# Catfish burned...??? help



## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

Okay there is no stopping my upsidedown lace catfish from hidding in the space between the heater and the glass with is stomach to the glass and back to the heater, he stays there often, today i noticed a discolored spot ( it was like brownish) right next to his dorsal fin and i think its also along the long front spike of his forsal fin. i tred to get a good pic but no luck, i have stressed him out enough. any suggestins, i dont want him to keep burning himself if it is a burn, he just got over ich in a seperate tank, but i put him back in whie i treat the whole tank and the temp is 87, so the heater is hoter than it was when the tank was at 78 before the sickness


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i would get about 6 or 8 pieces of 1 1/2" pvc pipe about 10" long for it to hide in...


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## Cory1990 (Jun 14, 2012)

If its hurting it the fish won't do it. My pleco sometimes sticks to the heater. And I don't think they are that dumb to sit and get hurt by it and stay there. It's like you are not going to stick your hand on the stove burner and just hang out there.


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

Hmm ill have to wait and see what happens to him ill keep u guys updated


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## Murloc (Jul 26, 2012)

Cory1990 said:


> If its hurting it the fish won't do it. My pleco sometimes sticks to the heater. And I don't think they are that dumb to sit and get hurt by it and stay there. It's like you are not going to stick your hand on the stove burner and just hang out there.


That is true, but if the fish got stuck, or if the heater got turned up and he gradually got use to it without realizing how hot it was then he could easily have gotten burned. 

Some pics would be helpful, I hope your cat recovers soon.

In the meantime, maybe you can mess with the heater and make sure that is isn't broken or developing hot spots. Also, try and fiddle with it so that it isn't so close to the glass. Just a few ideas.

I have had some good success with treating sick fish with repti-safe. It helps a fishes slime coat, adds calcium and electrolytes, and removes chlorine / ammonia. It is also not very expensive.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Second the Pvc pipe. You can get a 8' or 12' lenghth for $3 and a PVC cutter for $10. Chop into pieces longer than the fish.


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## Cory1990 (Jun 14, 2012)

That's true that they can sit on the heater and never relise it getting hot but the chances of that happening are slim. 

My thoughts are that it just wanted a hiding spot and likes to hang out on the heater. My pleco does it all the time with the heater and filter tube. Even though there's a million hiding spots for him to go in or on he still picks the heater/filter. 

It should be fine but make sure your heater is not faulty. If I remember correctly your fish had ich? If so they are not dumb and will rub up on heater to get rid of the sickness. Also since you did have ich maybe your heater is faulty. Maybe Check into that and let us know.


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2012)

Cory: ich produces at low temps. Temps like the 70s, the high 80s will keep the ich from producing. Yes, I know that at the high temp the ich's life cycle shortens.

I have had my tank heater up to 87 degrees and it is still at that temp. I had to deal with ich with one of my clown loaches while she was sick with two other diseases. I treated them one at a time. Anyway keep the tank at 87 degrees, even when you are done treating it, that way the ich is sure to not come back.

I think the reason why ich actually comes back is because of the temp that the tanks are set at. Ich produces at the low temps, 70s and below. For you to never have an issue with ich, keep your temp up in the high 80s, that will prevent your fish from getting sick with ich again.


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

They make the "Hide n See" pipes, where the fish hides in it and you can still see the fish. Its probably more expensive then plain PVC pipe, but it looks better too, not to mention you will be able to see your fish.


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

okay ill check my lfs , i have seen those hide and seek pipes. the guy at my lfs reccomended i slowly bring the temp down to the low 80s and keep it there, so i guess ill do that. oh and do i get new filter medium or can i put in the old one? the tank is still cycling, but if it is best to replace it i will


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I can't see holding the temp that high unless you have fish like discus that like it hot. Bolivians don't need the higher temps that blue rams prefer. At higher temp there is less oxygen for the fish. A sudden drop in temp can indeed trigger an ich outbreak so bring it down slowly. 

Keeping the temp up for an entire "life-cycle" time of ich to kill it is a good plan, but for the lifetime of the fish isn't, there are bound to be unintended consequences.

If there was no disease in the tank, using old media is fine. If you are treating for ich or something, get new media and deal with the "cycle".


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

no no this is on my 55 gal tank there are mbunas synodontis catfish and my bn pleco (its on my sig), sorry if i didnt make it clear
i looked it up in my book all of my fish in the 55 have a temp range of either 77-82 or 77- 84


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

78 is perfect for a mbuna tank.


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

it was at 78 before ick, but i think ill keep it at 80


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