Please help fish emergency

[BillyBass]

My highfin banded shark Keeps laying sideways. He has been fine since I got him 2 days ago and even earlier this morning but now he looks like he’s not doing so well. I got two and the first one started laying upside down as soon as I got him but I was saving these fish so I still took him. He died during the first night I had him.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

I am sorry for your loss.....

Do you have a picture of him? Did he jump out? What other tank mates does he have? And what are his water parameters?

(Please consider entering the July POTM contest!)

 

[BillyBass]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

I am sorry for your loss.....

Do you have a picture of him? Did he jump out? What other tank mates does he have? And what are his water parameters?

(Please consider entering the July POTM contest!)

He just died about 30 minutes ago. He never jumped or showed any indication of stress. He was in a tank with a redtail tiger shovelnose hybrid and an Oscar but both fish are much smaller than he was and didn’t bother him much. I keep my ph at 7 and I tested my water and everything looks good. My water temperature is at 78 degrees which I can’t help seeing how I live in San Diego and it’s summer

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Firstly, ph should not be at 7. It should be somewhere between 7.4-7.6.

Secondly, he might have ramped super hard into the side of the tank, and received a deadly blow.

 

[Colin_T]

Assuming the tank is established and has clean water, clean gravel and a clean but established biological filter, there's a possibility the fish were unwell when you got them. However, it depends on how long the tank has been set up for, how often you do water changes and gravel cleans, how much water you change, and what the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels are (in numbers).

You could return the fish and see if the store will give you a refund or store credit. I would not add any new fish though until you have done a couple of big water changes and gravel cleaned the substrate, and posted the water test results in numbers.

 

[BillyBass]

Firstly, ph should not be at 7. It should be somewhere between 7.4-7.6.

Secondly, he might have ramped super hard into the side of the tank, and received a deadly blow.

Ah I didn’t know they needed a higher PH. He could have done that. I didn’t hear anything but I left my house to get food and noticed he was like that when I got back so it’s definitely possible. It’s super sad that I lost them because I loved the way they looked and I even have a pond that I was going to move him into after he got bigger

 

[seangee]

How big were they? How big was the tank?
If you mean myxocyprinus asiaticus those guys are simply not suitable for aquariums. They grow up to almost a metre in length and 40kgs. Hi temps can cause issues but more importantly
from SF

Like many fishes that naturally inhabit running waters it’s intolerant to the accumulation of organic wastes and requires spotless water at all times in order to thrive. It also does best if there is a high level of dissolved oxygen and a decent level of water movement in the tank

I know you say you were saving them - but please please don't try to replace them unless your tank is bigger than most swimming pools.

 

[Byron]

He just died about 30 minutes ago. He never jumped or showed any indication of stress. He was in a tank with a redtail tiger shovelnose hybrid and an Oscar but both fish are much smaller than he was and didn’t bother him much. I keep my ph at 7 and I tested my water and everything looks good. My water temperature is at 78 degrees which I can’t help seeing how I live in San Diego and it’s summer

We should clarify just what you mean by "keep my pH at 7." Do you mean this is where it is naturally, or are you adding some substance or doing something specifically to adjust the pH to remain at 7?

BTW, indication of stress was the physical behaviour of both fish as you described it from the start. A fish lying on its side is under stress from whatever the reason/cause. That is how fish health works, just so you know for the future.

 

[BillyBass]

[/QUOTE]

Assuming the tank is established and has clean water, clean gravel and a clean but established biological filter, there's a possibility the fish were unwell when you got them. However, it depends on how long the tank has been set up for, how often you do water changes and gravel cleans, how much water you change, and what the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels are (in numbers).

You could return the fish and see if the store will give you a refund or store credit. I would not add any new fish though until you have done a couple of big water changes and gravel cleaned the substrate, and posted the water test results in numbers.

My tank was already established and I gravel vac and do water changes every week. None of my other fish that are in there look like they’re doing bad. My ammonia and nitrite are 0 and my nitrate is only 5 ppm. I can’t return the fish because a guy gave them to me for free because he was getting rid of his tank

 

[BillyBass]

How big were they? How big was the tank?
If you mean myxocyprinus asiaticus those guys are simply not suitable for aquariums. They grow up to almost a metre in length and 40kgs. Hi temps can cause issues but more importantly
from SF


I know you say you were saving them - but please please don't try to replace them unless your tank is bigger than most swimming pools.

They were only about 5-6 inches. They were in a 55 gallon tank because I wanted to grow them out before moving them into a pond I have outside. They were Chinese highfin banded sharks and I knew they were gonna reach a length of up to 4 feet

 

[BillyBass]

We should clarify just what you mean by "keep my pH at 7." Do you mean this is where it is naturally, or are you adding some substance or doing something specifically to adjust the pH to remain at 7?

BTW, indication of stress was the physical behaviour of both fish as you described it from the start. A fish lying on its side is under stress from whatever the reason/cause. That is how fish health works, just so you know for the future.

My PH is naturally about 7.0-7.2 and i had two of them, the first one that died was laying on his side the first night and then died. The other one showed no signs of stress like I said until randomly today. He was even fine this morning. That’s what I meant by everything

 

[Naughts]

At 78°,maybe the other fish are fine because they are tropical but the sharks are temperate fish? That plus the stress of the move may have been enough for them to die?

 

[Byron]

My PH is naturally about 7.0-7.2 and i had two of them, the first one that died was laying on his side the first night and then died. The other one showed no signs of stress like I said until randomly today. He was even fine this morning. That’s what I meant by everything

On the pH, that's fine. Just so you know, always let the pH do what it wants, never add anything to target it (change it). It may probably lower in time, let it. You need to know how the water chemistry/biology will play out and this is nature and there is no point in not letting it do what it will. Adjusting water parameters like pH is very complicated because the GH and KH are part of the equation, along with other things like natural CO2, organics, etc.

Fish can be under stress without any external signs. These two obviously were, from their previous owner undoubtedly, and the move in itself is sever stress to any fish. This takes its toll, and weakens the fish so other issues are more likely to occur.

 

[BillyBass]

At 78°,maybe the other fish are fine because they are tropical but the sharks are temperate fish? That plus the stress of the move may have been enough for them to die?

The fish were in a tank in a guy’s backyard before I got them and the tank had nothing running except a hang on back filter so I assume his temperature during the day was also around 78 degrees seeing how that’s how mine get just in my room. I do use heaters but they only turn on if the water temperature gets below 74

 

[BillyBass]

On the pH, that's fine. Just so you know, always let the pH do what it wants, never add anything to target it (change it). It may probably lower in time, let it. You need to know how the water chemistry/biology will play out and this is nature and there is no point in not letting it do what it will. Adjusting water parameters like pH is very complicated because the GH and KH are part of the equation, along with other things like natural CO2, organics, etc.

Fish can be under stress without any external signs. These two obviously were, from their previous owner undoubtedly, and the move in itself is sever stress to any fish. This takes its toll, and weakens the fish so other issues are more likely to occur.

You’re probably correct. The guys tank was in his backyard with nothing but a hang on back filter and a bunch of plants. The tank was very dirty looking and it seemed like he rarely did water changes so that’s probably why they were stressed. Out of all the fish he gave me just the sharks and neon tetras didn’t do so well. I got overall about 50 fish and only the sharks died but some of the neon tetras have growths on their faces that I’m Currently treating with microbe-lift artemiss. I read that highfins are hard to care for unless you have very clean water so that’s probably why they died