sick catfish emergency! i need help

[rebecca]

My hubby is a fisherman he caught some fish for a friend and one was still alive. Im trying to save him but hes in bad shape. He has a damaged gill and laboured breathing. The water keeps turning pink i dont know if its cause he was bopped on the head and has internal bleeding or from his damaged gill. Iv had him for two days in just normal water in my sink. He wont eat. What do i do. What can i do for him im so worried. Iv gotten so attached to him. I really dont want him to die. Please help. What kind of things do i need for him?

[grokefish]

Start with not feeding him.
Secondly give him clean water, not tap water.
Third um, let him go?

[apistomaster]

Rebecca,
This fish is not going to get better. It will die whether you keep it or release it. It is actually illegal to release game fish after they have been reduced to your possession even if it is going right back where it was captured. Finish the job and eat it.
If you want to keep a large native catfish, first be sure you have a large enough tank equipped with heavy duty filtration.
I am a fisherman myself. Ask your husband to catch another one and have him carefully remove the hook by crimping the barb flat with needle nose pliers before extracting it. This will reduce the traumatic injury. No using a "priest"(fish club) and do not place the fish on a stringer because that will extensively damage the fishes gills. He should place it in a burlap bag and hang it in the water. If the bag is saturated it will probably travel home in good enough condition. A picnic cooler filled with 6 inches of water would be better way to transport it home.
Do not keep large catfish unless you are prepared to provide them with an adequately sized aquarium.
Way too many people do this and it is cruel to the fish to cram them into a tank too small.
You probably have a Channel Catfish and they regularly reach 3 feet. If you have a Bullhead Cat then it will probably reach only about 10 inches in a larger aquarium. Channel cats have forked tails as they prefer a strong river current and bullhead cats have squared tails, often found in slow moving water or lakes and are better adapted to life in aquaria.

[Viktor Jarikov]

Hey Rebecca, I must say your case is unusual and intriguing. What did you decide to do? Do you have an update? There is very little info in your initial post to start helping you beyond what already has been said (and Matt and Larry were trying to help, believe me).

What's the fish's size, identity, how big is its "tank" or whatever you are using? Are you familiar with the basics of fish-keeping hobby, like using proper water treatments and having a cycled, aged aquarium or pond with established bio-filtration?

Sick and/or stressed fish do not eat. That's also basics.