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I've asked about this before and done a bit of research but can't find anything else it might be...

I have a 160 litre tank. It has nil ammonia, nil nitrites and a ph of 6.6 - 6.8. the ph keeps heading for the acid end of the scale and I have to keep adjusting it. i DONT know why this is. I can't give you the nitrate level. temp is 23 C

I have had a few fish with the problem I am about to detail, all have died despite my efforts, and usually they are afflicted and die very soon after coming to the tank.

I have an australian eel tail catfish (Plotosidae family, I believe) ... called colin ... have had him less than a week. He has one gill only which looked red, not it looks like it is bleeding. he is jumpy and doesn't seem happy at all and hides and wont let me get a good look at him.

The first couple of days he was here he did the twist and shake scratch himself kind of thing which I have seen my other fish do on the odd occasion (not all became sick).

When it happened before, I decided it must be gill fluke and treated with 'aquarium science antiparasite remedy' as instructed and repeated the treatment once more, 7 days later. the ingred. is trichlorfon. I still lost the fish I was treating but the problem stopped.

Now I have colin doing the same thing and wonder whether he brought the problem or whether it was lying in wait for a new stressed fish to arrive?

i did have a small translucent worm living int he gravel. i don't have a clue what it was but vacuumed thoroughly to try and clear it up and the fish would eat them when the gravel was shifted and they floated free. They are gone now and I don't know if they are / were relevant.

Should I do the same treatment, and can I treat while i have Melafix (cajeput Oil) in the tank?

Ali

See the thread here..."Sudden Odd Behavior".

--garyroland.