Baby redtail catfish problem please help

Hi Teddy, welcome to the forum. What size tank are they all in? What are the water parameters?
The ones that were skinny and died could've just been weak since birth (swing how they were much smaller than the others). If they were hiding in and around the rocks then the one could've got the scratches from either swimming into them or trying to squeeze between them.

 

Sounds to me if they are skinny they are probably just weak stock, do you know where they came from?

 

No, I don't think it's weird at all. In my 150g, one or all 3 of my oscars will huddle around the heater and in my 20g my yo-yo's & panda garras hang out on or around the top of the heater. Some of my tetras and rasboras, in my 55g, mainly stay on the right side of the tank which is the side the heater is located.

 

Seeing how the fish are going to be in the tank, just take it slow and steady, don't try to rush it.

Make sure that the sand your going to put in the tank has been rinsed really good.

Take out all of the decor. Scoop out all of the gravel. Drian out as much of the water as you can and vac up some of the debris that just got stired up. Fill tank back up, like you just did a water change, turn heater and filter(s) back on. Run the tank bare bottom for about a day or until any of the left over debris has settled to the bottom of the tank. Drain water down again and vac out debris, leaving enough water for your fish to swim around in. Start on one end of the tank and start putting in the sand (when i did my tank, I used a 1 qt measuring cup). When you get all the sand in then put the decor back and slowly add the water. If alot of sand got stired up when refilling the tank, may want to wait a bit for it to settle before turning the filter(s) back on. Hopes this helps.

 

Should make it a little easier for ya, follow the steps I've listed above and you should do just fine.

Typical signs of a sick/dying fish to me. I've seen that behavior before in sick/dying fish as small as neons to large pond koi.

 

If you can get a hold of the catfish, you can pull gently on the fish it swallowed to see if it'll come back out. If it dosen't want to come back out, then about the only thing else is to let it be and see if the catfish will either spit it out or swallow it the rest of the way.

Glad to hear that your fish quit dying on you.

 

Keep us posted on the status/outcome. Hopefully all goes good.

 

15 redtails?!. Oh my goodness, that's an awful lot. Thats a lot of food competition. We've never had more than one at a time, since they get enormous. After needing a 600.gal tank, was when we decided to go outside and get koi. Red tails need an ample amount of food since they grow so quickly. If you have skinny ones, they're probably not aggressive enough to get enough food JMO.

 

Oh my gosh! ! That poor thing!! If a rtc can open its mouth wide enough it will eat whatever touches its "feelers" It seems cruel to keep non feeders in with it/ them. Either the fish will start to fall apart to the point it can be more easily swallowed, or its long enough to be slowly "digested". I've never had a rtc spit anything out, but if overfed, it will regurgitate all over you tank (ugh). Good luck. I miss our redtail. He had a great personality. But our old floors can only hold so much. Enjoy them!! !