# Red sore on my Red Tail Catfish



## tlgrimmy (Oct 19, 2009)

Hello,
I was curious if anybody could help me diagnose and treat this issue with my catfish. I noticed an interesting blotch/rash developing on my catfish's back as well as some listlessness so I quarantined him in a 20 gallon rubbermaid tub to see if i could help him. The original tank is a 70 gallon tall filtered by a Cascade 1000 canister filter and a Penguin biowheel 350, so the water is crystal clear and of great quality (Currently the nitrates are under 20, nitrites at 0, water hardness at 120, buffering capacity is in the 240 range, and the pH is between around 7.6. My last water change (around 20%) was done about 4 days prior to the issue, but this issue was already starting before the water change. I noticed my featherfin catfish of similar size was chasing him occasionally, so he's probably stressed. None of the other fish in the tank show any unhealthy signs. They are all very active and are behaving normally. At first the sore/rash was cloudier. I've put the recommended 1 rounded tablespoon of salt per 5 gallons of water in the quarantine tank and raised the temperature to 82. Now the cloudiness is gone as you can see in the pictures, but the redness hasn't improved yet (he's only been in quarantine for a day though). Any ideas/recommendations?


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

It's only been a day of treatment or two? I would think a little more time would be needed to begin noticing improvement.Water quality sounds good and I would srive to maintain it. If situation becomes worse,I might look at anti bacterial treatment. These fish as I'm sure you are aware can approach nearly four feet in length and plenty of oxygen and current would be appreciated in my opinion. 
Are you by chance feeding thie fish with feeder fish? And if so,, I would urge you to consider raising your own feeders as opposed to purchasing feeder fish from fish store. By raising your own, you can greatly reduce the chances of parasites or bacterial pathogens from being introduced to the tank which often happens with store bought feeders which are usually kept in poor water conditions where sickness is more likely to be the norm rather than the exception.
A variety of foods will also help the fish maintain a healthy immune system to help fight off secondary infections that may occur due to scrapes,scratches,and or rough housing. I might try frozen krill,shrimp,earthworms,and occasional beef heart. Hope some of this helps. Keeping the water quality good in both the display tank and the quarantine tank will give your fish the best chance.


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