Pet Information > ASK Experts > Pet Fish > Freshwater Aquarium > Synodotis Catfish

Synodotis Catfish

23 16:49:00

Question
Hey Joe I had a quick question about my Synodotis Catfish that I got a couple weeks back. I actually have two catfish within a 55 gallon tank with a Lepidolamprologus attentuatus from Lake Tanganyika. It was eating really well when I placed him in the tank. One day I came home and he was all white (and they are usually a dark brown or black) and his belly seemed full. He was breathing very rapidly and was extremely lazy. I beleived it was a case of the bloat, so I placed him within a Quartine Tank and dropped some Medicine from Jungle. I woke up this morning and he was moving around within the tank and he got some of his coloration back. I am not quite sure if it was the case of the bloat but could it be that the fish just simply overloaded on food and couldn't digest it? I have no idea it would be great if you can help me out. Thanks

Answer
Hey Joe,
That's a tough question to answer without seeing the fish, but I think you handled it well.
What do you feed him, and how much?

If it happens again, just add some epsom salts to the tank at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons of water. It is better than any medicine they have on the market.
Also, catfish sometimes do that normally if they are stressed. They get fat and white...
Could he have been stressed?