[ttiiggeerr]

I recently bought a silver-tipped shark a few days ago and he was perfectly healthy-acting just the way everyone said he should and happy as could be. All the levels were where they were supposed to be and the tank wasn't new so I added him at the optimal time of the nitrogyn cycle and it was kept extremely clean. I've been in this hobby for almost ten years and I can't understand what happened to him!

Firstly, he was fine three hours ago when I checked up on all my tanks. Acting perfectly normal, happy as could be. And then about two and a half hours later or so, I checked on them again since I needed to feed them and he was attempting to swim but unable to really do anything other than move his tail and flip around. He'd be around on the top and then on the bottom from one side of the tank to the other just doing slow motion flips and not doing anything else. I went to look up what it might be and put him in clean water seperate from the other tank. Less than five minutes later he was dead.

Does anyone know what could have happened so quickly?

 

[Sylverclaws]

If he was really healthy(sometimes they seem that way only to have an underlying issue make itself known in a very bad way), and all stats were as they should be, it could have been a freak accident. Like an injury you wouldn't expect. Example, I had a plastic breeding net in my tank, where I kept it for several weeks with some floating plants in it, and one of my endlers slammed into it chasing food and knocked himself stupid, about like your shark sounds, and soon after he died.

Make sure your filter isn't aimed at a decoration or some such, and that you have nothing sharp in there. Sometimes the silly things just slam into a random decoration when being chased or chasing something, or from filter flow that hadn't happened before.

Keep an eye on your other fish, and test your water just in case. I always do a change when a fish dies, just in case of any spikes or nasties it may have released, even if you saw nothing prior.

Make sure your heater or filter did not have a malfunction and zap him too.

 

[ttiiggeerr]

Well, that's about as much as I figured. I've already gotten a few samples to take to a few different pet stores to see if their numbers read the same as mine did. I was just worried that there was some disease that acts that quickly that I didn't know about. Like I said, I've been doing this for ten years, it would have worried me greatly if there was a disease I didn't know about that could affect the others as well.

I've already done a water change, slightly more than usual just in case. I do agree, they're quite active in the first place it would surprise me if he knocked his head off the wall or something. As for decorations, I'm very picky about the things I put in my tanks to help prevent any accidental injuries.

I'll definately keep a closer eye on the next one, that's for sure.

 

[Sylverclaws]

There are some other things that can work that quickly. Some cancers can suddenly spread and blow up important bits like arteries and organs. Not so common, but it happens.

Toxins and chemicals...something that fell into the tank, any airborne chemical like fabreeze, deodorants, cologne can sometimes hit in a bad way if one were to swallow air while eating(more common with labyrinth fish, but it can hurt others if the chemical is in the air at the time of feeding if they decide to get what didn't sink or something). My mother sprayed fabreeze all over the house once when she came to clean for grandma, she did not say anything, killed three of my cories and one of my betta, as well as a swordtail(all had the symptoms of getting hit by the airborne chemicals, spinning on the bottom and then dying soon after) even though she sprayed outside my room. I was so miffed. =( My neon blue gourami also had the symptoms, but he survived it, he wasn't as bad. The rest of my fish seemed unaffected. They get air up top during this time without being covered or having ventilation in the room and boom, they will have trouble swimming, some will spin while they try to swim on the bottom, and typically die within hours.

 

[ttiiggeerr]

That one actually makes a lot more sense, I think my boyfriend may have sprayed calogne before going to work today which would have been near the tank, although if that's it I'm extremely lucky it was only the one fish and none of the others. The timing seems about right too. In any case, I'll definately be having a word with him about such things needing to stay in the bathroom and that bedroom cleaning needs to stay with me just in case Thanks again!

 

[Sylverclaws]

You're welcome. I hope that was it and you have no further issues. Good luck!