Blotchy skin on shark, no useful info.  - 8/9/2006 Hello, I have a 2 foot banded cat shark in a 300 gallon tank for 7 months now.  Also in the tank are porc puffer, panther grouper, annularis angel, lion fish, and a Naso tang all around 7-8 inches. <... the puffer and/or angel may be working the shark woe here>   The water levels are all stable. <Non-informational> I have a pro clear 400 wet dry <Nitrates?> and a nautilus EX skimmer.  I have someone come and change the water twice a month, changing 60 gallons each time.  Recently I saw that the shark had blotchy skin coloration, and a little reddish mark by his tail. <Likely environmental> I read that blotchy skin could be a sign of bacteria or parasites or sign of bad health.   <Is definitely the latter...> The shark about three weeks ago had a cut above his eye, but it healed up with MelaFix. <Worthless> He's acting fine, breathing normal, and eating as usual.  If you could give any advice it would be grateful.   Thank you --omar26 <Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharksystems.htm and the linked files above. You likely have a "water quality" problem at root here... along with incompatibility, perhaps nutrition... Can't tell from the paucity of information provided. Bob Fenner>

Treating a shark on shark bite - 11/24/04 Hello again,<Hi Amy> while our bamboo shark is relatively under control, our leopard apparently sustained a bite (I assume from the Wobbie) <Sounds like a lot of sharks. How big is your tank?>... it is on the left side of his jaw behind his mouth and before the gill.  He appeared fine the last few days, eating normally etc and the wound seemed to be healing.  Know the wound seems irritated (it is whitish/grayish and kind of stringy looking) and he is breathing VERY rapidly and mostly sitting on the bottom... every once in a while he shoots to the top and then kind of drifts down....<I would start with an injection of Baytril and follow with Baytril in its food if it is eating or continue with Baytril injections. Tough one. Maintain water quality. Are you using any vitamin supplements? ~Paul> Please, if you can give me any information that might help it would be so appreciated!! Amy Tezak

Brownbanded Bamboo Shark with dilated eye Hello, I have a 20" Brownbanded bamboo shark I hatched from egg about a year and half ago. The shark is currently in a 180 gallon tank with a CPR CR3000 wet-dry filter and an Aqua-C EV240 skimmer. Water quality is good with ammonia and nitrite zero and nitrate around 20 mg/L. The shark is about to moved to a new 320 gallon setup in a few weeks. A week ago, I noticed that his left eye was widely dilated under the bright tank lighting while the right eye was normal. The left eye has stayed dilated ever since even though the right eye continues to act normally. The shark doesn't seem bothered by this because his appetite is excellent and he is his normal active self. He shares his tank with a volitans lionfish, a Foxface, and a sailfin tang. Is possible a lionfish or Foxface sting might have caused this? <Possible> Or do you think this a sign of infection? If so, is there any treatment? v/r Dean Carter <Dean... I am most concerned with the possibility that this is a nutritional anomaly, and its remediation. Do you use vitamins, iodine supplements? Have you read over the Shark Health/Disease areas on WWM? Bob Fenner> 
Re: Brownbanded Bamboo Shark with dilated eye Thanks for the advice. I do iodine supplements but not vitamins. I feed the shark a wide array of foods: shrimp, squid, scallops, smelt, and even live nightcrawlers. But, now I suspect this is not enough. Thanks, again!  <I do hope you have read over where you were sent... Sharks, WWM. Bob Fenner>

Shark - sigh... another in a mixed community tank :( 6/22/05 hello, I have a question about my banded cat shark. I bought him about a month ago from a local pet store, and he is about 8 weeks old. My tank is 55 gallons with some liverock and I had a few fish. <Please take the time to research your creatures before buying them my friend. Two concerns here for starters: the lack of quarantine and need for quiet isolation to get this hatchling shark started soundly and safely (pathogens). And... the fact that it has inappropriately been placed in a community tank. Few if any sharks really fare well long term this way. Many simply fed die slowly of attrition from the stress of active community fishes in the tank. Some of which will nip or kill the shark in time. Do read more on these points in the archives here at wetwebmedia.com> I have tested the nitrites, ammonia, and the ph. All is in the good range. The other morning I woke up to find all 4 of my fish dead. The previous night, I noticed them swimming slowly at the bottom of the tank (2 tangs and 2 damsels). Now all that I have is my snow flake eel and my shark. I don't really know what happened. <The lack of quarantine for new fishes, snails, LR, etc could have brought in a disease. Were have some fab articles on quarantine in the archives, again. Do take the time... it will go a very long way towards your success in the hobby. And save fishes lives> All were eating well but not being over-fed. I am pumping about 650 gallons per hour with my filtration and I have good current. I am now noticing my shark breathing a bit quicker and taking shorter breaths. <Please do several large partial water changes in the next week and look closely for signs of disease (see disease pages and links)> Before, it had a deep, slow breathing pattern. It does eat well but I am noticing some scratching on the bottom of the tank. <Indeed... if not water quality, then parasites in the gills> I just don't understand what has happened. I'm not convinced that it is a water issue, as I do have one anemone in the tank, and it is doing really well. <Yikes! Another misstep... the shark and anemone long term are poorly suited.> No issues with it. Can you please give me some suggestions.  Thanks so much, Christie <It sounds to me like you need to pause on buying livestock and invest in some good books first my friend. I fear you have not been getting good advice, and you did not educate yourself well enough to take on live saltwater creatures. let me strongly suggest you read Paletta's "New Marine Aquarium" and Fenner's "Conscientious Marine Aquarist." Best regards, Anthony>