Bamboo Shark out of water !Help!

shwanshark

shwanshark

Member
This morning I awoke to an open lid on my tank and a 18inch banded bamboo shark on the floor. I have no idea how long he was out of the tank, but when I put him back in, he swam away and was breathing fine. I noticed at first that small areas on his face had a slightly reddish coloration, however, after a few hours in the tank, it looks to have dissipated slightly. Is there anything I can do to reduce the stress on the shark? Should the shark be ok now that he's been back in the tank for over 5 hours and is still breathing and swimming or should I still worry about him? Any advice is appreciated.
Also, I've had this shark and a 5 inch Niger Trigger for awhile and I'm thinking about getting another tank mate for them. Does anyone have any (colorful/mean looking) suggestions?
 
tome

tome

Member
I am not sure about the tank mates, but turning your lights off can help releive stress. Good Luck BTW how big is your tank
 
sebae09

sebae09

Member
sharks can survive out of water for 24 hours. he would have allready died if he was going too. but you do need to find the reason he jumped and whare he jumped from so it doesn't happen again. fish/sharks jump because they are stressed. i would test for copper and ammonia first consiedering they will be the first things to mess with him, after that test for stray voltage, his electroreceptors could be going crazy and that will cause eratic swimming and a possible jump.
 
psusocr1

psusocr1

Active Member
i would also be VERY worried if you have that tigger int here with a shark.. thats proabably why he jumped and might be why his face is all red.
NEVER keep triggers, angels of puffers with a shark as they will pick the eyes out of their head! or just pick the heck out of them. i would get him out of their a.s.a.p and also how big of a tank will determine what other tankmates you can have.
 
sebae09

sebae09

Member
the trigger is definately a threat to the shark, they might be ok now but one day the trigger will get pissed and just start picking on him.
 
krj-1168

krj-1168

Member
First - as others have said already.
Get the trigger out - A.S.A.P.
Some sharks can stay out of water for hours and survive - species like bamboos, eppies, coral cats, and possibly horns.
That's a feature of the bottom-dwellers, only. Active swimming sharks - like blacktips, bonnets, & sharpies will die in less than 30 minutes, if kept out of the water.
 
nymustang7

nymustang7

Member
I hope this isnt a dumb question. But if any fish is out of water how would it survive? If he jump and was out of water wouldn't he just die like any other fish you take out of water??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top