Something is wrong with my red tail!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

Aw3s0m3

Piranha
MFK Member
May 6, 2012
3,188
82
81
Over there
My red tail catfish has little holes all over his belly by the fin areas and the fin joints are bloody. What is happening to him? It is about 12" in a 150g, temp is 78, ammonia and nitrites are at 0 and nitrates are less than <10ppm. I do weekly, sometimes two weekly water changes of 25-50% and I haven't added any new fish or ornaments or anything. What seems to be happening to my catfish?
D96E5FD8-CB44-42D4-A000-6E59730F4CAF-3480-0000052DDA7A9954.jpg

E0139824-6A91-4BC6-80D1-D58CC7ABC21D-3480-0000052DCFF64656.jpg


This is the best I can get with my phone cuz he keeps moving.



Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
Im no expert but it kinda looks like hith. And if there is redness at the base of the fins you have a bacterial problem. See if you can find metronitazol at lfs. It should help with the holes. And to treat the redness get some pimafix and melafix, one is antibacterial, and one is a a anti fungal.

Sent from my DROID4 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
what kind of filter are you running that lets you feed those four in a 150 and keeps the tank below 10ppm nitrates with just a weekly water change?




Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

I have 3 of the marineland hang on backs. The largest models and a canister filter made for up to 250g, but I only feed them once every 2 or 3 days because they never eat the next day and sometimes the next 2 days after eating


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
IDK what it is. Looks nasty. Could be as you posted in the Deseases forum a kind of flesh-eating bacteria. Round craters may be typical of something like that. I'd definitely QT the fish and try either salt+higher temp or a wide-spectrum antibacterial, gram-positive and, if that does not work, gram-negative or vice versa but don't mix them.

You coud try PM Lupin - maybe he will answer timely. I have been spending lots of time recently reading his excellent write-ups but I never came across something like that. He does not appear to mention flesh-eating bacteria anywhere (not that I think this is it - as mentioned, IDK, just guessing). Googling "flesh-eating bacteria in fish" gave little in images but gave a bit more in reading. Searching for "flesh-eating" in the Freshwater Deseases etc. forum gave very limited info in about 1 h of reading but you can give it a shot too.

Good luck, mate. Please, come back with pics and help us all learn no matter how this ends.
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com