Panda Catfish Acting Lethargic, Breathing Fast for 5+ Days

HI all!

I have 3 Panda Catfish in my tropical community tank. Lately, I've noticed one of them is not as big as the other two, and has been not moving around much, and breathing very quickly. It's moving around a bit more the past few days, but still not as much as it used to. Today I noticed that it has a large white spot on the side of it's body right above the gill. Not sure if it might be ick? But this spot is new within the past day. Other 2 catfish show no signs of sickness, and neither do any of the other fish in the tank.




Thanks!

 

Hi, so a few questions. What are you water parameters and current temp of the tank? How long have you had them and approx. Age? Lastly, how do you maintenence their tank? It doesn't look like ich as it is much bigger than the ich Ive seen. Ich looks like salt or sugar sprinkled on them.

Panda Cories prefer cooler temps and pristine water conditions. Since they are at the bottom of the tank, they tend to show signs of illness first. Another thing that can stress them out is not having enough of them. They are a schooling fish and prefer having friends of at least 6.

Once we can figure out your routine, we can be able to help you.

 

Hi, so a few questions. What are you water parameters and current temp of the tank? How long have you had them and approx. Age? Lastly, how do you maintenence their tank? It doesn't look like ich as it is much bigger than the ich Ive seen. Ich looks like salt or sugar sprinkled on them.

Panda Cories prefer cooler temps and pristine water conditions. Since they are at the bottom of the tank, they tend to show signs of illness first.

Once we can figure out your routine, we can be able to help you.

Hi, thanks for the reply. I tested the water yesterday.

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 20ppm (I have nitrate in my tap water supply I use to fill the tank).

I purchased them about 4-5 months ago from PetSmart. Temp is 78 degrees. I clean the tank once a week, 20-30% water changes, I vacuum all loose debris and any algae, and I scrub algae off of the glass as well as clean off the filter in the water I just removed.

 

Hmm, lower the temp to 75 and start treatment with Seachem Paraguard. It could be a fungal issue and I have heard some success stories with this medication for fungus related issues. If you do not have access to this med, even online, you'll have to research meds that treat fungus available in your area.

However, worst case scenario is it could be Lymphocystis, which isn't treatable. So long as it doesn't spread to his mouth it won't kill him. Youll have to look it up to find out more. Best of luck.

 

Looks like ich to me. Ich is an unseen parasite that sits in the water column and latches onto fish. The white dots we see are their immune systems’ reactions to the parasite latched onto them. Fish without scales (catfish, eels, etc) tend to get bigger lumps on them when fighting ich for whatever reason. Treat for fungus for a few days and if the situation worsens or doesn’t change, raise the temperature to 80 and treat for ich. Once done treating for ich, I’d recommend keeping your water at 75.

 

Looks like ich to me. Ich is an unseen parasite that sits in the water column and latches onto fish. The white dots we see are their immune systems’ reactions to the parasite latched onto them. Fish without scales (catfish, eels, etc) tend to get bigger lumps on them when fighting ich for whatever reason. Treat for fungus for a few days and if the situation worsens or doesn’t change, raise the temperature to 80 and treat for ich. Once done treating for ich, I’d recommend keeping your water at 75.

My pandas have never gotten ich so I did not know this. Thanks for the info, learn something new everyday!

 

Looks like ich to me. Ich is an unseen parasite that sits in the water column and latches onto fish. The white dots we see are their immune systems’ reactions to the parasite latched onto them. Fish without scales (catfish, eels, etc) tend to get bigger lumps on them when fighting ich for whatever reason. Treat for fungus for a few days and if the situation worsens or doesn’t change, raise the temperature to 80 and treat for ich. Once done treating for ich, I’d recommend keeping your water at 75.

Thanks for this! I ordered the Paraguard and will use it later today, and I'll also look into getting an adjustable heater so I can set the temp lower.

 

Thanks for this! I ordered the Paraguard and will use it later today, and I'll also look into getting an adjustable heater so I can set the temp lower.

What other fish do you have in the tank?

 

What other fish do you have in the tank?

Unfortunately the Panda Cat died today before I got the medicine. Kind of glad that he did... He's been suffering for a few days and I'm glad it's over for him now. Sucks that I couldn't have helped sooner.

I also had a guppy appear to get swim bladder disease and died today as well after I attempted to quarantine and dose with Paraguard.

Right now the tank is down to:
1 Female Betta
3 Neon Tetra
3 Glowlight Tetra
1 Male Guppy
2 Panda Catfish
1 Ghost Shrimp
1 Nerite Snail

 

Unfortunately the Panda Cat died today before I got the medicine. Kind of glad that he did... He's been suffering for a few days and I'm glad it's over for him now. Sucks that I couldn't have helped sooner.

I also had a guppy appear to get swim bladder disease and died today as well after I attempted to quarantine and dose with Paraguard.

Right now the tank is down to:
1 Female Betta
3 Neon Tetra
3 Glowlight Tetra
1 Male Guppy
2 Panda Catfish
1 Ghost Shrimp
1 Nerite Snail

Sorry to here about your Guppy and cory

I suggest doing a water change immediately. If it was swim bladder he wouldn't had died so quickly, in most cases. I recommend treating your whole tank with API General Cure. If you do not want to spend anymore on meds. That is understandable. I just believe waiting for anything else to happen can be dangerous and possibly fatal. Dosing this medicine will treat a wide range of illnesses internally and externally. Keep an eye on your fish in the next few days for any spots and what their waste looks like as well. Keep us updated!

 

Sorry to here about your Guppy and cory

I suggest doing a water change immediately. If it was swim bladder he wouldn't had died so quickly, in most cases. I recommend treating your whole tank with API General Cure. If you do not want to spend anymore on meds. That is understandable. I just believe waiting for anything else to happen can be dangerous and possibly fatal. Dosing this medicine will treat a wide range of illnesses internally and externally. Keep an eye on your fish in the next few days for any spots and what their waste looks like as well. Keep us updated!

Thanks for your help! I did about a 10% water change yesterday, but today I will do a bigger one. It's weird. I took the guppy out of the tank, and she would try to swim to the top of my quarantine tank, then would just float down to the bottom. Looked like she had a scar on her back too from being attacked by the male guppy (I did use to have 2 females, both have now died off).

I think the Seachem product wasn't good for her. I tried doing a bath and used the dosage described on the bottle, but I guess it was too much for her and she died then. I feel super bad.