Whys my catfish at top of water

[Pau1parker]

Hi iv had my catfish a while now , lately iv noticed it swimming to the top of the tank and staying there a while (always in the same place as the pic but its mouth is at the surface of water) could you tell me why this could be ? The tank is 135 litres with a black shark , clown loach , and a sailfin plec wich is tiny at the moment , thanks


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[Bluethumb]

Catfish go up for oxygen. My dwarf Cory goes up, but they're supposed to take a breath and go back down. Are your water parameters fine? If they go up often, it means that something is wrong with the water.

 

[Pau1parker]

Catfish go up for oxygen. My dwarf Cory goes up, but they're supposed to take a breath and go back down. Are your water parameters fine? If they go up often, it means that something is wrong with the water.

Thats what i thought but he does stay there for quite a while, to be honnest iv had the tank arround 4 months and havent checked the parameters! Im going to go my local pet store after work and get all the testing gear i need , whats the average ph ect the tank should be?


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[Brookster123]

How often do you change water and how much?

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[Pau1parker]

How often do you change water and how much?

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I use to do a water change once every month, and normally arround 25-30 % ,
A couple of days ago i bought a sailfin plec and been told i should now do little water change every week because they produce so much waste , is that right ? Sorry im still learning haha


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[Brookster123]

Yup, you'll want to be doing a 50% weekly wc with that stock, plecos make a ton of waste.. as for now, do a couple 30% wc's, your pleco being at the top likely means the water is not to its liking.. you should also invest in a liquid test kit so you can monitor your parameters.

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[Pau1parker]

Yup, you'll want to be doing a 50% weekly wc with that stock, plecos make a ton of waste.. as for now, do a couple 30% wc's, your pleco being at the top likely means the water is not to its liking.. you should also invest in a liquid test kit so you can monitor your parameters.

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Im with you , so 50% water change weekly , and after work im hoing to get a test kit to check my parameters wich i know i should have checked allot earlier on !


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[Brookster123]

Yep, do a couple wc ASAP though, elevated levels of ammonia, nitrite and even nitrate can do irreversible damage or even kill your fish.. only way to decrease those levels is through wc's. Think of your tank as a big toilet, only one way to flush it...

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[PB_Smith]

Yep, do a couple wc ASAP though, elevated levels of ammonia, nitrite and even nitrate can do irreversible damage or even kill your fish.. only way to decrease those levels is through wc's

Not the only way, biological action will reduce ammonia and nitrite and nitrate is utilized by the plants and is less harmful to fresh water fish. Nitrate and maintaining ph/hardness are the benefits of regular water changes.
If the tank has been running for a few months, it is most likely completely cycled already.

I would advice against doing big water changes, especially if your fish are used to smaller ones less frequently.
Doing a 30% or greater could do more harm than good at this point as it would be a much larger fluctuation in water parameters than they are used to.

Think of your tank as a big toilet, only one way to flush it...

Please don't propagate this silliness because it is wholly inaccurate.

 

[Brookster123]

Ok pb, than you can assist this fine young man in saving his fish.. gee this whole time all my super sensitive fish wernt dying with all my big wc's and silly inaccuracies. .

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[PB_Smith]

Ok pb, than you can assist this fine young man in saving his fish.. gee this whole time all my super sensitive fish wernt dying with all my big wc's and silly inaccuracies. .

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Yes, but if your fish have been subjected to regular big water changes that is a lot different than a tank that has not been getting weekly big changes. THAT is my point. It is consistency more than anything else that will determine how well the fish handle water changes.

and the toilet analogy is erroneous because it conjures up an image of muck and filth just sitting there festering and that is NOT what takes place in an aquarium and you know that.

Why are people so sensitive around here and take any type of differing opinion as a personal attack????

I just don't get it

 

[Brookster123]

Yes, but if your fish have been subjected to regular big water changes that is a lot different than a tank that has not been getting weekly big changes. THAT is my point. It is consistency more than anything else that will determine how well the fish handle water changes.

and the toilet analogy is erroneous because it conjures up an image of muck and filth just sitting there festering and that is NOT what takes place in an aquarium and you know that.

Why are people so sensitive around here and take any type of differing opinion as a personal attack????

I just don't get it

Fair enough, but..if the levels are toxic enough to have a large pleco dangling in plants at the top of the tank, directly under light? I'd take immediate action, plecos do not display this type of behavior if they're comfortable. You could take your time and ease them into the larger water changes in less dire situations.. yes! I guess the toilet analogy all depends on who's picturing what?!
I'm not sensitive at all, I can give it and take it all the same. I can't take someone targeting my post just to target my post while offering no helpful advice to the op

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[PB_Smith]

I did offer advice for the OP, to be cautious about doing big changes right off the bat.

@ the OP, have you noticed if the heater is on when he hangs out in that spot?
If so maybe he likes the warm current?
Personally I don't consider it too odd of behavior and can't make any determination about "why" until the water has been tested.
I've seen plecos that liked to hang out balanced on rocks or in plants, etc.
It really doesn't strike me as all that strange.

 

[Pau1parker]

I did offer advice for the OP, to be cautious about doing big changes right off the bat.

@ the OP, have you noticed if the heater is on when he hangs out in that spot?
If so maybe he likes the warm current?
Personally I don't consider it too odd of behavior and can't make any determination about "why" until the water has been tested.
I've seen plecos that liked to hang out on balanced on rocks or in plants, etc.
It really doesn't strike me as all that strange.

the only time i see him do it is first thing in the morning and late at night , during the day he just hides in the rocks which i believe is normal? Had the tank with the fish in about 4 months and its only been the last week iv noticed it


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[Brookster123]

Do you have any driftwood in the tank? What do you feed the pleco?

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[Pau1parker]

Do you have any driftwood in the tank? What do you feed the pleco?

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No i dont have driftwood should i get some? Also its the catfish that is staying at the surface and i feed it catfish pellets


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[Brookster123]

Yah, driftwood is a key part of most plecos diet.. i was just wondering if you fed floating flake that it was trying to get a hold of.. i guess get your water tested and we'll take it from there..

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[Pau1parker]

Yah, driftwood is a key part of most plecos diet.. i was just wondering if you fed floating flake that it was trying to get a hold of.. i guess get your water tested and we'll take it from there..

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Thanks for the help! Ill get driftwood and testing kit from petshop later and ill let you know how it goes!


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[Pau1parker]

Yah, driftwood is a key part of most plecos diet.. i was just wondering if you fed floating flake that it was trying to get a hold of.. i guess get your water tested and we'll take it from there..

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So i went the pet shop , they had no drift wood so ordered some on the internet, got the test kit wich read the ph- 7.0
Ammonia-0
Nitrite - 0.5
And nitrate was 80 !!

I know the nitrate is through the roof what causes that and how do i get it down? Cheers for your time


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[Brookster123]

Shouldn't have any nitrite in a cycled tank, maybe a mini cycle occurred when you added the fish? Only way to knock down nitrates is through wc. You'll want to ease the fish into the cleaner water so start off with smaller ones every few days and move up to a weekly 40-50%

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