Did I injure my catfish?

If you have a vet who knows about fish, or at least a really good aquarium store, you might ask them what you need to do to minimize the chance of infection. Then all you can do is hope he heals fine.

I’m sure he’ll still be tasty. You shouldn’t worry.

Oh no, poor little guy! I’m sure he will be okay; but I 100% agree with @Darwin! Talk to some local pet stores and even a vet if possible. Get a few different opinions on it and take video if you can to show to them :) You will likely just end up having to add a little something to the water in order to avoid infection. Keep calm and a close eye on your little one ^.^ Good luck and please keep us posted! <3

What type of catfish? Its not unusual for a catfish to get stuck in the net as most(especially channel cats) have sharp burrs along their fins.

I think he will be fine though, go to your local fish store and buy some melafix. Its very good for healing open wounds on fish(one of the main ingredients is aloe) and it will not adversely affect your water quality.

“He was only doing harmless bullying, not biting or anything, I dont want the worst outcome….”
this harmless bullying stresses your other fish out a lot which makes them susceptible to other infections and can also lead to their deaths if he pesters them enough. I’d keep a close eye on him or separate all together.

Thanks to all that replied. I took him to Petsmart and they said they’d take him in. I tried the other stuff and he was back to acting normal, but ended up bullying the other fish again, so I had to let him go. At least I know he didn’t have to die because of his natural instincts.

You did the right thing by bringing it back to the store. Often people will just say fuck it and flush it or throw it in a local lake.