Odd behavior

[Nautilus]

I read up on Spotted Raphael Catfish (I am pretty sure this is the one I got) info. They are strictly nocturnal, bottom feeders, very peaceful, and generally get along with other fishes. They tend to prefer living in large groups, around 5 at least.

We bought two (by accident, my mom thought they were algae eater pleco. She went out to buy pleco since ours dies), but one died cause one of the big fishes I guess slammed it. It was swimming in a spiral forward and died a fews after being caught in the filter intake.

The one that lived occasionally fights my pleco (no idea what type it is) for space in the mini-rock cave we got. This I understand, since it's the only thing we got in there to provide cover during the day time. He swims out during feeding time. I understand this also, because we didn't get those pellets that drop down for a while. I guess he learned that fish flakes are the only way to get food. The catfish is around an inch long. Also, my mom turns on the tank's light as a nightlight. I didn't tell my mom this, cause I know we would argue and nothing would come of it. Also, I live upstairs and my mom lives down, and I don't want to be undermind her by going downstairs every night and turning the light off. The catfish did act all crazy at first with rapid dashing here and there (we eat dinner late, 8-10 PM), but after a few weeks it cooled down.

What concerns me is that, right now...he floats to the top of the tank and wades, fan it's tail occasionally. For the past two months or so, I seen the catfish outside the cave, even in the day time. It just lays there outside. I thought it was nothing, until I see it sometimes trying to climb in. It only moves when the other fishes nips at it, or smacks it around when outside the cave. The pleco (about an inch and a half long, almost two) always chases it out, that wasn't the case before. I am worried that it's too stressed and too underpowered. Recently, we bought the pellets (and some water solutions). He gobbled one up like it hasn't eaten in days. What's worst is that when I put the pellets in, the pleco dashed out, and basically slammed it a couple of times. It stayed there, seeming like it guarded the food. It went dashing back into the cave when the catfish started to go towards the cave. What concerns me the most is the other fishes though, they are BIG (the two biggest are about 5-6 inches long) and just plows the little guy. They are giving him no time to rest. Some of them also ate the pellets too.

I hate the pleco, since my mom bought it on impluse. We had already two young plecos picked out that looked like our old one. I hate the color of this one and that we weren't sure if it did eat algae. Also, it's bigger. The two young ones (around have a inch or so) died due to either the bigger fish ramming them or the pleco did it. They were swimming in a spiral too and their tails were angled like snapped twig. I am starting to think the pleco did it.

What I am debating is what to do with the catfish. Usually, odd behavior means death, so I usually know I can't do anything, or know anything, and let things be. But this time, it seems like he can recover.

Three ideas popped in:

1) Get a tank (or at least temporary one, bucket or cup)
- Tap water might be full of stuff
- I don't how much of the aquasafe to put for cleaning the new tap water I am going to put in the tank.
- No fliter, no rocks, no cave so it would just be him and water.
- No tools to measure the pH levels(even though in the last post in another thread I made, someone did mention to get one; stupid wii >_>)
- Not that knowledgeable of fish care
- Can't drive, money is a issue right now, parents busy, so I can't get any new stuff for it for a while. (Unless we run out of fish food. We go on trips when there's none left, which we just bought a week ago...)

2) Leave things how they are
- It's a gamble and a lot easier to do. But it seems like a waste, seeing as how my mom will most likely buy some other fish, by mistake again if our current pleco dies. Also, the catfish will die.

3) Finish it off myself and let it die
- I don't have it in me...nor do I want too.

The tank itself is in a terrible shape. We sprung a leak, and judging from what so far, I think it's a 30 gallon tank. Two filters, one's inactive and the current one is dirty. My mom washes the foam pad thing of the crap and replugs it in. The water level went down to I think 70-75% left. We don't change the water daily. We have two common goldfish, a comet goldfish, ryukin, some type of red pleco, spotted catfish, two unidenified ones. They are colorful, like Koi fish. Inf act, they look alike, but I don't think they are them since Koi can grow to huge sizes. The lionhead died today.

I usually don't deal with the tank, since I am weak and clumsy. It's pretty high up, around three feet up on a stand (four and a half tall with tank). I am only 5'7. Also, when I do things alone and mess up, the parents scold me and stuff like that. BUT for this catfish, I think I can handle however I want. Since it was kind of a mistake when bought and they don't like it as much. Just trying to decide on an action or to see if there's any other options out there...I want to know if I am thinking in the right direction. I mean, if I do all of this and it dies, that would suck big time. Or if it was because my actions I did that it died would suck even more. So I ask you guys, the community, to evaluate the situation and advise me.