Albino Catfish dying--please help

[warmouth]

I found one local expert that still had a working phone number and he was very helpful. He said it definitely sounded like swim bladder and he stayed on the phone with me for about 30 minutes trying to rule things out. I had already used the medication for a possible bacterial infection and it hadn't seemed to make a difference so he thinks it was caused by stress due to the drastic temperature change (a 60 degree drop in one day) and the fact that the pond uses well water. I tested the water myself and the Ph is low, but everything else was fine. He said if it is caused by stress, there's really nothing I can do except hope that he pulls through. Temps are back up again and we took the roof down so there's more sun up there so keep your fingers crossed that he can stay alive until I get things right again.

I think I might have to pay the guy to come out here and look at the pond setup and tell us what to do to fix it. The guy that owned this house before set up the pump and stuff himself and he really wasn't all there. Something is leaking and I've had to add water to it and I didn't realize until today that it happened at the same time, so I think it has to be stress. I really hope he makes it. Is it odd to get so attached to a fish?

No its not odd to me....and I hope she pulles through ok.

 

[knifegill]

I've had to add water to it

Did you dechlorinate all the new water? Catfish are often the first to suffer while scaled fish can tolerate more toxic compounds.

 

[JustJack]

Well, he's still alive but nothing's really changed. I followed the man's advice and turned off the waterfall overnight to isolate the leak and the water level didn't go down at all. The pump is not clogged (it's raised off the ground) and the filter's been cleaned recently so my husband thinks the leak is in the pipe going from the lower pond to the waterfall, which means we have to tear up the deck to even find the pipe. But he just had his knee replaced and it's supposed to rain and I'm sick. So I have a few more questions.

How long is it safe to leave the waterfall off? I don't want to have to add any more water.

Will the rain help or hurt the Ph? I added benefecial bacteria yesterday while the pump was still on but the Ph is still low. Is there anything I can do to speed up the process to get it back to normal?

Is well water really bad to use? I wouldn't even know how to take it off the well water without digging up the whole back yard, unless I could just cut the pipe and cap it?

 

[mqktandy]

I can't see anything being wrong with the water if the other fish are fine and it's all the same system. Like I said channels are tanks and damn near indestructible. Having said that I have no clue how to help as I believe it's a swim bladder problem. I loved my albino channel. Still my fav fish to date. He died at 30" after jumping out of the temp pond while I was fixing his. Found him dry on the floor put him back in and he held on for almost 2 more days. I really hope yours gets better

 

[kiid]

its nt odd to be attached to a fish ,
especially a beauty like that ,
don't worry it'll survive

 

[jprp]

i think this has been caused by feeding at too low temp-the fish eat but cant digest properly and the swim bladder gets displaced.

 

[knifegill]

Why would he be feeding his pond in the winter?

 

[jprp]

Why would he be feeding his pond in the winter?

dont know but he said he was.

 

[JustJack]

He hasn't eaten (that I know of) since the weather turned cooler. I haven't fed him anything in several weeks. The neighbor was wondering if he ate a rat or a snake or something, but I have no idea.

The koi and goldfish in the other pond are fine and the water tests fine except the ph is a little low. The pond is hooked up to well water, but it's pouring down rain right now and it's supposed to get cold again tomorrow night and I'm worried that might be too much stress. I bought the biggest heater I could find but the only local supply place is a pet store and they only have aquarium supplies.

He was moving his mouth a little more today and he's really trying to hold on, but I don't know what else I can do. I'm turning the pump off at night and running it during the day to avoid having to add anymore water until we can fix that leak.

 

[JustJack]

I hate to ask so many stupid questions, but I have a few more since I've gotten so much conflicting information.

1. Are you supposed to feed catfish at all? I've been told not to, but the guy who put these ponds in used to feed him the same food he fed the koi.

2. I know not to feed them in winter, but I do live in Florida, so what defines "winter" in this case? It can be 80 during the day and in the 30's at night this time of year. I haven't fed the catfish, but I was still feeding the koi up until Friday when it got so cold.

3. Am I supposed to turn the pump off during the winter? We didn't last year, but I've gotten conflicting information since. And again, what defines winter? I'm a tropical gal having spent years in South Florida and I'm still adjusting to the weather patterns here.

4. Do I need a good pond heater for the catfish? I've also had people tell me that channel cats are actually quite fragile and others tell me that they're virtually indestructible so I don't know what the truth is. If I do need a good heater, what wattage would I use? He is in a pond by himself, but it flows into the lower pond and recirculates. His pond is probably somewhere between 800 and 1,000 gallons.

Thanks for the help and sorry for so many questions.

We moved here this time last year and it got cold right after that so we didn't even see Big Boy until spring, but I've gotten quite attached to him so if he makes it through this, I want to be sure I'm taking proper care of him through the winter.