my Irridescent shark act weirdly...is it sick?

[mini-fée]

Hi,
I have a 6" pangasius cat fish of 1 year.It was healthy and eating well,but since about 1 month,it is doing something weird.It goes near the substrat,and then sudently,it rush itself in the susbtrat.It doesn't scratch itself against the decor,just against substrat's gravel.Always at the same spot.
What is it doing???
It doesn't have anything suspect on it skin...I have another pangasius,and it doesn't do anything like that.In fact it is the only fish in the aquarium that does that.Is it something normal?

I didn't take any chance,so I 've moved it into another aquarium,in case he is sick...what should I do?Or what medication should I try?

[Richard B]

Lots of people here have english as a second language so no problems with that - probably some of us with english as a first language could still improve a bit

Is this something your fish has just started doing? if so what has happened to make it change? Have you added new fish, new plants, fed livefood?

It sounds like there is something on the skin that is irritating it - probably something too small to see - standard meds as recommended by a lfs can be used if it keeps on 'flicking'.

[mini-fée]

thank you for your answer,Richard B.
It does that since I've moved it to a bigger aquarium(1 month ago only).So the substrat have changed,everithing it was used to changed.Maybe it's stress...

It have starded doing that rigth away when I aded "CYCLE" product on he wather.
Then it stoped,and I recently aded wather conditionner and it starded again.Maybe it is alergic to something in those products??
Yesterday I have puted it back with it's friend-pangasius,because he was completly lethargic in the hospital aquarium...now he swims and seems ok,but I am afraid that he could have some parasits that he may give to my other fishs.
What should I do?I really love my sharks,they have being very healthy since I got them,I am now worry..

[Richard B]

If it was parasites, we'd want to understand where they came from - ie what was added live food used to be a prime candidate.

As your fish have only moved tank - was the tank they went into ok to begin with? They should be better in a larger tank so something is upsetting them - was the water the same parameters as the original tank?

[mini-fée]

Hi,yes the wather had the same parametres,but the filtration is not the same,I used an inside filter(Tetra Whisper), and now it is an Aquaclear filter.The temperature is the same.
I aded some frozen food to there diet,about 3 weeks ago.Can it bring parasites into the tank? It is blood worms.

[Richard B]

Frozen food should be safe, with no parasites.

[mini-fée]

Now it's clear,it is sick...it doesn't whant to eat anything(usualy,its a real "glouton")and this morning,it was scratching itself against the substrat.It looks lethatgic,doesn't swim like usualy...
And my other shark,wich was smaller and slower,is now eathing more than usualy,and swims faster than ever...

Maybe I can try to put some "Melafix" in the wather?Can it be dangerous for my other fishs?(Angels,Glass cat-fish, corydoras,Ancistrus and some tetras) Or should I isolate him and treat him alone?

Sorry for that much questions...but now I know that there is something wrong with him(at least)

[mini-fée]

I forgot,I have also an asian bubble-bee catfish.

[mini-fée]

Thank you very much for your answer.Ithougth he was dead this morning,but he was just floating on the surface.I ll see what happen...he doesn t whant to eat...thanks again for your help.

[mini-fée]

So I think that's the end of the storie for my Irridescent shark.It is floating on the surface,but still alive.I am sure he will be dead tomorow.I tried everything,test amoniac,nitrite,ph,he is just worst and worst.His friend is always swimming around him(they are togueter for a year)...
I am so sad...I don't know what happen.It's the tank's change(one month ago,he moved from a 15 gallons to a 33 gallons.But start being weird in the 33 gallons.)That's so weird...

[mini-fée]

just a little note:I will now be under user name "mante-religieuse"(there was a bug with my other username)
thank you!!

[mante-religieuse]

It finally died 2 days ago...
here some pictures of it,in merory..

[racoll]

Sorry for mistakes with voccabulary,my mother thong is french...

Just thought you might like to know, but "thong" in English is one of these (the green garment)!



Don't worry, your English is definitely better than my French.

Copy this:

"Sorry for mistakes with vocabulary, my mother tongue is French..."

[mante-religieuse]

[Guanlong_wucaii]

That's so sad! I know what you felt when your Pangasius died. I had my Pimelodus Pictus for a long time, and then one day... It went

Maybe you can get a different fish.

[doesdavid]

Hello don't ask me why by many fish do this. I have a 120gal, with 4 different cat species including 3 Irrdesent sharks and several non cat species. There is one spot in the tank that almost every fish in the tank does that dive and rub.. No other spot in the tank, just this one spot, and that includes Koi, and fire eels. Why they do it I don't know but as far as I can see it seems to be normal, and dosen't hurt the fish..
DAve