MY banded shark has a bunch of red rash spots om his belly and surrounding area. No bums or sores just a rash. I cant get a pic right now. Anyone have any ideas? Amonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 10 ph 8.2 slainity on gravity meter is .1024 right where it needs to be, has been in the tank for months, any ideas?
Need HELP from Banded Shark experts
- Thread starter TankBuster
- Start date
Well -sounds like a possible bacterial infection, or some form of irritation.
Also since your levels appear to be okay - I have to ask.
What kind of substrate are you using - fine sand, crushed coral, or course sand?
Also since your levels appear to be okay - I have to ask.
What kind of substrate are you using - fine sand, crushed coral, or course sand?
Copper level?
It's something I've seen alot. Usually it's an irritation caused by substate that evolves into a bacterial problem. Rule out copper in the water, though. Any irratic swimming going on? (thrashing, bobbing etc...)
If you rule out copper, I'd suggest looking into an anti bacterial (like a furazone based treatment).
It's something I've seen alot. Usually it's an irritation caused by substate that evolves into a bacterial problem. Rule out copper in the water, though. Any irratic swimming going on? (thrashing, bobbing etc...)
If you rule out copper, I'd suggest looking into an anti bacterial (like a furazone based treatment).
I didnt check for copper but my snails and crabs are fine. He smims fast around the tank sometimes but nothing too erratic. I may have an idea though, he burrowed pretty deep in the sand under the rock so he may have been just irritating his underside from whipping all the sand around to burrow. Hmmm...
Like Zoodiver and Fishofdoom, check the copper levels.
Most sharks are extremely sensitive to even very tiny copper levels.
Most sharks are extremely sensitive to even very tiny copper levels.
I highly doubt it's a copper problem, or any other water problems. It's most likley the substrate. You need a very, very soft substrate for these sharks. I have 2 banded bamboos and I use a very, very, fine local beach sand. It feels very soft to run your ringers through and would be like a bed of silk to my sharks bellies. You may run into much larger problems if you don't correct the problem soon such as "Infection" and then you could loose your shark. If it looks very red and swollen then you should try and treat it with something reef safe to clear it up. It will come back though if the substrate isn't changed. You could suck all the substrate out with a good wet vac but be carefull.
I was wondering about the substrate myself - but wasn't exactly sure about Tankbuster's numbers.
Fine reef grade sand has grains that are about 1 mm. So slightly finer than fine reef grade would be down to 0.5 mm.
Sharks do best on very fine sand - that about 0.1 - 0.2 mm range. This is also the range for fine beach.
Fine reef grade sand has grains that are about 1 mm. So slightly finer than fine reef grade would be down to 0.5 mm.
Sharks do best on very fine sand - that about 0.1 - 0.2 mm range. This is also the range for fine beach.
Well hell, I just got rid of my really fine sand because any movement of livestock would make the sand blow everywhere and cover the rocks and I could not grow coraline algea and all of my powerheads were getting jammed because they would suck up the sand. This is one grade below the reef sand and one grade more coarse then Justin_James sand. I have purchased alot of substrate, about 2000 pounds to be exact and this is the best sand for my tank and shark that I could arrange without destroying my equiptment and appearance of the tank. The poroblem with the very fine is that it is almost like a soot. I will look closely at the shark for the next week and see how much better he is doing, I suspect he moved a rock on accident and it closed his tunnel where he hides and I think he was burroing to move it out of the way again because he doesnt look as red as before. If all else fails then I will have to buy him a new tank just for him because I do not want to remove this sand out of that tank. But I will have to resolve the powerhead issue.