Help my red tail cigar shark is not eating and is flashing and laying at the bottom

[Pfarleo]

Hi There,

I hope someone can advise me on this problem. My red tailed cigar shark is not eating and laying at the bottom of my tank. He has been flashing on the gravel and has pooped white for the past 2 days. I know he is very itchy..also the other fish started eating his tail and fins.

What medicine would be best to use to treat this? I was wondering if metronidazole would work? I do not have a hospital tank and therefore will have to treat the whole tank.

His flippers were clamped yesterday..I started treating the tank with rid-ick hoping it will help. If there is a better medicine..please advise.

Thank you in advance for any advise you may be able to give me..

Phyllis

 

[lauraf]

Do you know what your readings are for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? What sized tank do you have and what other fish are in there?

 

[Pfarleo]

Do you know what your readings are for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? What sized tank do you have and what other fish are in there?

Hi there,

I changed my water for 3 consecutive days and just tested for ammonia..no ammonia, nitrates are high end safe, nitrites are caution.

I have a red spotted severum, placo, green severum(very small), geofagus(earth eater), my cigar shark, and a zebra tailed fish that eats plants and has buldgy eyes..I always forget what type of fish it is. Roughly around 27 inches of fish in the tank.

 

[OrangeCones]

There is no reading of nitrite that is good except zero. What reading of nitrate do you have? What sized aquarium is this?

Lots of diseases can cause a fish to 'flash' or rub against things and most can be attributed to poor water quality.

 

[Pfarleo]

There is no reading of nitrite that is good except zero. What reading of nitrate do you have? What sized aquarium is this?

Lots of diseases can cause a fish to 'flash' or rub against things and most can be attributed to poor water quality.

I have a 55 gallon tank. The tank is so clean I don't know what else I can do. I am treating the tank with furan right now as advised by the local tropical fish store. I re-checked the levels after the last water change I did today and it looks like there is no ammonia or nitrites now.

If you have any advice to help try to get my fish back to normal, please type away.

Thank you.