Please Help! Unhealthy Behavior - Ruby Shark

[XDakotaX]

Hi guys,

I bought a Red-Tailed Shark about 5 days ago, he started to stand up right on his tail and let himself float to the top of the tank and then let himself roll upside down for hours on end!

I checked the tank temperature: 76 degrees - 79 degrees.

Its a BIORB, with heater and central filter with an uplift tube installed with an air stone so loads of bubbles going up the middle of the tank.

The PH is 7.

3 live plants

Ceramic Media bottom.

2 pieces of drift wood.

All items were washed before going in the tank.

A couple of days ago I came down one morning to find the Red tailed shark dead at the surface in complete puzzlement I decided to take a trip to my local garden center as the red tailed shark had come through mail order.

I picked up a Ruby Shark from the garden center and he has been in the tank about 48 hours, last night he started to behave exactly the same as the red-tailed shark!!!!! Both fish from different sources!

I woke up the morning to find the Ruby Shark on his back at the top of the tank, BUT STILL BREATHING! So I got him out straight away and put him in a dish with tap water making sure the temp was around 77 degrees.

Ruby Shark was in there for about and hour and half and he appeared to recover dramatically, his colour came back in his fins and he just rested at the bottom of the dish. The dish wasnt deep enough so he could stand on his tail.

He seemed to be ok for about 2 hours......... so after doing a 30% water change on the tank I put him back in, immediately he stood on his tail and went to the top of the tank!!!!!!

I went out for about 2 hours and came back to find him upside down again and in the same state I found him this morning barely alive.

At the moment he is back on the dish and recovering slowly but he doesn't look good at all!

I forgot to mention that I have:

2 x bosemi Rainbow fish
10 x Neon Tetras
1 x loach

In the same tank......... the loach is hiding a lot but the rest of the fish a swimming around the tank absolutely fine!

Please please help..... I couldnt stand another one of these beautiful fish dieing on me! I havent seen this Ruby Shark eat very much since I bought him..... yet as I said above he looked the best specimen in the show tank which is why I got him!

 

[diademhill]

How long has the tank been running & what is your maintainence regime?

Water test results would be good.
A Biorb is not suitable for your loach or the sharks as the substrate will damage them but that isn't what killed the sharks.
I suspect it was nitrite or nitrates from putting them in an overstocked tank. Your existing fish are accustommed to the levels so are not as suddenly stressed.

 

[WILDER]

A red tailed shark need a 40gal tank, so the biorb is far to small for him, like to see stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph.
The tank is well overstocked, i would take the shark back, what type of loach is it, please research the fish before you buy them.

 

[XDakotaX]

Hi guys,

Thanks for your replies.

Sadly my Ruby Shark never recovered and died this afternoon.

I suspect it was nitrite or nitrates from putting them in an overstocked tank. Your existing fish are accustommed to the levels so are not as suddenly stressed.

Ph is still 7. All fish were introduced to the tank in roughly the same day initially. Which is way I cannot understand why 90% of them are doing fine and feeding very well.

Tank had been running for 2 weeks prior to fish being put in and tropical powder dissolved into the water to treat any baduns in the tap water.

The loach is a clown loach and is still hiding.

 

[WILDER]

Sorry R.I.P.
Please take the clown loach back to the lfs, very sensitive to water quality.
A clown loach has to be kept in groups to be happy, so no way will he be on his own, this is going to sound awful, but it cruel to keep him on his own, the lfs should never of sold him to you, as they need at least a 90gal tank, and to be kept in group of no less than three.