HELP!!!! WHATS WRONG?

[wickedcichlid]

I have an emergency here. I went to feed the monsters and my Achara Cat looks like he is dying!! He quickly swims and then just falls to the bottom. Hes been doing this off and on. I did a water test and everything is fine. Nitrites are .25, Ammonia is 0, and Nitrates are about 10. I did a water change yesterday, and he was fine this morning. He ate and everything!

Another thing. His mouth is constantly open. At first I thought he had something in his throat, but nothing there. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Here is a picture of him as of five minutes ago.

 

[J double R]

is it just me, or does that fish look like it has more ich than any other fish i've ever seen?

 

[snoopy65]

I'm not sure, I have never seen a fish alive with that much. But it does look like ich.

 

[wickedcichlid]

Thats the sand sticking to him.

 

[snoopy65]

Ok now looking at him, that makes sense.

 

[snoopy65]

Your nitrites need to be at 0 though. Need WC to bring them down.

 

[wickedcichlid]

Are Catfish more sensitive to Nitrites? All my other fish are completely fine.

 

[snoopy65]

To be honest I do not know whether they are or not. I imagine if they are the scaleless that they would be. I do know that nitrites are bad for any fish.

 

[wickedcichlid]

*Bump*

 

[inkyjenn]

nitrites are bad for any fish. nitrites and ammonia need to always always always be at zero. if they arent, you need to do water changes asap. nitrates should always be below 40ppm, but there are some species of fish that are super picky and need nitrates to be less than that.

what is your water change schedule and how long has this tank been up and running

your fish sounds like hes suffering from nitrite poisoning. the mouth being open is probably gasping. nitrites will build up in the blood stream deoxygenating the fish (or at least this is my understanding of it). just because your other fish arent acting like there is a problem doesnt mean there isnt one.