leopard shark died

[broderick]

I have had 2 leopard sharks for about 1 month. Last night I noticed one of them swimming sluggishly and trying to hide in the rocks alot. This morning I woke up and she is dead. I tested ammonia, NITRITES, SALINTY EVERYTHING IS PERFECT. Until yesterday she seemed to be doing great, I can't understand why the sudden death ? Anbody have any idea's why, so I don't lose my other one?

 

[broderick]

good point : Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0 Nitrates about 10ppm and salinity was at 22 on my hydrometer

 

[broderick]

Temp is about 79, PH 8.2 , Other fish are a darf lion fish and a porcupine puffer. There was no tank agression. They were eating very well- but no overfeeding. As far as dissolved oxygen, I'm not sure. I have a 150 wet/dry with a 700 gal per hr pump, if that answers you question. Thank you

 

[broderick]

I forgot to mention I also have a protein skimmer

 

[almarktool]

700 gal per hour does not sound like much what size tank is this?

 

[broderick]

125 gal

 

[almarktool]

how big are the sharks? might not had enough water exchange 700/hr sounds really low to me i run 1100/hr on my 75 and 2200 /hr on my 200gall i am not a shark expect but just my thoughts keep a i on this board there are a few people here that are good with sharks they might just be at work right now

 

[broderick]

Thanks I actually asked my local aquarium store if i should add a canister filter and they said it wouldn't hurt but it was not needed. As long as it cycled at least 4 times a hour.

 

[novice150]

A few questions:
Was the shark breathing normal last night? What and how well was the shark eating? Also, if you still have the shark, inspect it for wounds. If you find one that looks like a bee sting, your lion may have stung it. I've had this happen in the past.
Sorry to hear about your loss.

 

[broderick]

The shark was eating fine about 4 or 5 piece of prawn a day. And as far as the breathing it was fine until last night, that's when I noticed something was wrong, also she kept trying to burrow in the rock and bumping the glass constantly. I did keep the shark, but I never heard of a lionfish stinging a shark? Thanks for your response

 

[novice150]

Well, while I'm not 100% on dwarf lion's, I am 110% sure that a volitan lions sting can/will kill a shark. It happened to mine when it got excited and accidentally ran into the lion. The symptoms were exactly as you described. Burrowing, running into things, breathing heavily, etc. It sounds to me like that's what happened to yours.

 

[broderick]

That is very interesting because the local aquarium that sold me the sharks also sold me the lion fish, because they said they would be good tank mates.

 

[novice150]

I don't think you're LFS was intentionally trying to mislead you. Most people do think sharks and lions are good tank mates. I thought they were, and I had the same trouble as you.
I think the main problem is that leopards are just too active to be in tight quarters with a lion. Other sharks, like a bamboo would probably have no problem since they're not nearly as active.
Although I am not 100% sure that this is what happened to your shark, it certainly does seem to be the case. If I were you, I'd look into removing either the lion, or your other shark from the tank. JMO

 

[splash1914]

Nitrate at 10ppm with feeding them 4-5 prawns a day....
I agree with novice.... look over the shark for wounds....
what kind of water are using? R/O or tap?

 

[ozzy reefer]

Hey.
This is all interesting to me because I plan on getting a bamboo shark for my 125 gallon. What exactly is "Dissolved oxygen(which sharks need a lot of)"? And do sharks need RO water? I am currently using tap, I have a well.
I dont know much about leopards, but I know 125 gallon is a little small for any leopard shark.
TY
Chris

 

[splash1914]

The first thing I would do is by a R/O. To me it is just as important as a skimmer, wet/dry, pump, LS, LR, etc.......
When it comes to the increase of DO (dissolved oxygen) in an aquarium, the water surface is one of THE main places where this exchange takes place. Oxygen is dissolved down into the water, carbon dioxide is released out into the air, not to mention that other gases readily pass through the permeable surface of water as well. This is the principle that our bodies work on when we breathe; good air in... bad air out. It's the same way with your tank.
Dissolved oxygen levels in an aquarium can be affected by a number of factors. The greater the temperature, the lower the dissolved oxygen. The greater the salinity, the lower the dissolved oxygen. The more fish in the system, the lower the dissolved oxygen.

 

[ozzy reefer]

Thanks.
So pretty much surface agitation will take care of "DO"?
I also have bubbles coming out from under a piece of coral. Looks great, but sounds chincy.
TY
Chris

 

[gibbus]

Lionfish do make good tankmates with sharks. They just has Novice sort of said are better for the less active species like banded bamboo sharks and horn sharks. Sorry to hear about your lost broderick. If your other shark is fine it most likely was a stung from a lionfish that did it. How big was the shark and lionfish?

 

[holacanthus]

Broderick what do you plan to do when the sharks get larger in the 2-3 ft. range?

 

[watcher]

anybody wonder about the temp? coldwater fish, in 80 degrees?