Catfish looks dead

Question
Hello David,

I bought 3 catfish this afternoon and all the three are stuck in a corner not moving. Especially one of the catfish really looks dead but its gil is moving and looks breathing. When I removed it from water it did not even move or struggle for air in the water. I have a 55 gallon aquarium and I have 15 gold fish. I have this aquarium for 3 months now and all the gold fish are happy and they are growing. I bought these catfish to eat gold fish droppings. Please let me know is it a good idea to continue with these catfish. Please reply to me at your earliest convenience.

Answer
Hi Balan:  What kind of catfish?  They are probably just stressed out.  Not all fish clerks catch fish gently and then they get put into a small bag and jostled around on the way to your house.  Another consideration is that they may have gone from a warm environment to a cold one... which would also be a shock to them.  I would let them be and not touch them or poke at them.  Check them in the morning and see if they are doing better... also turn off the lights so that they feel more secure... dave