Ictalurus punctatus - Dancing in tank

[MagicMike304]

What causes a fish to dance in a tank? My channel cat will twist quickly every once in a while. At first it looked like he was kicking food up off the bottom of the tank so he could catch it, but he does it when no food is present also.

Could something be wrong or is he just telling me he wants more food?

[Richard B]

Is it "flicking" it's body on the bottom? This is a sign of a skin iritation of some sort.

[MagicMike304]

Yea, it flicks it's body on the gravel on the bottom of the tank. But, he also flicks in mid water.

I've looked close at the fish and I can not see anything odd on his skin. How can I tell what is irritating his skin?

[Richard B]

Some things are far too small to be seen with the naked eye. If this is something new that the fish hasn't done before where has the "parasite" come from? Standard aquarium remedies for parasites should resolve the issue but be careful with dosing, some cats are very sensitive to meds.