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Saltwater questions: Epaulette and Snowflake Eel 2/23/06 Hi Bob, <Joseph> I have a few questions to clarify some issues which I have not been able to find an answer to on your website. Firstly, the article on Zebra Moray Eels suggests a simple freshwater dip for new arrivals, instead of the usual 2-3 weeks quarantine. Can this general rule-of-thumb be applied to Snowflake Eels given their close relation with each-other? <Mmm, I wouldn't actually dip either one of these. Muraenids in general don't have difficulties that freshwater dips/baths help with... are generally "too slimy" to have external complaints coming from the wild... I would quarantine unless the specimen/s appeared in perfect health> Secondly, I am considering buying a juvenile Epaulette Shark for my 850 Litre, 8' tank. I was hoping you might shed some light on what quarantine procedure I should use. <Mmm, most sharks I'd skip actual quarantine on in hobbyist settings (different from much larger commercial, public settings)... as the likely damage from such is probably much more than it's worth> I have a 40 litre (10g) quarantine tank however I feel that the stress caused from placing the shark in such a confined tank may outweigh the benefits gained from quarantining. <Agreed> From what I have learned, keeping stress to a minimum may (arguably) be the single most important factor in a successful introduction of livestock. <Most cases, yes> Am I on the right track??? Perhaps a simple freshwater dip is enough? <I would skip dipping most sharks, most scenarios as well> And how should I handle the shark when placing it into the tank? Should I use a large net, or gently lift with gloved hands? <Yes... this and/or a wet-towel> Thirdly, in regards to my quarantine tank, is it reasonable to expect to be doing small (10%) water changes (with main system water) every few days to manage the water quality (i.e. ammonia/nitrites/nitrates)? <Often, yes... daily...> I understand that small tanks are almost guaranteed to be highly susceptible to a large variation in water chemistry in a short period of time? <Unfortunately, yes.... To be guarded against> Finally (thanks for putting up with so many questions), when carrying out freshwater dips I use a product called Bactonex from Aquasonic and each mL of this solution contains 1.66mg Aminacrine Hydrochloride and 0.025mg of Methylene Blue.. In your opinion, is this a suitable dip? <Is more helpful than none> Thank you immensely for taking the time to answer.. Joe (Sydney, Australia) <And you for writing, and so well. Cheers, Bob Fenner> Shark senses, systems 1/17/06 Hi I have a Banded Bamboo Cat Shark, is it alright to put a titanium heater in the tank with it? Thanks <Mmm, if necessary, yes... though it is far better to remote heating, and all other metal containing gear outside of the main system... for danger to it from the sharks movement and more importantly protecting the shark from the ill-effects of electro-magnetic and ferrous presence (there is some iron inside the heater...). Seek info. on the Ampullae of Lorenzini here. Bob Fenner> Port Jackson Shark... eye trouble... lack of useful
info. - 1/6/06 My port Jackson seems to have some type of
growth on its eye? Any ideas as to what it is or how I can remove it?
All the LFS suggest either rubbing it of with a finger or rag,
<No> medicating the whole tank (penicillin?), <Negative> to
actually putting Neosporin on the eye? None of those seem logical or
safe for my shark/ tank mates. Any ideas would be great. <... Is
this a Heterodontus francisci? What re its system, tankmates, history
of husbandry, water quality, nutrition... Bob Fenner> Epaulette Shark caught in net 1/2/05 I purchased an epaulette shark today. (He is about 8 inches longs, observed him for a month, eats great). I thought I had prepared for him as well as possible (340 gallon tank, great filter, read up on sharks, etc.) When I got him home, I scooped him out of the bag and put him in the tank (I use quarantine on my fish but with him being a shark i didn't want to expose him to copper, and I really just didn't want him to have any undue stress as he is my centerpiece fish). In the process of scooping him into the tank his tail got caught in the net. Somehow it wrapped completely around him. I did the only thing I could think of and carefully cut him out of the net, however, it left a hunk of net on the fish, and I'm not sure sure how he is going to get it off. I would just leave it but am sure that eventually it is going to be a problem, and even today he caught it on a rock and began thrashing (I was hoping it would come loose.) I don't know what to do, as it seems that any attempt to cut the net would result in me cutting the fish.... is there a vet or someone I can call. Please advise. For now am just leaving it alone. He is eating and otherwise seems to be fine. Regards and Happy New Year, Eric Alspaugh <If there is enough net stuck on the fish to allow it to snag, I would suggest removing it. A couple of small nicks from cutting the net loose are better than the more serious injuries the shark could receive if it gets snagged and thrashes against tank decor. I am not sure that you will find a friendly (or affordable!) vet to assist you, so I would suggest contacting another local fish geek for assistance. Your local marine aquarium society is a good way to find someone. Best Regards. AdamC.>
White spot in shark tank 9/30/05 Hi, I hope you can help me as I am running out of idea's, the problem is white spot / Oodinium in my marine tank. <Mmm, stop! Generally white spot is considered Crypt(ocaryon), not (Amyl)Oodinium...> The tank is a 260 gallon set up with a sump filter, uv and large skimmer, this tank has been running for over a year now and is set up as a shark tank with little live rock. <Where are the spaces between your sentences? Why do you think I/we have time to correct your grammar?> I have a large epaulette shark which is fine,1 x lunar wrasse,1 x bursa trigger and 1 x black trigger, I do have a quarantine tank which is used for any new fish before they go to the main tank, the problem seems to be in the main tank because every fish that is added to the new tank after coming from quarantine seam's to start with white spot, <The main system is infested...> the lunar is the only fish apart from the shark that seam's to be clean. My bursa at the moment is covered and my black has a couple of spot's, due to the size of the tank once any fish are in there I can not get them out alive, the tank has just been treated with Kent marine RxP <Worthless> which seemed ok but I have now lost 1 x red sea banner and a large six bar angle which a lovely fish, can you help me with any idea's on how I can get the main tank clear of this problem as I do not want to lose any more fish. <Time to send you... where you should have gone/been already... to the archived materials on/that are WWM... read... re parasitic systems, these two parasites mentioned here... medications> I have been told today that there could be a chance that my epaulette could have the white spot on it but because it doe's not effect them its just passing it on to any fish in the tank, could this be true <Yes... but, it is obvious that your system "has" the ich/velvet... the fishes have become symptom-less there from long exposure... However, with declining water quality, a loss of nutrition, resistance... they can/will succumb> if yes how could I get it cleared as I can not use any copper treatment on the shark. Thank you for your help Jason. <Keep reading... and learn to/use your spelling and grammar checkers... You don't want to appear/be ignorant, and I don't want to waste my time correcting you. Bob Fenner> Sick coral banded shark 9/5/05 Hi, <Hello> I've had my coral banded since he was still in his egg-sac, On April 11th he hatched and has been doing great ever since. No problems eating, swimming around a lot, very alert. I have a 92 gallon corner tank which is basically a little hang out for him until I get a larger one to keep him happy and healthy. <May be too late> I have a protein skimmer, an 8-volt Lifegard UV sterilizer, and an underground wet/dry. As of this morning levels are Ammonia-.50, <... trouble. Should be zero, always> pH, 8.3, Nitrite 0.2, <Also trouble> Nitrate >10. His tank mate is a juvenile snow-flake moray which was also purchased as a baby and is rather small (foot long, less the 2 inches around), they get along just fine. On August 28th, I was doing a weekly water change when I noticed he had red spots on his belly. I went ahead and did a large water change (about 35-40 gallons), At this point he was still swimming around and eating, he was flashing a bit though. About 2 days after this i saw his behavior start to change, since then he hasn't eaten, is staying in one spot for most of the day, his breathing is slow and deep. I took him to my most knowledgeable LFS and was told that it was probably a parasite infection; <What? Where would this parasite come from?> he gave me something called PraziPro a liquid medication used to treat parasitical infections. <Praziquantel... used to treat certain for worm groups...> (Not sure if you are familiar with this kind). I administered it into the tank last night after doing another water change. He really hasn't moved much but his breathing has gotten a little better. I just want to know what else I can do to help him survive, while I was reading all the FAQ's there was some contradicting advice as to whether or not I should give him a FW bath, also is there any other sort of medications/supplements I should be adding in the tank other than that PraziPro that I bought for him. <... you need to first fix this environment... your fish may be suffering from a nutritional disorder, improper substrate, but is definitely being mal-affected by poor water quality> This little guy is the star of my tank, I would be devastated if there wasn't anything else I would be able to do to help him out, and he was to die. <Uhh, then apply yourself... what is the source of the ammonia, nitrite... how would you fix this?> Any further advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Heather P.S. Please excuse the redundancy of this question, I know that there are many questions about this sort of thing on the FAQ page but I just couldn't find one the matched up close enough with my situation. <I understand... however, the apparent redundancy is likely what you, others "need"... to understand the principles, possibilities of what might be missing, causal in their problems. Is your substrate fine, rounded? Do you have sufficient biological filtration? Maintenance? Are there avitaminoses issues here? Read on... Bob Fenner> Hemiscyllium ocellatum not eating, rapid breathing?
9/5/05 Hi, we've been keeping sharks for several years. We have
a pair of coral cat sharks and a pair of Epaulette sharks. They were
really doing well and eating well when they were in a 150H. <...
ridiculously too small a volume, shape...> As they grew we knew we
needed to upgrade them. We built 4x8x2 pond for them. <Ah, much
better> It had a large pond filter on it (until yesterday when it
started leaking, now there are two canister filters on it). <Very
large ones I hope/trust... and a big skimmer...> Has live sand and
live rock in the tank. Salinity is good, and we checked water quality,
which is good (we've been doing this long enough that we truly know
what "good" is). When we moved them into the lagoon, their
behavior changed. However, we kind of expected this a little bit, as
there is always an adjustment period. That was 6 weeks ago. They slowly
stopped swimming and eating. Was a gradual decrease in eating and now
they're not eating at all. We have tempted them with live hermits
living in their lagoon, live night crawlers, live shrimp, live fish,
frozen squid, frozen krill, frozen silversides. To no avail. We have
been researching ideas for weeks as they slowly deteriorated and we
have exhausted the options we came up with. <Something wrong here...
what is the "pond" made of? Did you "test it" with
other livestock?> Now they are breathing heavier than usual. I
cannot see any lesions, discolorations, patches of any kind. other than
rapid respiration and lack of energy they seem the same. My husband
"thought" that maybe they had goiter, cause they got a little
swollen around their necks, so we switched their diet over to heavy
squid. <Mmm, not likely... not all the animals at once... Something
toxic or missing... I would change out a good deal of the water, add
aeration, circulation, activated carbon and Polyfilters in the filter
flow path> We had been feeding silversides pretty regularly until we
realized that can contribute to it, so we stopped. However, in spite of
our efforts, we cannot get them to eat anymore. Do you have any ideas
on if there is a disease how to treat, or if not a disease, how to get
them to eat? I would be in your debt. Tracey in Mechanicsville
<Please read through our "Shark" section: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/index.htm Do the
water change, add... Bob Fenner> Buoyancy problem with juvenile PJ shark 7/24/05 Hi Bob, Great
site! I have a fairly urgent question. I've got a number of port
Jackson juveniles (7-10 weeks old). Yesterday one of them began
floating upside down, swimming frantically in circles, and he can not
stay down. I have tried massaging his belly lightly and straightening
him out (as this has worked for PJs I have had in the past) to no
avail. I moved him to a shallow tank on his own but even this is not
helping. I recently had a crested horn shark baby die after having the
same problem for several weeks. What can you suggest and what is
causing this? <Frightening... do you know how these animals were
collected? There are some enteric problems this might be... so my
first, easiest suggestion is to administer Epsom salt to the water (a
level teaspoon per ten gallons of system> I can only assume he has
gulped air at the surface and can't expel it. <Maybe... but
doubtful. Much more likely some sort of food decomposing within the
animal... hopeful the magnesium sulfate will "move it". Bob
Fenner> Thanks Bob Victoria Brims Department of Biological Sciences
Macquarie University Sydney NSW 2109 Shark - sigh... another in a mixed community tank :( 6/22/05 hello, I have a question about my banded cat shark. I bought him about a month ago from a local pet store, and he is about 8 weeks old. My tank is 55 gallons with some liverock and I had a few fish. <Please take the time to research your creatures before buying them my friend. Two concerns here for starters: the lack of quarantine and need for quiet isolation to get this hatchling shark started soundly and safely (pathogens). And... the fact that it has inappropriately been placed in a community tank. Few if any sharks really fare well long term this way. Many simply fed die slowly of attrition from the stress of active community fishes in the tank. Some of which will nip or kill the shark in time. Do read more on these points in the archives here at wetwebmedia.com> I have tested the nitrites, ammonia, and the ph. All is in the good range. The other morning I woke up to find all 4 of my fish dead. The previous night, I noticed them swimming slowly at the bottom of the tank (2 tangs and 2 damsels). Now all that I have is my snow flake eel and my shark. I don't really know what happened. <The lack of quarantine for new fishes, snails, LR, etc could have brought in a disease. Were have some fab articles on quarantine in the archives, again. Do take the time... it will go a very long way towards your success in the hobby. And save fishes lives> All were eating well but not being over-fed. I am pumping about 650 gallons per hour with my filtration and I have good current. I am now noticing my shark breathing a bit quicker and taking shorter breaths. <Please do several large partial water changes in the next week and look closely for signs of disease (see disease pages and links)> Before, it had a deep, slow breathing pattern. It does eat well but I am noticing some scratching on the bottom of the tank. <Indeed... if not water quality, then parasites in the gills> I just don't understand what has happened. I'm not convinced that it is a water issue, as I do have one anemone in the tank, and it is doing really well. <Yikes! Another misstep... the shark and anemone long term are poorly suited.> No issues with it. Can you please give me some suggestions. Thanks so much, Christie <It sounds to me like you need to pause on buying livestock and invest in some good books first my friend. I fear you have not been getting good advice, and you did not educate yourself well enough to take on live saltwater creatures. let me strongly suggest you read Paletta's "New Marine Aquarium" and Fenner's "Conscientious Marine Aquarist." Best regards, Anthony> Shark with possible goiter or isopod - 6/7/05 I'm dealing with second hand information. <Uh oh> So my description may not be as specific as needed, but here's the problem: 22 inch Marble shark, in tank for at least 2 yrs, has developed this lump that is visible below mouth. <Hmmmm...sounds like it could be goiter but just a preliminary guess at best> And maybe poking up in the mouth. <Sounding more like goiter> Sharks feeding is still consistent, and doesn't appear to be in discomfort. My take without viewing it personally is either it's a parasitic isopod attached on the inside of the mouth. Or a goiter. <I would likely treat for goiter. Try www.mazuri.com and select their Vita Zu - shark and ray tabs either the 5MD8 or 5M24. Whatever works best for the owner. Follow instructions for application from label or from their site> If when viewing one of these guess is right, what is standard treatment for each? <Mazuri tabs are best and for isopods it might need to be treated with Praziquantel. Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/shkdisfaq2.htm Thanks so much. Btw, I was told that a friends shark has a similar lump, that has gotten larger or decreased in size from time to time. <Sounds like goiter. Thanks for being part of it all. ~Paul> Epaulet shark tumor? Hello: I have a question about an
epaulet shark "tumor". I have had my shark for almost 6 years
and he has always been in good health. However, over the last 6 months
or so he seems to have a large "tumor" under his head, just
behind his mouth. He still gets around and eats fine. He has eaten
frozen cube food and nothing live. This condition looks red and painful
to me. I have asked a local shark expert and he said it was normal for
a male epaulet shark to develop this. But it looks like he swallowed an
air hose. I wonder if there is any treatment for this condition. Please
help Thanks Joe <Please help yourself. Such goiters in sharks are
mentioned, and their simple cure... on WWM... go there, use the search
tool, indices... read. Bob Fenner> Brownbanded Bamboo Shark with dilated eye Hello, I have a
20" Brownbanded bamboo shark I hatched from egg about a year and
half ago. The shark is currently in a 180 gallon tank with a CPR CR3000
wet-dry filter and an Aqua-C EV240 skimmer. Water quality is good with
ammonia and nitrite zero and nitrate around 20 mg/L. The shark is about
to moved to a new 320 gallon setup in a few weeks. A week ago, I
noticed that his left eye was widely dilated under the bright tank
lighting while the right eye was normal. The left eye has stayed
dilated ever since even though the right eye continues to act normally.
The shark doesn't seem bothered by this because his appetite is
excellent and he is his normal active self. He shares his tank with a
volitans lionfish, a Foxface, and a sailfin tang. Is possible a
lionfish or Foxface sting might have caused this? <Possible> Or
do you think this a sign of infection? If so, is there any treatment?
v/r Dean Carter <Dean... I am most concerned with the possibility
that this is a nutritional anomaly, and its remediation. Do you use
vitamins, iodine supplements? Have you read over the Shark
Health/Disease areas on WWM? Bob Fenner> Leopard Sharks in a small world I have two leopard sharks in a 180. I have had them for 1 year and everything was doing great until my baby nurse was getting red on the bottom and just stopped eating and dies in two days. The same thing is happening to my leopard shark. <Typical...> Just one of them just stop eating and is turning red on the bottom and is not moving. All levels are perfect and my filtration is excellent with two wet dries, protein skimmer, and UV. It like a host that attacks the fish and kills them in two days. I really need help with this it makes me sick that am going to lose both of theses sharks. Any question please call me at XXXX Thanks Darrell <We don't "do calls"... Please read my articles archived on WWM re coldwater sharks, Leopards, Nurses... the inappropriateness of their hobbyist keeping... Bob Fenner> Epaulette shark with goiter I purchased a female epaulette
shark yesterday that has been captive raised from a pup. It is now
about 24 inches. I currently have a 34" male and am hoping to
breed them. I have a 1500 gallon shark pond that is
10'x10'x3'. The female I just purchased appears to have
goiter. It is eating well, and I feed with Mazuri shark and ray
vitamins. Will being fed a proper diet with the vitamins correct the
problem or is there something else I can do. Also can sharks absorb
Iodine from the water or is it only through food? <Not much from the
water (but some), but I would definitely be administering iodide/ate
through the animal's foods> I currently dose the tank with
Kent's Lugol's solution and am wondering if this will help at
all. Thanks <I would look to dosages encapsulated, the capsules
placed inside hand-fed food items here... and quickly. Bob
Fenner> Leopard Shark Diseases Could you please tell me what are two common diseases of the Leopard Shark (symptoms, treatments, and prognosis)? Thank you <Without a doubt they are both environmental: being kept in too small and non-chilled systems. I take it you've read my bit on Triakis posted on WWM. Bob Fenner> Leopard Shark and Lionfish - No Copper, Please, & No
Goldfish Hi, <Hi Tim, MacL here with you today.> I just have
a few questions that I have been wondering and you guys seem to be the
best fitted to answer the question. I currently have a leopard
shark in a 125 gal tank. I have already read many post from your crew
not to keep leopard sharks in captivity, but it's too late I
already have one. I would not have purchased the shark if I had done
more research on them. The shark is in a 125 and the shark is about
24". I was feeding it Shark Formula put out by Ocean Nutrition
until I introduced him to prawn from the local grocery store. It has
now been eating the prawn now for about 6 months. Out of no where the
shark stopped eating. - Port Jackson Shark Ill - I hope you can help My port Jackson is sick. <I will do my best.> He has not eaten in four days, Here is what happened, I can't figure it out. I have had him about three months now. On Sunday night I fed him like usual, then in the morning he was laying on his side and it has been getting worse. Now he swims or more slides in a circle on his side on the bottom of the tank. The water tests fine Ammonia 0, Nitrate 0, Nitrite 0, SG 125, Temp 65, I don't know what to do. Should I force feed him today since its been four days since he last ate? <I would not bother with food at this time... sharks can go a long while without food, and at this point it's more important to deal with whatever is affecting this shark. Do make a quick check for external contaminants as well as any pumps and/or heaters that may be in the tank with the shark - these should be removed to your sump and away from the shark. For the possibility of contaminants, run a PolyFilter in your filtration path and see if it changes to any of the indicative colors... renew as necessary.> Please help oh and he is still in the 280 I was going to move him this week to the 550 too, what should I do? <I would hold off on the move until the condition is stabilized. Cheers, J -- > Praziquantel dosing for sharks - 3/11/05 What Would The Average Dose For a 2 ft. shark be? <The treatment is based on weight. It is important to note that Droncit (Praziquantel) is usually very difficult to come by and usually will need a veterinarian to prescribe. In light of that these are the recommended treatments for when you can get your hands on some. For oral treatments the recommendation is nine milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight once a day for seven days. The recommended treatment for external trematodes is a saltwater bath mixture of 10 milligrams per liter for a three hour bath every third day for three treatments. As an alternative, 20 milligrams per liter for 90 minutes every third day of three treatments is not usually prescribed but can administered. Praziquantel is difficult to dissolve. Using 95% ETOH will help ( 1 g to 10ml ETOH), or it can be pressed through a stocking or other fine mesh net. Adding slowly to the water while stirring may help avoid coagulation. Hope this will help. Good luck. ~Paul> Nurse shark cestode infestation - 3/3/05 Hello, This is my first time writing to ya'll, and unfortunately, on bad terms. <Oh no> My System is 4,500 Gallons... <Sounds like you have put some effort into designing this tank but just know that it is extremely important that the tank is wider and longer than it is deep. I am not so sure that 4500 gallons actually sounds like enough for a full grown nurse shark, but I digress.....> ... solely for my Nurse shark (Raised from egg casing) Which is now 2 ft.(4 years later) <Not a fast grower but can and usually grow very large> My Tank Runs on 4 separate Sumps, at an average flow rate of 10,000 gal Per hour. My problem is, Last week (Approx) A massive invasion of free-swimming Parasitic CESTODE larvae swarmed the tank. <My question is how did this happen and how are you sure they are Cestode?> My Question is, What kind of medication do I use That is Nurse Shark Safe? <Praziquantel (Droncit) See Here for more information. You can find it available at online sites and veterinarians. Also, be sure to feed quality foods (noted on the wetwebmedia site many times under the sharks section and be sure to supplement the shark's dietary intake with some sort of supplement (www.mazuri.com shark/ray tabs or something like that)> My Nurse shark is my baby, as I mentioned above, I have raised her from an inch long egg to a 2 ft. beautiful shark...I just have to say that I really don't feel that nurse sharks and any of the larger growing species are ever suitable for home aquaria. I actually question myself to even help support these animals as sometimes I feel it is rewarding the keeping of such sharks. Also, readers must understand that public aquariums aren't just waiting for shark owners to call with a shark they can no longer care for. <For many reasons I might add; qualified staff, lack of a holding facility, shark behavior, budgetary and even more) Takes a lot of understanding, constant maintenance, knowledge, money, food, proper environmental surroundings (i.e.. water chemistry, tank size, filtration) Good luck! Let me know how it goes. ~Paul> Nurse Shark not eating and stressed (Big Surprise) -
2/10/05 I know a nurse shark is not good for the home aquarist but
I couldn't let him stay in the small tank at the fish store. He had
been there a week. <Well, now he can not do well in your tank
too.> Anyways, I have had him for 4 months and he has been doing
really good. Was full of life and personality. Actually was a great
entertainment to watch. Would come to meet you if you walked up to the
tank, do push ups with his front fins. Been a great addition to the
house. Starting last Tuesday I noticed that salt level was really high
due to evaporating water and he wouldn't eat. <So are you
not topping off with freshwater?> I did a water change and
brought it back to normal. Wednesday he ate a lot, my wife said. Not
sure the amount she fed him. He is under 2' from nose to tip of
tail. We have been feeing him silver sides. He has been really happy
with them. <Not a real good choice of food for a nurse shark.
You could feed a kid a Snickers bars for lunch and dinner (and of
course he will love it) but does it mean it is a nutritious food for
good health and longevity?...... Try human food grade clam and or
abalone chunks. Feed variety maybe some squid, anchovies, and maybe
fresh sardines. Careful for feeding too much. They will get fat on
anchovies and sardines. You could try prawns as well.> I went to
feed him Saturday as I feed him every 3 days and he wanted nothing to
do with the food. He has been very lethargic the last few days, not
really moving. Just sitting where the blower blows on the ground. That
is his favorite spot. I did another small water change to help and
tested the salt, ammonia and nitrate levels. Everything was fine.
<Not the only water chemistry test that should be done when one
keeps a shark.> He just wouldn't eat or move much. He did
have a white looking color to him. <This sounds like a monogene (flukes) infection. The white film is defense mechanism
(mucous coat) The best thing to do is to get a little scrape of the
film and look at it under a microscope (you could take the sample to a
vet or a college lab) Without treatment the shark is likely to die.
This is my best guess based on you description. There could be other
issues here but likely the animal is stressed and the flukes are a
result of the stress. To treat this (once it has been positively
identified) you will need to treat with Droncit or Praziquantel. You
use these by weight. You can buy them as de-wormers (used for dogs) and
crush the pills up and use them in food. (which might be a problem for
you as your shark is not eating) Which brings me to a point, do realize
sharks can go for more than three days without eating. Keep water
quality high and wait for a few days.> I tried to feed him again
Sunday with no results. Hoping to help jump start his feeding I grabbed
some live tetras as they looked small enough to feed him. I tossed in 4
of them and they are still around. I fed the tetra's last night and
the shark seemed interested in the food. I bought some scallops and cut
it up in to small pieces and tossed it in for him. He would suck it in
and then spit out. He acted liked he wanted to eat but couldn't
type of thing. I also put in a piece of a silverside as well. No luck.
He is now showing a pink color mostly by his dorsal fin.
<Hemorrhaging is not a good sign> He is making me very
nervous as he stopped all his playful behavior... <May not have been
playful at all......maybe he was always irritated...maybe something was
bothering him from the start> ... and is just laying there most of
the time. He did more a bit last night when I feed the tetras. He
almost ate on but spit it back out. Any suggestions? I really
want to get him back to his normal self. <You need to act
immediately> Oh, my tank I know is small for him but this is
what I got until I can get a custom one built to keep him for a bit
longer width. It is a 180 gallons, 6' long, 2' wide, about
3' deep. <Wider is more important than depth, but over the
long haul this is just too small a tank. You need a great amount of
surface space (a very large tank), soft sandy bottom, great filtration,
and quality foods. Do read more of our FAQs on sharks. You have to keep
you water chemistry to high standards with regular water changes, top
off with quality freshwater, and regular testing.> I know he
needs a lot bigger tank but that is what I had. He as in a 30 gallon
when I saw him. <I would like you to recommend to the dealer
that he should look at our section on sharks, research his offerings
before purchasing and treat to his animals better. Let him know if his
practices don't change that you are going to not only stop shopping
there but you are going to recommend to others not shop there as well.
Don't reward this crap! Regardless of your intention, you are ill
prepared for the long term care of your shark. So whether it dies in a
dealer tank (where he will learn the lesson that a nurse shark is not a
good animal to sell) or you take the shark and it dies in your tank
thus frustrating you, and rewarding the dealer with business all cause
you feel bad for the shark. Don't get me wrong here Peter, I see
where your heart lies, and your intentions were noble (if your true
intentions was to save the shark and not because you wanted to try
one). Thanks for the question and being part of it all
~Paul> Saltwater ich treatment with fish and sharks I
have a tank with a 2 foot shark and 20 fish. I am trying to
find a way to treat for an outbreak of saltwater ich. Perhaps Bob
Fenner or someone else at Wet Web Media can tell me if, by removing and
coppering the fish in an aquarium and leaving the shark in this system
which has a significant outbreak of saltwater ich (Cryptocaryon), will
the parasite die for lack of a fish host or will the presence of the
shark act as a host to sustain the outbreak of parasites. I
already know that I can't copper the main system. What
period of time is recommended without any fish present if the shark
remains in this system before the parasites have completed their life
cycle (assuming this method will work). Any treatment
remedies would be greatly appreciated. <I responded to another
"shark with ich" person just this AM. Perhaps you will
benefit from this correspondence: Treating a shark on shark bite - 11/24/04 Hello again,<Hi Amy> while our bamboo shark is relatively under control, our leopard apparently sustained a bite (I assume from the Wobbie) <Sounds like a lot of sharks. How big is your tank?>... it is on the left side of his jaw behind his mouth and before the gill. He appeared fine the last few days, eating normally etc and the wound seemed to be healing. Know the wound seems irritated (it is whitish/grayish and kind of stringy looking) and he is breathing VERY rapidly and mostly sitting on the bottom... every once in a while he shoots to the top and then kind of drifts down....<I would start with an injection of Baytril and follow with Baytril in its food if it is eating or continue with Baytril injections. Tough one. Maintain water quality. Are you using any vitamin supplements? ~Paul> Please, if you can give me any information that might help it would be so appreciated!! Amy Tezak Coral Cat shark with a red puffy gill slit - 11/17/04 Hi <Hey Holly, or should I say Marine Bio Nerd?> I am trying to help a friend with a coral cat shark problem. <OK> He bought the shark about 8 months ago (a female, sold to him with a male). She apparently has no behavior or eating problems, however she does have a very red/puffy first gill slit. It is puffed out to the point where you can see straight into her gill cavity. The male shark is fine, as is the baby bamboo shark in the 215 gallon tank with them. He says she has had it since he got her. I have attached a picture of her. We have found a lot of info relating to belly redness from nitrate sensitivity, but not too much in the way of gill ailments for these sharks. Any info is greatly appreciated, thanks so much! <After some discussion with some of my colleagues in the shark department at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we feel it may simply be a birth defect. I would suggest looking into the gill cavity and see if there is something that would force her to want to keep the gill slit open. She may have some sort of parasite attachment in there. If her appetite is good and there are no obvious signs of problems, a gill prep or just close observations may be in order. If it were a parasite issue, I'm afraid things would likely have been a bit different by now. Be sure to supplement your sharks diet with vitamin preparations. We use Mazuri's Vita-Zu Sharks/Rays Vitamin Supplement Tablet 5M24 or Vita-Zu Sharks/Rays II 5MD8 (www.mazuri.com ) Do a bit of research or get in contact with them and see which of these choices is better for your shark. I think the 5M24 is what you are looking for, tho'. Thanks Holly, for participating here at WetWebMedia. ~Paul> Brown banded bamboo shark my 5 year old brown banded bamboo shark recently developed redness on his claspers. is this abnormal and of concern? <Not "normal" as in healthy... generally indicative/caused by mechanical injury (a scrape), poor water quality or both> he's always been very healthy, and lives in a 700 gal aquarium with only a few damsels (still surviving after "cycling" the tank 5 years ago) and a new, small chain link moray. thanks for any assistance!!! pm <I would test your water, and add a vitamin supplement to your shark's foods. Bob Fenner> Bamboo Shark Tumor Growth, Mixing Wobbies and Leopards... Bob,
<Amy> I hope you can help me. We have a 2,000 gallon
aquarium with a puffer, a bamboo shark, a wobbegong (sp?), a leopard
shark, an eel, a few tangs and a butterfly... We
had many other small fish but they have succumbed to shark and eel
snacks as well as a parasite.... Our bamboo has a large
growth on his ventral side right under his mouth. His
coloring has faded and he is now unable to open his mouth to eat.
<Likely an iodine/ide deficiency syndrome... please read on
WetWebMedia.com re sharks, rays and these tumors. Actually, easily
rectified if not gone too far> He tries and tries to get
the pieces of food (we have cut them smaller and smaller) and he just
can't seem to get them. I was reading some of the
earlier posts and saw the references to goiter. <Ahh, yes> Could
this be what it is, he seemed healthy until about a month and a half
ago when the growth appeared. I am also wondering if the two
new sharks (the leopard and the wobbegong) were a smart idea or not.
<Mmm, no... the Leopard is coldwater and the Wobbie... is an all out
eating machine> The wobbegong has had one of the eels for a snack
already and attacked the puffer (I believe it was because puffy did not
realize he was covering up a piece of food and the wobbegong was trying
to get it). <Mmm, actually... the carpet shark will inhale most
anything digestible...> I am mostly concerned about the
bamboo shark though. Is there anything we can
do? I really don't want to see him suffer, and if we can
help him recover I would like to do that. Thank you so much! Amy Tezak
<You can force-feed this specimen with a bolus (food capsule)
including iodide... or inject/have it injected with same... Likely will
have to be done a few times... easier to relocate it in the meanwhile
to a smaller system... and do something (choice) between keeping it and
the Wobby... as the latter will consume the former in time. Bob
Fenner>
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