HELP My WALLAGO ATTU has ICH !!!!!

Penalty Box · Post by **Penalty Box** » 04 Dec 2003, 03:40

I recently acquired a WALLAGO ATTU (killer cat) from a local fish store about two weeks ago. Today I noticed he as well as the two Oscars in his tank have a lot of white spots which I believe are ICH. I need to know how to treat (i.e. water temp, medicine, etc) as it appears the limited information I found indicates that cats can not always be treated as other fish who have ich. He is still eating but I also need to know how many feeders I should feed him and how often. He seems to gorge himself rapidly every time I put feeders in the tank. I would appreciate any information anyone has as it seems hard to find out anything about this fish. Thanks in advance for your help.

Post by **Rusty** » 04 Dec 2003, 12:57

Read this thread. It discusses Synodontis, but the same mathod can be used for Wallago. What size tank do you have?

You want to try weaning it off of feeders and onto pellets if possible. You should only feed every one-two weeks, as with all large cats.

Rusty

Penalty Box · Post by **Penalty Box** » 04 Dec 2003, 15:47

Thanks for the reply. The tank is 20 gallons. I have tried feeding him pellets but he won't touch even after a few days without feeders. I asked the pet store and they said their experience with him is he would only eat live. Thanks.

magnum4 · Post by **magnum4** » 04 Dec 2003, 18:53

penelty box.

I recently acquired a WALLAGO ATTU (killer cat) from a local fish store about two weeks ago. Today I noticed he as well as the two Oscars in his tank

Suggest you test your water for ammonia, nitrite and pH to start with. if you haven't already. with this amount of fish in a 20 gallon tank there is a good chance the water is polluted and this will be increasing risk of infection from "ICH". what filtration system do you have?

I would appreciate any information anyone has as it seems hard to find out anything about this fish. Thanks in advance for your help.

I do hope you know how big it grows, otherwise your in for a shock

WALLAGO ATTU is covered in the cat-elog. you can use the search at the top of the site. it will link you to all information availible.

Penalty Box · Post by **Penalty Box** » 04 Dec 2003, 19:17

Thanks. I am planning on testing the water this evening and will probably go for a 10-15% water change that I had already prepped water for. I have already increased the temp, covered the tank, and increased aireation. I also have acquired medicine which the store swears is safe for cats @ 1/2 dosage that I will use this evening as well .

As far as fish in tank your post seems to indicate the tank may be too crowded with the 3 fish ( 1 -6" cat + 2 -4" Oscars) but the pet store assured me 20 gallons was fine for 1-2 years. Do you disagree ?

Penalty Box · Post by **Penalty Box** » 04 Dec 2003, 19:19

Oh and on the filter question the tank has a back hanging carbon cartridge flow thru system. I was kind of skeptical it was robust enough for the tank as it came in a kit, but the store said it would be fine. Is there something in addition or better that you suggest ? Thanks again.

Post by **Rusty** » 04 Dec 2003, 19:25

A picture I took this summer:

These are very fast growing, and will out grow your current tank within a 2-3 months, if it isn't already too big. Add the oscars to the mix, and you need a new tank ASAP. I'd look at a 200 gallon tank as a minimum, since all of the fish are very aggressive and will get very large very fast.

Rusty

Penalty Box · Post by **Penalty Box** » 04 Dec 2003, 19:36

Oh boy looks like I have a problem and a big dollar trip to the store is in my near future. I am going to make sure he will recover from the ich first I think so I don't have a huge tank and no fish. Thanks for the information. Guess this cute little guy won't stay that way for long.

magnum4 · Post by **magnum4** » 04 Dec 2003, 19:53

nice picture rusty did you catch that yourself.

but the pet store assured me 20 gallons was fine for 1-2 years. Do you disagree ?

Don't shop there again, also the oscars will be done with that tank in about 4months max!

Post by **Rusty** » 05 Dec 2003, 00:55

magnum4 wrote:nice picture rusty did you catch that yourself.

Nope, they were going for $0.10 a kg in the local fish market. Damn good eating.

Rusty

Post by **Silurus** » 05 Dec 2003, 20:58

Penalty Box,

Did you try the Cat-eLog for info on W. attu?
My experience with large predatory silurids is that they can be weaned off feeders, but it takes time and a lot of patience. My advice is to start by using freshly-killed feeders (chill them until they die). Most predatory silurids are sensitive to movement, so drop the dead feeder in front of the catfish to see if it will respond (remove the dead fish immediately if it's not eaten, though).
Once it begins to eat dead feeders, you can gradually substitute with chunks of fish or shrimp. Pellets will be difficult: as the fish gets bigger, it will ignore smaller pieces of potential food items.

Penalty Box · Post by **Penalty Box** » 05 Dec 2003, 22:07

Thanks for the information. I did already review the info in the Cat-elog and it was helpful. One more question is the goal to not use feeders to reduce chance of illness due to constant introduction of new fish into tank or for another reason ? Thanks.

Penalty Box · Post by **Penalty Box** » 06 Dec 2003, 00:45

OK. I tested the water and here are the results. PH 7.4, Ammonia 0 ppm, Nitrite 5ppm. The tank is about two weeks old. Should I try to change some water or just use a product to lower nitrite, or both? The ich spots are still prevelant but appear to be subsiding with the temp increase, additional aireation, and no light. Thanks for the help.

Post by **Silurus** » 06 Dec 2003, 03:33

One more question is the goal to not use feeders to reduce chance of illness due to constant introduction of new fish into tank or for another reason ?

Essentially, you do not want to introduce diseases/parasites with the feeders. You can go around this problem by breeding your own feeders, but this may be more trouble than it's worth.

Penalty Box · Post by **Penalty Box** » 06 Dec 2003, 03:36

Thanks on the feeder info that's what I thought. Any insight on the water tests ?

magnum4 · Post by **magnum4** » 06 Dec 2003, 23:41

PH 7.4, Ammonia 0 ppm, Nitrite 5ppm. The tank is about two weeks old

water changes to get that nitrite down, nitrite reducers do work but not that well. untill the tank is fully cycled another 4-6weeks or so. I would cut the food down, feed every other day or every 3 days. change about 50% to get that nitrite down quicker and then i would change at the least 30% twice a week, but keep monitering the water the nitrite should not exceed <1ppm if you can help it.