Upside Down Catfish Unwell

[Titchie]

As above Ive just got one today and they were all fine in the lfs, got him home straight away and climitized him like I do with all my fish.
I put him in the tank and he swam to some indian fern floating at the top, at this point I left all the lights off. I left these off for 3 hrs then went to check him.
Hes floating around vertically, gasping. Am I going to loose him to shock Is there anything I can do to save him

 

[Jakey02578]

Have you checked him for any disease or whatever?

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Upside down cats are very sensitive to pH change. If the pH that he was use to differs greatly from your tank, it may have shocked him if you did not do drip acclimatization.

 

[Titchie]

He has no disease that I can see, And the ph will be differant but I did do the drip thing, will he likely to pick up, Ive heard salt can be good for stressed fish

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I don't think salt is good for catfish, as they are armored, not scales.

 

[colleen0309]

Definately DO NOT add salt! I wouldn't add salt to any tank that contained any species of catfish unless you research the catfish extensively first. Most, if not all, catfish are sensitive to the salt. Some are more sensitive than others. Some will only become a little distressed, but it will be fatal to some species.

 

[Titchie]

I didnt add any salt but it died about 2 hrs later

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I'm sorry. He may have been sick when you bought him.

I meant to ask, how long has your tank been established?

 

[XeroTolerance]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Titchie]

Thanks guys, the tanks been runnning over a year now

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Were your water parameters okay? What were the results? For a tank established a year, it doesnt sound like new tank syndrome....

How do you do filter maintenance? How often do you change your filter pads?