Featherfin Catfish - synodontis eupterus - a "funny"

[Deleted]

Greetings All,

This is a funny...."Killing her with Kindness", I guess.

Question: Can fish get diabetes? Can they have a heart attack?

I have a HUGE featherfin catfish - likely a female. She has me well trained. When she goes after my tinfoil barbs, I shake my finger at her and tell her "No! Get back in your corner" - and give her another carnivore pellet. I bought her as a teenager in 2008. Someone brought in two to the local pet store and the larger one was bullying her - so Judy to the rescue. Well, she was fine for a while - just eating what all the rest of the fish ate - then she decided "NO, I am a carnivore!" and needed meat. She would attack/slash/kill other fish. After she brutally attacked my big tinfoil barb summer 2012 (who had to be put down), I started feeding her Hikari Carnivore pellets (the small ones so I have to feed her with tongs to keep the pellets away from the rainbows). 

She is back to her evil ways.... and going after my huge tinfoil barbs (she didn't bother then when they were smaller - a pair). So far, it hasn't been too bad - minor wounds that quickly heal. In her defense, I did add a little extra salt my last water change. She doesn't like it at all. She has one Ich spot on her - just spotted that today, so I will get some water to do another water change. The rainbow that needed the salt is a $19.99 fish.... the featherfish was at $17.99 fish. The rainbow won that decision. 

Netting her and donating her to a pet store is totally out of the question (that would be a much quicker death sentence for her).... and my son has a featherfin already (that I bought him first --obviously his is a male - much smaller in size. I did read the females get a larger body shape -- but she is larger than normal) and he has other big catfish - so no room for her. 

I already have a featherfin to take her place that is a real pussycat - not aggressive at all. She is in my 20 gallon Xtra high. I bought her as a baby. The store had her misidentified as a lace catfish (which don't get as big). I researched juveniles after I brought her home.

So... that is my tale of the fat cat. Her name is Madafo - which means "my friend" (named her after a friend of mine from Africa - but that was before I knew she was a lady cat).... but I think I changed her name to Pluto (I did have a firemouth cichlid that was "Diablo Cain" - he killed his brother firemouth Cichlid, Abel - on a Sunday no less. That fish was banished to the land of Nod - to a local pet store).

Featherfin catfish can live a very long time....At least she leaves the orange laser cory cats and tiger barbs alone now (she used to target those). Now the slashes on the other fish might be accidental as they are in her way....I have saved many of fish she slashed using Hikari Bio-Bandage

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Just an update... Well....She (the featherfin catfish) won't die from Ich. That one Ich spot was gone by evening yesterday. She still isn't happy with the additional salt in the water. She has been coming up to the glass and looking at me as if to say "Please do something". I will make her happy and do a 25% water change today using less salt. The Goyder River rainbow is going to survive the mouth rot (He is my acrobat fish - leaped off the top of the aquarium when I was treating him with Hikari Bio Bandage - and probably injured his mouth or I injured his mouth in my rescue of him). When I do the water change, I will let the Goyder River rainbow swim in a bucket of water with a higher sale concentration (closer to the 1 tablespoon per 5 gallon ratio). The Goyder River is one of my "Miracle" fish...I do plan to try a Methylene Blue bath with him to insure his recovery (more on that later).

Hubby calls me the "Fish Whisperer" - my fish "talk" to me through the glass - ha-ha. Maybe if more folks "listened" to their fish there would be less panic when/if disease outbreaks happen (smile)...

Carl, if you read this, back in 2011, I stayed up all night - several nights in a row researching what might be going on....and of course, I read every thing on your site. This same featherfin catfish ended up covered in fungus (as were several other fish). She lost most of her barbals. Because of your site, I knew I had a bacteria outbreak the spread in low oxygen conditions. The medicine I chose first was the wrong one (Furan2). Adding Pimafix to help with the fungus was a disaster (I lost a huge tinfoil barb as a result - he darted around the tank in a frenzy and tore up his pectoral fins -and was bleeding. I had to put him down). By that time, I had already realized it was the Tap water that had to be causing the problem, so I did a water change with store bought mineral water (probably too high in minerals for my fish). I put Chemi-Pure and Polyfilter to remove the Furan2 - and switched to Mardel Maracyn Plus. Had I not done than, I surely would have lost all of my fish.

I am here today because recently, I had a fish with Columnaris that I wanted to save. Again, I read everything on Carl's site.....I really wish more would READ before they go to some of those other forums and get bad advice. I did post to another forum that I was there to help new people to the forum and that I did not come there to get advice from them. I wrote that I have experts in the field that I turn to and always have (Well - with the exception of bad advice I got online to treat Ich back in 2006 -- Lesson learned there). That forum took offense and banned me from posting. I didn't want to take the time to fill out everything they wanted me to fill out in the profile - they wanted detailed info on all of my aquariums.

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Update on my lady fat cat....

Well... My tinfoil barbs are now fighting back. One of them must have bitten the pectoral fin on the catfish. There is a chunk missing that is too big to be from any other fish.

I haven't been doing anything special to help heal the fin.... Seachem Stress Guard is working.

Today I was at a local pet store. They have large tank with only one fish -- looks like a type of Gar - about 12" long now (no label on the fish). Maybe I should exile her there and teach her a lesson?

Judy

[devonjohnsgard]

Dec 17, 2014 20:45:12 GMT -5 @judy4fish said:

Maybe I should exile her there and teach her a lesson?

Judy

Sometimes this is just needed. It's a fish eat fish world out there

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For now.... Peace in my "Little World".....My Synodontis has been calm for a few days. I thought, "Maybe it is because the nitrates are lower?".....I did a dip stick and the nitrates are now up to 80 ppm!! The nitrogen sponge is not working --- yet --- and I am not using Microbe-Lift Special Blend right now (Carl "scared" me from using that while I have one fish still sick -- Special Blend helps better to remove/lower nitrates than TheraP --- it is more of a waste reducer). I will do another partial water change next week.... Not going to give up on Nitrogen Sponge just yet. The recharged Nitra-Zorb DOES work better at lowering nitrates after all. No regrets for testing a new-to-me product. I know Nitrogen Sponge has been around a very long time. Local Jack's Pets used it in their system. I just never tried it before. Price was right this time. Next month, I will write some reviews for Nitrogen Sponge (need to give it more time). In the meantime... I will cut back just a little more on food (no one is starving yet).

Madafo's name has been changed to Dawn (for a new day -- for her). She has been coming to front and saying "I'm sorry". Let's see if she means it. Maybe all that was needed was talk I was going to exile her? Her fin is healed....The tinfoil barbs are nearly healed (one small redness on one fish). The tiger barbs aren't nipping on the tinfoils....

All is well today. Peace at last! And a VERY Merry Christmas for all of us (and our fish....cats....and all).
My last post until after Christmas. I am down here doing fish talk while hubby and son are doing car talk (and tech talk)upstairs.

Judy

[devonjohnsgard]

Dec 24, 2014 12:58:30 GMT -5 @judy4fish said:

For now.... Peace in my "Little World".....My Synodontis has been calm for a few days. I thought, "Maybe it is because the nitrates are lower?".....I did a dip stick and the nitrates are now up to 80 ppm!! The nitrogen sponge is not working --- yet --- and I am not using Microbe-Lift Special Blend right now (Carl "scared" me from using that while I have one fish still sick -- Special Blend helps better to remove/lower nitrates than TheraP --- it is more of a waste reducer). I will do another partial water change next week.... Not going to give up on Nitrogen Sponge just yet. The recharged Nitra-Zorb DOES work better at lowering nitrates after all. No regrets for testing a new-to-me product. I know Nitrogen Sponge has been around a very long time. Local Jack's Pets used it in their system. I just never tried it before. Price was right this time. Next month, I will write some reviews for Nitrogen Sponge (need to give it more time). In the meantime... I will cut back just a little more on food (no one is starving yet).

Madafo's name has been changed to Dawn (for a new day -- for her). She has been coming to front and saying "I'm sorry". Let's see if she means it. Maybe all that was needed was talk I was going to exile her? Her fin is healed....The tinfoil barbs are nearly healed (one small redness on one fish). The tiger barbs aren't nipping on the tinfoils....

All is well today. Peace at last! And a VERY Merry Christmas for all of us (and our fish....cats....and all).
My last post until after Christmas. I am down here doing fish talk while hubby and son are doing car talk (and tech talk)upstairs.

Judy

Merry Christmas too you (if you peak back in the forum before Christmas )

Sorry about the Nitrates. Water change

[Deleted]

Hi Devon,

Hubby is reading his new book.... My son is playing a video game on his tablet.... The cats are all asleep (three as Buster is with us over Christmas).... Fish are all fed and calm (still PEACE in my little world).... and I don't have anything that HAS to be done now until 5:00 when I need to start getting dinner ready.

I have my empty five gallon jugs all in the car... I will be filling up at least four of them to do a water change in my 75 gallon -- before I need to fill them up and take down to my son's house in Kentucky. He is off until after the first of the year, so I told him I would come down and he can show me how to service his other two filters (two Eheims? -- whatever they are, they are both the same brand). He has two Rena filters on the 90 gallon and I know those already.

I want to give the Nitrogen Sponge a fair shake. I do know it will eventually work as the local Jack's used that product -- when they were here. Once my bucket is gone - if it isn't that successful as used in my Aqua-Clear 110 - I will just go back to Nitra-Zorb as even the recharged ones do work (and now I know that for certain). I think max they remove is up to 16 ppm (can't remember now -- just know Nitra-Zorb won't bring high nitrates down to zero as some folks expect).

Devon... I did peak last night. Did you sense a whisper in your ear? a Merry Christmas and to all a Good Night? It was after Midnight when I peaked. While the temptation was there to post, I knew I could come up with a better post if I waited.

I replied to Carl's posts first... He is "The Man" after all (big smile).

Cheers!

Judy