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Help ( pangasius Catfish problem )

5K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  Ostara 
#1 ·
hey
i have 3 iridescent shark and 1 pangasius Catfish shark for almost 1 year
these guys were normal for the whole time , and they are just fine , i feed them once in the day for water quality , so today at 12 am i was going to check the aquarium and then i shocked that one my guys iridescent shark have alot of injurers in his body , and his tail at the back is cutted out and a little bleeding
the one who hurt him is pangasius Catfish shark i've seen him like biting him with his mouth , i had to over feed him flakes food his favorite food to stop him from attacking other fish


so what should i do ?
if the destination is to get ride of one of them , which one of them
Thank you , please reply

 
#2 ·
You didn't offer much information, especially tank size and the sizes of the fish?

Regardless of tank size, I can surely tell you that the catfish should go, the sooner the better. It sounds as if the catfish is maturing, and is their nature, attempting to eat anything it thinks it can fit into its mouth.

The other thing I can tell you is that the iridescent sharks will eventually need to be separated also. While young they are a shoaling fish, but as they mature they are solitary except at time of spawning. These fish get very large, average 3 - 4 ft in length when full grown. It takes a very large tank with ample area for swimming to house even one of these fish safely. They have a life span of 20+ yrs if healthy and properly provided for.

For the injured shark it will be extremely important to keep the water chemistry in that tank in pristine condition. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and nitrate no higher than 10 to allow for proper healing. There are very few medications that can be used to treat an iridescent shark, so meds should be avoided if at all possible. IF it gets to a point where meds are really needed then a quarantine tank is a must to protect the other fish.
 
#4 ·
I still need to know the information about your tank... size, water parameters for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH... water temp, foods you are offering, what kind of medication you attempted to use... and anything else you can tell me about the tank and the fish in it... please list all the fish in the tank and their sizes, too. It was very hard to tell for sure what fish are in the tank based on that video clip.

You need to know that iridescent sharks are very sensitive to medications. Adding meds that you are not sure of gives you a 50/50 chance of wiping out your entire population. I would suggest avoiding medications, get carbon back into your filters, and do some small daily water changes (10%) to help remove the medication from the water.

Once I have the rest of the info that I've asked for then I can offer you further advice on how to treat the shark safely.

Iridescent sharks tend to not eat when they are stressed or sick. Poor water quality will multiply the problem. Keep offering food but keep up on the water changes so the uneaten food doesn't pollute the tank and make things worse.
 
#5 ·
I also forgot to mention the turtle... not only is that an improper environment for the turtle, but it can cause a lot of damage to your fish between biting and claws. The turtle should have a proper turtle tank set up away from the fish. Without dry land and heat lighting offered a red eared slider turtle will only get sick and die. Confined to water all the time, a turtle can develop shell rot and various infections. Without enough Vitamin D from a reptile light or natural sunlight a turtle will not be able to digest its food properly or process the vitamins and minerals in the food. Turtles are also extremely dirty animals and being reptiles they carry salmonella. Water containing turtle waste is a breeding ground for salmonella and that can be very dangerous to people. Turtles need to be kept extremely clean to be safe as pets.
 
#6 ·
Three iridescent sharks and one pangasius? Don't you mean four iridescent/pangasius? I believe those are two names for the same fish.

Regardless, your only option is going to be to euthanize or get rid of all of them. They get 3-4 feet in length, are active swimmers, skittish, and can be aggressive. Almost all sites list them as completely unsuitable for the aquarium hobby. It's unfortunate that they are sold so commonly when small (even our Petsmarts have them) but unless you have a tank of several thousand gallons they just can't be kept in a home. And, as Bettababy mentioned, the turtle is not a suitable inhabitant for that tank either. The injuries are likely a result of space and compatibility issues, so I would worry about getting that corrected to prevent more problems.
 
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