PLEASE HELP!! DYING GLASS CATFISH!!??

I just conducted a water change for my two glass catfish (one has ick, but I put the other one in the hospital tank so both wouldn't die of loneliness) in the hospital tank. I put in the ick treatment, the airline and airstone, and the water conditioner. The water is the same temperature as it was before the PWC, maybe a little warmer. Usually, they love water changes and swim around normally after the water changes. But right now, they are lying on the bottom of the tank either on their sides or upside down. They have extremely rapid and irregular gill movements. When I move a rock or tap the tank, they will right themselves for a few seconds, but when they swim they swim for a few seconds and then float listlessly, eventually sinking to the bottom once again. I don't think it is swim bladder disease; what is happening? Please help! I love them very much! :help:

never mind..they died.

Fishy_Fun said:

oh sorry to hear that...did they act like this before you changed the water?

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They've "died" on me a few times before, like floating around listlessly and lying on their sides after water changes, but after about 1 minute they'll get back up and be fine after that. This is (was) the longest time I've ever seen them lie on the bottom for so long.

Lupin said:

True that. I'd suggest that one must buy a group when keeping them.

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I've also heard that they can be fine in a group of three, so I got three, but one died and I didn't get another since my tank was already overstocked and the two seemed to get along very well, with each other and the other fish.

wataugachicken said:

what ich treatment did you use?

my guess is that the medicine was too strong and killed them. they are scaleless fish and therefore quite sensitive. the presence of ammonia and/or nitrite would have made it worse.

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I used Ick Guard II, for scaleless fish. I even had an airline in there and I changed their water in the hospital tank every other day.