Red tail cat won’t stop swimming
- Thread starter MrDuckBootz
- Start date
I would add an air stone if you don't already have one.. maybe even a small powerhead to circulate your water more. A 406 isn't gona do much for turnover on that tank with its inhabitants. As
thebiggerthebetter
said don't feed them until you get those numbers down.
thebiggerthebetter
said don't feed them until you get those numbers down.
I find it odd that only one rtc seems effected everyone else in the tank is behaving normally and had been eating when ever I presented food (which I’m not doing anymore) just measured again
Nitrite: 0ppm
Ammonia: 0.25ppm
I’m putting in more prime rn
And will do a filter cleaning tmrw
Nitrite: 0ppm
Ammonia: 0.25ppm
I’m putting in more prime rn
And will do a filter cleaning tmrw
Last edited:
I’m not sure my tank is the cause of his problems. I’m looking at the video I had of both catfish in the bag. The one who’s acting weird had a kink in his wiskers and also was breathing very heavy while the other cat was using his wiskers to feel around and was breathing less heavily. My tank def isn’t helping the problem but I don’t think it’s what caused it obv I’m still gunna do everything I can to make the water perfect and healthy for them I just need ammonia to go down from .25ppm to 0
If all other fish have been feeding well and behaving seemingly normal, then I'd suppose that your elevated ammonia has NOT been at 1 ppm or some such throughout this ordeal (I mean that 1 ppm measure is not representative of what's going on) but rather 0.25 ppm or some such.
Fish cannot really adjust to 1 ppm ammonia.
At 0.25 ppm ammonia level, fish have some capacity to adjust and still live ok but not long term... and the long term will vary for different fish. Sooner or later their immune system will break down. No question about that. 0.25 ppm ammonia is still a constant stress. (Perhaps unless your water was really acidic (low pH of say 5-6) at which condition the ammonia is naturally converted into the non-toxic ammonium form, but this is not your case).
I commend you for listening to us but remember that ultimately you are the only one in position to see everything and judge it.
There is always the weakest fish / link. That RTC must be the first to go unless you caught it in time and detoxified the ammonia (completely) in time and you luck out.
Or like you say, perhaps this fish has not been viable from the start. Still you have been learning a lot hopefully from this experience.
Fish cannot really adjust to 1 ppm ammonia.
At 0.25 ppm ammonia level, fish have some capacity to adjust and still live ok but not long term... and the long term will vary for different fish. Sooner or later their immune system will break down. No question about that. 0.25 ppm ammonia is still a constant stress. (Perhaps unless your water was really acidic (low pH of say 5-6) at which condition the ammonia is naturally converted into the non-toxic ammonium form, but this is not your case).
I commend you for listening to us but remember that ultimately you are the only one in position to see everything and judge it.
There is always the weakest fish / link. That RTC must be the first to go unless you caught it in time and detoxified the ammonia (completely) in time and you luck out.
Or like you say, perhaps this fish has not been viable from the start. Still you have been learning a lot hopefully from this experience.
It is only the one rtc that’s acting weird the other one with the mutation eats and swims normally. The PB eats normally swims normally and breaths normally. So does everyone else in the tank. I def hope I caught it early enough because I def don’t want to lose a plat rtc.
Also cycle by Fluval says if I do the doses it will cycle the tank. It has a lot of BB in the bottle so when u pour it helps cycle and turn waste into non toxic forms, or at least that’s what it says on the bottle.
And yes I have learned a lot from this such as measure ur water not only when something is wrong. Because since everyone else acted normal I assumed everything was status quote
Also cycle by Fluval says if I do the doses it will cycle the tank. It has a lot of BB in the bottle so when u pour it helps cycle and turn waste into non toxic forms, or at least that’s what it says on the bottle.
And yes I have learned a lot from this such as measure ur water not only when something is wrong. Because since everyone else acted normal I assumed everything was status quote
If I moved the RTC into a different tank I have already set up would that be able to help him more then keeping him in the water he’s in now and then once I get rid of the ammonia put him back?
If you primed the tank it locks ammonia for 24-48 hours so no I would leave him in there. What bio media do you have in your filter & how much?
I’m not sure tbh I think i have bio balls and carbon and polyester (or the white stuff in the filter i think it’s polyester buti could be worng tho. I’m going back tmrw so ill be able to clean and check the filter then. I’m at my college dorm rn but ive been going back and forth all week trying to save my rtc
