Raphael catfish is sick please help

[Raph02]

Hello everyone this is my first post and I’m looking for some help. my striped raph cat has been sick for about a week he has been really ichy rubbing against the rocks and then will sit still for awhile but everyone else in the tank seems fine and even my spotted raphael seems okay. My water parameters are all good. I will link a couple of pictures. I thought at first he had ich cause he has had it once before but it’s not ich this guy has always been very sensitive my spotted one is about 5 years old and I’ve never seen him sick but I’ve had the striped for a couple years and he seems more prone to problems. I tried just treating him with paraguard with no luck.

 

[tlindsey]

Hello everyone this is my first post and I’m looking for some help. my striped raph cat has been sick for about a week he has been really ichy rubbing against the rocks and then will sit still for awhile but everyone else in the tank seems fine and even my spotted raphael seems okay. My water parameters are all good. I will link a couple of pictures. I thought at first he had ich cause he has had it once before but it’s not ich this guy has always been very sensitive my spotted one is about 5 years old and I’ve never seen him sick but I’ve had the striped for a couple years and he seems more prone to problems. I tried just treating him with paraguard with no luck. View attachment 1370647View attachment 1370648View attachment 1370649

Welcome Aboard

I know you stated your water parameters are good but how often do you perform water changes and how much? Hopefully you treated it seperate from the main aquarium.

 

[Raph02]

Welcome Aboard

I know you stated your water parameters are good but how often do you perform water changes and how much? Hopefully you treated it seperate from the main aquarium.

Hello I do 25 percent every week. Yes he is being treated separately it’s just tough when I don’t really know what he has.

 

[Coryloach]

rubbing against the rocks

Most likely external parasites of some sort

 

[Raph02]

Most likely external parasites of some sort

That’s what I was thinking but what would you recommend to use for it cause he is very sensitive to medications and the paraguard I used didn’t work it seemed like it stressed him out even more.

 

[Coryloach]

Paraguard contains Malachite green so it may stress the raphael cat fish further.

Providing raphael cats are meds and perhaps salt sensitive too, it is really hard suggesting anything without knowing the parasite, or at least giving it a good guess.

Can you provide as many details as you can and perhaps upload a video?

First line of defense is always large water changes, as it will reduce the load on the fish.

I'd also call duanes as he might have good ideas.

 

[Raph02]

Paraguard contains Malachite green so it may stress the raphael cat fish further.

Providing raphael cats are meds and perhaps salt sensitive too, it is really hard suggesting anything without knowing the parasite, or at least giving it a good guess.

Can you provide as many details as you can and perhaps upload a video?

First line of defense is always large water changes, as it will reduce the load on the fish.

I'd also call duanes as he might have good ideas.

That’s what I find is most meds do stress him out more so that’s why I’m curious if I should be raising my temperature for him and trying more natural things if you have any ideas? And I will try and get a video at some point today but the details he spends lots of time near the top of the tank and by the outputs of my filters. Lots of my other fish especially my angels were always going up and picking things off him. He hasn’t went and hid during all of this which isn’t normal. His weight seems the same though even though I haven’t seen him eat anything which he does always come out at feeding time, and lastly when he isn’t at the top of the tank he swims quickly across the bottom rubbing against the rocks which he only does that for about 20 seconds at a time. And couple days after this started happening I did do a 75 percent water change in my tank.

 

[Coryloach]

Providing you are not suspecting anything bacterial,perhaps raise the temp to 84-86 F

 

[Raph02]

Hello just an update these are some new pictures he is still hanging on but fins are tattered and have redness and this white spot above hos nose. No other fish that he was in the tank with have shown any signs of sickness including my spotted raphael. So after seeing these new pictures what do you guys think fin rot? Some kind of fungus? Please let me know thanks everyone.

 

[Coryloach]

I honestly can't tell much from the pictures. It is hard to tell what it is. It looks like there is something bacterial going on as well. It could be a combination of parasitic gone bad and escalated to bacterial. As bacterial issues are of immediate danger, you might actually look into antibiotic, although I hate suggesting such meds. However, the fish should be tolerant to such meds.

The nose could also be stressed, as if he's rubbing himself onto the glass or substrate. I've seen it with different fish.

I'd seriously consider very large water changes and cleaning the gravel well while you're figuring it out.