Pink growths on Pictus Cat

kristinT · 09-25-2005, 08:09 AM

Help!!! I have a 4" Pictus Catfish in a 105 gallon tank, along with 7 small African Cichlids (1.5-2"), a 6" Pleco, and a 4" Raphael Cat. We have tons of rock and lots of hiding places for the fish. The tank has only been going for two months, and all these fish are new tankmates as of two months ago.

The problem we have with Pictus Cat is that he has developed two pink growths on his head over the past couple of days. They are relatively small, but his behavior seems to have changed along with them. He has been swimming around the top 1/3 of the tank, and up and down the walls of the tank quite actively. (He was previously more of a bottom swimmer...). Our pH is a little bit high for him, because of the cichlids, so we've added some buffer to try to tame the pH a little bit. The LFS said that he'd be fine in cichlid water, but we're not so sure he's doing as good as he could be! All whiskers are intact, and no other apparent insult is present. The growths concern us, and I can't find anything online about what they could be. They look like the color of raw pork chops.

Any ideas or resources? We'd hate to lose him, because he's a favorite!

Thanks

KristinT

**Cichlid Man** · 09-25-2005, 12:28 PM

A common cichlid vs catfish problem. Those red marks are a result of stress from being harassed, and are the blood vessels in the gill plates which have become swollen. Never mind how many hiding places you put in the tank, the cichlids will always take over the pims territory. My only advise is not to keep african cichlids with south american catfishes. Sorry.

kristinT · 09-25-2005, 02:29 PM

Thanks for the input. I am not totally convinced it is all due to stress because we just got home and now the Pictus cat's right eye is totally swollen and protruding. It seems more like a disease than just stress. Any inputs would be welcomed!

**Cichlid Man** · 09-25-2005, 02:58 PM

Diseases arise from stress. If he's swimming up and down the glass, then IME it's because a cichlid is dominating the lower half of the tank and won't let the catfish swim in his territory. For the eye problem, anti-internal bacteria treamtments from interpet are good.

09-25-2005, 08:09 AM	#1
kristinT Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 2	Pink growths on Pictus Cat Help!!! I have a 4" Pictus Catfish in a 105 gallon tank, along with 7 small African Cichlids (1.5-2"), a 6" Pleco, and a 4" Raphael Cat. We have tons of rock and lots of hiding places for the fish. The tank has only been going for two months, and all these fish are new tankmates as of two months ago. The problem we have with Pictus Cat is that he has developed two pink growths on his head over the past couple of days. They are relatively small, but his behavior seems to have changed along with them. He has been swimming around the top 1/3 of the tank, and up and down the walls of the tank quite actively. (He was previously more of a bottom swimmer...). Our pH is a little bit high for him, because of the cichlids, so we've added some buffer to try to tame the pH a little bit. The LFS said that he'd be fine in cichlid water, but we're not so sure he's doing as good as he could be! All whiskers are intact, and no other apparent insult is present. The growths concern us, and I can't find anything online about what they could be. They look like the color of raw pork chops. Any ideas or resources? We'd hate to lose him, because he's a favorite! Thanks KristinT

09-25-2005, 12:28 PM	#2
Cichlid Man Super moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,100	A common cichlid vs catfish problem. Those red marks are a result of stress from being harassed, and are the blood vessels in the gill plates which have become swollen. Never mind how many hiding places you put in the tank, the cichlids will always take over the pims territory. My only advise is not to keep african cichlids with south american catfishes. Sorry. __________________ If you have a big enough tank with enough hiding places, pH of around 7, you can keep virtually any fish together as long as all the fish are around the same size and these two groups of fish are avioded: Serrasalmus Tetradon(figure eights and dwarfs are the exception). I keep a successful community of fish in a 4 foot tank including the following families: Cichlids, tetras, loaches, gouramis, barbs, rainbows, livebearers, killiefish, catfish, puffers.

09-25-2005, 02:58 PM	#4
Cichlid Man Super moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,100	Diseases arise from stress. If he's swimming up and down the glass, then IME it's because a cichlid is dominating the lower half of the tank and won't let the catfish swim in his territory. For the eye problem, anti-internal bacteria treamtments from interpet are good. __________________ If you have a big enough tank with enough hiding places, pH of around 7, you can keep virtually any fish together as long as all the fish are around the same size and these two groups of fish are avioded: Serrasalmus Tetradon(figure eights and dwarfs are the exception). I keep a successful community of fish in a 4 foot tank including the following families: Cichlids, tetras, loaches, gouramis, barbs, rainbows, livebearers, killiefish, catfish, puffers.

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09-25-2005, 02:29 PM	#3
kristinT Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 2	Thanks for the input. I am not totally convinced it is all due to stress because we just got home and now the Pictus cat's right eye is totally swollen and protruding. It seems more like a disease than just stress. Any inputs would be welcomed!

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