for about 3years. I only started to worry once the other fish kept scaring his away from his resting spot. they weren't aggressive, Autumn has just allways been afraid of his own shadow. and then once his fins became shredded I knew I had to separate him. poor thing has been so stressed out he has lost most of his color. He is eating, but he seems to be having a hard time swimming. I doubt it is due to his bladder tho, I think it is his fins, they has been so shredded it's just sad.

 

That looks like a lace cat to me. I don't think I'd have one in with a Betta.
What kind of fish are the lake minnows? Did you buy them or get them from a lake?

S.

 

the minnows were from his grandmothers pond actually. they have been in an aquarium for months now and are free of disease. after looking at some pictures of a lace cat I don't think that is the type I have. He looks just as dark as he is in the pictures, and his top fin is striped not spotted. I have no clue what kind he is, but I dislike him. and the other one looks like a stocky otto, he spends all his time trying to filter my sand.

 

gammerus I hope he comes through. I'm So sory to hear about this....

 

I really hope Autumn will be ok.

Does this look like the catfish in question?

 

that's him, what kind is he?

 

It is a Synodontis Eupterus. Here's what one site says about them:
This fish used to be a very rare species, but they have been commercially bred and now are relatively common. This one was bred in Asia. They grow up to about ten inches or so. I've heard people complain about these being agressive, but I've had no trouble with them, This fish has grown up to have a huge dorsal with long filaments. Hopefully I'll get a picture of the full grown fish up some day.

Here's a pic of a big one:
One note: I used to have one of these (I was told it was a lace cat when I bought it) and it pecked the eyes out of a beautiful shovelnose catfish I had. Not very nice fish at all, in my opinion.

 

after much googling I have determined the other cat fish is a cory cat. and it looks like this


hmm looks like I might be selling the catfish then. even if I could keep autumn in the one gallon I don't have the space for a Synodontis Eupterus in my tank.

 

I have mine with 4 cory cats and they are quite harmless, in fact if anything Rusty now and then charges at them to show them who's boss. The other one...well some species of catfish can be quite aggressive.

However, the minnows could also be a problem. Minnow like fish, including danios, often establish pecking order by fin nipping, and large fins or spread out fins suggest dominance.

 

hmm....poor betta, it seems like everything is out to get him.

 

I think that it might be more likely the minnows but why do you think it's the catfish?

And how is your betta doing, anyway?

 

the catfish was the only one I seen chasing Autumn out of his hiding spots....autumn is now spending a lot of his time on his side...he is still breathing. it's been a few days and he doesn't seem to be getting worse so I do think he'll pull out of it.

 

Poor fellow. He's in my prayers too. How big is that catfish anyway?

 

Is he able to get to the top of the tank to breathe? He really needs to do this. If he is having trouble then maybe you could lower the level of the water to make it easier on him.

Rose

 

the catfish is almost 3inches. He can reach the top...but not easily so I may lower the water level for him.

 

the catfish is almost 3inches. He can reach the top...but not easily so I may lower the water level for him.

I believe that chickadee was asking if Autumn can get to the surface to breathe. This is extremely important for Bettas.

S.

 

I am not sure anymore...he could, but I haven't seen him do it for a while

 

Yes that is what I was wondering. I am hoping that he will be able to start to make it to the top more with the lower level of water. It is absolutely essential that they breathe through the Labyrinth organ at least some of the time. I am so sorry your little guy is so ill. It does not sound good but we will be hoping for him to feel better.

Rose