Help My Elephant Nose

[Grrrrrowler]

Please help - one of my elephants is lying on his back at the bottom of the tank. His back is arched and he does not seem to be able to move very far at all - and even then only on his back.
He is breathing but only just and seems to be on his way out...
I have checked water for nitrites etc and all is fine.
All of the other fish (inc 2 elephants) seem absolutely fine.
There are no marks on him, and surprisingly the other fish are all leaving him alone.

Any ideas what is wrong?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[vantgE]

I don't know about elephants specificly but as they are elctric fish i don't think they are to be kept toghether, but i dunno have you had them long?
post this in emergencies too

 

[noelberg]

what size tank do u have? You'll need a 3 foot long tank - at least.

vantgE is right - electrogenic fish need large tanks, even larger if you want to keep more than one. Elephant noses get to be over a foot long!

The literature I'm reading right now (Tropical Freshwater Problem Solver Guide by Tetra Press - great intro book!) says they're difficult to introduce into the tank. They like a soft, sandy substrate; do best on live foods like Tubifex; and like a fairly well-planted tank (they come from murky waters).