shark catfish fell out

Question
QUESTION: i have 2 shark catfish, over a year old since i bought
them.they were very healthy until 1 jumped out of the tank
.it wasnt even moving when i found it. but i put it back &
it started breathing fast at 1st then became normal slowly
overnight.but now it has developed a fog over it eyes n has
red marks all over.it is swimming very efficiently all the
time (which it wouldnt before they usually rested for a
while)& not eating much. will it recover? can i help it
someway?.also the other fish wont swim anymore n is just
sitting in a corner & running away when the sick fish comes
close, so i was wondering is its illness is effecting the
other fish too?

ANSWER: Hi Syed,

Shark Catfish are known to jump, although they do not deliberately jump under normal circumstances. The reason why he jumped is because the water quality was poor, and ammonia was burning his skin.

Ammonia is produced by fish waste. However, bacteria will develop in your filter or gravel, that will remove this ammonia. However, if you manage to accidentally kill the bacteria, (example, you changed all of the filter media) the tank will become concentrated with ammonia, which burns the fish's skin and causes the red marks. It is affecting both fish, and that is why you see the other fish is 'sick', too. Ammonia poisoning isn't a disease, and can be easily solved.

Perform a 20% water change IMMEDIATELY. The sooner you do one, the faster the fish will recover. The water change will dilute the toxic concentrations of ammonia. Do a 20% change every day for one week, and then you can switch to 20% twice or three times a week. Adding a slime coat enhancer, such as Stress Coat, by API, will help the fish's recovery, although not absolutely necessary.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

I hope you fish recovers -Good Luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: you mean its near death did not affect it at all?... what
about his eyes they get worse every day.... i think he cant
see anymore cos he wont eat.ill change the water
immediately.

Answer
Hi Syed,

I'm sorry if you misunderstood. If you take action immediately, it should recover soon. Perform a 20% water change every day. The reason why it is sick is because there is too much ammonia in the tank, (the red burn marks). Hopefully, it will get better very soon.

The film over the eye can be caused by either poor water quality, or a bacterial infection. In your case, poor water quality may be the reason, but I would buy an anti-bacterial medication from your fish store, to treat it. Anti-bacterial medications include Maracyn, Tetracycline, or Melafix. Other brands work, too. Make sure you follow the instructions on the bottle carefully.

Sick fish do not eat, but once they have recovered, they will start eating again. Do not worry if they do not eat, because fish can survive for weeks without food.

Good Luck, and I hope your Catfish recover!