Epaulette Shark Won't Eat

[Willougby]

Hello, this is my first post here.

I have a female epaulette shark that is about 2 feet long (perhaps a little less. I got her four months ago and she has been doing very well until as of late. Starting a few weeks ago she stopped being very receptive to being fed with a feeding stick and would only eat if the food was dropped on the floor of the tank. Since this Sunday she's stopped eating period and I'm getting very worried. Is there any way to tell what is wrong with her?

Knowing the importance of all information, and that something seemingly unrelated could be responsible for the problem I will list everything else I know.

-She is fed frozen silversides daily.
-The tank is 3 feet by 3 feet and 150 gallons (when I bought it I was told it was 300 gallons but the receipt said 150. I've asked people from three different fish stores who all have agreed thats more than enough space for her though I want to be certain).
-The tank also contains a male blue-spotted ribontail stingray. He eats very well and even hand feeds, though he does get brown marks on his disk occasionally which quickly heal and appear in a different spot though I can find no information on this and I've been told by a tank expert that he looks fine. The shark appears to get along very well with him, they often will rest on top of one another and don't fight over food.
-She usually spends the day behind several rocks in the back, and has dug a tunnel system beneath them. As of recently she spends most of her time sitting on top of those rocks and hiding whenever I try to feed her.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[sikoko]

well that tank is way to small for what u have in there. a 500 would be more suitable for the ray and a 6-700 would be good for the shark. wat are your water params

 

[Willougby]

well that tank is way to small for what u have in there. a 500 would be more suitable for the ray and a 6-700 would be good for the shark. wat are your water params

What?! AllFish Emporium said that tank was specifically made to house sharks. This is terrible!

 

[Zoodiver]

Couple of things I'd look into.
Obviously size of the tank (as posted already).
Water chemistry. Ammonia? pH? Salinity?
Depth of the tank? 3' x 3' is length/width I assume.

Just a shot in the dark: Only silver sides could be leading to a disorder called "fatty liver disease". Sometimes inactive benthic sharks start to store unused fat in the liver (hense the name). Over time, fat blocks the ability of the liver (and sometimes kidneys) to function. This leads to problems with blood (brown blood disorder). The result will manifest as an inactive shark with a loss of appetite.

The other thing it could be is some type of impaction in the GI tract. If there's a blockage, you'll see a shark stop eating while it trys to break down whatever it is in the stomach or spiral valve.

 

[stopsharkfinning]

i would not be feeding every day, i feed mine every 4th day and if shes 2 foot shes a mature shark that does not do alot of swimming, so every 3or 4 day is enough. does she have any sores on her body? a bacteria infection will stop them from eating. my hemiscyllium trispeculare did not eat for aprox 3 to 4 weeks when it had a bacterial infection. how long has your tank been running? check your water ,temp, ph, salinty, nitrate, ammonia . are you doing 30%water change a month, do you vary her diet, they can suffer from vitamin deficieny if not supplemented with vitamins, are you dosing iodine,goiter will stop her from eating ,was she chafing on the bottom of the tank, is her skin colouration normal

 

[AquataHolic420]

u have exposed heaters?? sounds like ur rays disc is being burnt

 

[Zoodiver]

Where in FL are you? Close enough I could swing by and take a look?

 

[Willougby]

Sorry for taking so long to get back, I called a local tank cleaner guy to come by and see what's going on. The Ph was a little lower than it should have been, but the salinity and nitrates were normal (but the nitrates were a little on the high side). He said that the fatty liver disease could be what's wrong. I bought some ghost shrimp today to see if that would coax her into feeding but it hasn't appeared to work yet, the stingray is still doing well.

Other information:
The tank is 3x3x3 I meant to say. It's a big cube that the people at AllFish Emporium told me was "tailor made for sharks".

Also:

u have exposed heaters?? sounds like ur rays disc is being burnt

I don't have a heater at all, the heat of the pump going combined with the room temperature is 85 degrees on its own. A heater would probably overheat them.

Where in FL are you? Close enough I could swing by and take a look?

I'm a bit nervous to answer that, just out of standard internet precautions. Nothing personal, its just I'm very cautious to trust anyone online.

 

[grapedinox]

If you are on here often enough you will find that Zoodiver is probably the most informed and knowledgable marine person on MFK you would be beyond lucky to have him come take a look at your tank. Hope you get everything figured out with your shark.

 

[turbo253]

I'm a bit nervous to answer that, just out of standard internet precautions. Nothing personal, its just I'm very cautious to trust anyone online.[/QUOTE]

I hear ya on that. Zoo has been to my house and he seemed quite harmless Nah just messing around. He has been to my house and he's a good guy. Nothing to worry about with him.