Redtail shark upside down..

[see_shane_ay]

I have a redtail shark that stays with his nose pointing down and his tail pointing upwards, and always stays next to the filter. Any idea why this is happening??

[5x5]

How long have you had the red tail and is this a new behavior?

[LyndaB]

What size tank, how long has it been cycled and what are your exact readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

What other fish are in this tank?

[see_shane_ay]

Ive only had her for 2 days, I had just cycled the tank the day before she got in there. My 2 balas are doing just fine. I have another redtail and he's doing fine. I already know you can't keep 2 redtails in the same tank, wish my LFS had told me that before selling them to me. The tank is a 55G.

[GuppyLover]

A bala shark should NOT be in a 55.

[5x5]

You mentioned that your tank is cycled, but didn't post any water readings? Are you using a test kit to verify it's cycled?

I've haven't owned bala sharks because the research I did showed they like to school and require a lot of space due to their darting movements. They get very large too. Assuming your 55 Gallon is a 4 Foot tank, you can probably keep them for a bit, but at some point they are going to outgrow the space.

I'm not sure what LFS you are using, but the general advice at LFS's seems to be inferior to message boards like this IME. I'd recommend researching other sources before walking in or you'll probably continue to leave with problematic purchases.

[LyndaB]

You've been given lousy advice by your lfs.

You must return all of the sharks. You can't house them appropriately.

How did you cycle a tank in one day?

[see_shane_ay]

I dont have a test kit in hand, and I miss understood the cycling part. However, today I will take a sample of the water into the LFS, and take one of the Redtail back, as for the Bala, I'm keeping them. I plan on getting a rather big tank shortly after 2012 (tax return, booyah).

[andresdeo]

I guess he meant he finished the cycle the day before, right?

[5x5]

If you are not familiar with the Nitrogen Cycle process and testing, I would highly recommend reading up on that and understanding it. Also, you'll want to buy a test kit (API Master kit is great). It takes most people over a month to cycle a tank and it took me closer to 3. There is a lot of testing and water changes involved when you have fish in the tank.

[5x5]

Originally Posted by andresdeo

I guess he meant he finished the cycle the day before, right?

That's how I immediately took it as well, however if the poster does not own a test kit, that doesn't seem likely.

[LyndaB]

Originally Posted by see_shane_ay

I plan on getting a rather big tank shortly after 2012 (tax return, booyah).

Hope it's a mighty big tank to handle a red tail as well as the proper school size for the balas. I'd love to get YOUR tax return....

[andresdeo]

Shane? Do you know what we are refering to? If not we would be glad to point you in the right direction.

[LyndaB]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums...es-154837.html

[librarygirl]

Originally Posted by LyndaB

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums...es-154837.html

Good info she's linked to. This one in particular is the one you'll want to read first:I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

You'll need to get your own test kit (a liquid one, like the API Master); taking the water to the LFS is usually inaccurate at best. Mostly they use strips which aren't accurate and in my experience they'll most likely tell you your water is "fine" when it isn't.

Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate every day; any time ammonia or nitrite get over 0.25 do a water change to get them down to as close to 0 as possible; same with nitrates over 20. You might need to do this daily for 1-3 months. Good luck.

[KreativJustin]

I had similar problems with a catfish shark (he's a catfish that resembles a shark but I can't remember his name) that did that. He died within 48 hours. I would highly recommend taking him back to your LFS.