Keeping Sharks?

[cuticom]

My parents are getting me a new tank as a present for doing well at school. It's an incentive they used with my brother, so they figured it was only fair that I got it too, though it dosnt seem really fair when I'm naturally good at school and he isn't... anyway

So we've been going to aquarium shops and looking at fishies. I'm not a very big goldfish fan, and don't like schooling fish much either LOl. But the sharks are really cool. We spoke to some of the shop attendants and from what they said they seem to be an okay fish. I was thinking of either a red tail shark, a rainbow shark, albino rainbow shark or a silver shark. And keep it with another fish like an angel or something thats compatible.

So some questions, what size tank would be needed? would a 40 L tank be okay? or would I need a larger tank?

Obviously they need to be heated and filtered, is there anything I should watch out for with that?

What fishes would go well with a shark?

Also, I ahve Bettas too, and would I be able to put a betta barracks in a tank with a shark in it, or would that cause stress to the Bettas or shark?

Sorry, i've never had sharks before, I've mainly had goldfish and bettas

Thank you in advance
Emma

 

[DoyouWantsum]

The tank will be far to small for the silver shark ive seen them as big as 12inches long. (I whish i had known that before i got mine) I have my 2 in a 7x2x2 tank and it doesn't take them long to swim the length of that.
(they also should realy be in groups of five or more)

The RTB's get big aswell, and can be quite agressive to tank mates. i have found mine to be ok with my loaches,oto's and small tetras. but not good with my silver sharks,red line torpedos, or cory's. Basicly they will pick on anything that wont defend itself. Small fish being the ecseption, they just ignore them.(People recomend they be kept in groups of one only)

 

[cuticom]

So would an angel fish get on with a shark? From what I've read on the net, theoretically they should, as both can hold their own against each other. I'm fairly open to what shark I get, as they were all gorgeous (well in my opinion anyway, dad wants me to get some nice dalmation mollies LOL). I'd be only getting one shark, I've seen what my bettas do to each other if they end up together my accident, have no wish to repeat the experience.

So a 40 litre tank would do a rainbow shark? and an angel could live with them in that tank?

Emma

 

[cuticom]

I've been looking at tanks, and may be able to convince Mum to get me a 75 litre Aqua One tank. She has a 130 litre, which i'd love, but it'd take a lot of work and begging to get a tank of that size LOL.

Would a 75 L suit a Shark better?

Emma

 

[dwarfgourami]

Silver sharks are schooling fish, for a start, and they grow very big. You would be looking at (at least) a 75 gallon tank rather than 75 ltrs.
Rainbow sharks are solitary, but they are still very active- I wouldn't go under 40 gallons.
AN angel would need at least 30 gallon, and the tank needs to be tall. They grow bigger than you'd think.
A 40 ltr tank (10 gallons) is really only for fish that stay under 2 inches. Have you looked at pygmy corydoras, they are really cute (they want to be in groups though). Or maybe African dwarf frogs. Or, a completely different setup, you could do a shelldweller tank with a pair of neolamprologus multifasciatus. Very tough little fish with a lot of attitude.
If you can go up to the 75 ltrs- how about khuulie loaches? They look cool, like little snakes. Group fish again, but they don't swim in schools. Or check out small catfish.

 

[cuticom]

African Dawrf frogs need a licence to be kept here, all reptiles and amphibians need one. I ahve one for my lizards and that was enough fuss and bother thanks.

I'm not a fan of schooling fish. I like personality, fish that swim in circles dont do anything for me. All the other sites I've read and people I've spoken to have said a rainbow shark should do fine in 50 litres.

All but clown loaches are unavailable here. We dont exactly have much on offer, cichlids, gouramis, oscars, gold fish, axoltls, mollies, guppies, sharks, small schooling fish and siamese fighters are pretty much the limit. With the occasional angel fish are "exotic" fancy tailed guppy thrown in.

i looked up the neowhatchamacallits, I've never seen nor heard of em before, they sure werent at the fish shop.

From everything I read and seen rainbow sharks wont grow over 5 inches, which should be fine in a 50 litre tank. I "may" be able to get a bigger tank, but the price is a problem as well, plsu paying for differnt heaters filters etc, it all costs more.

I've given upo on an Angel, from what I've read theres a chance they'll be too agressive to live with a shark. But what other fish can go with them that get bigger then 5 cm?

I know its weird but small schooling fish just dont do anything for me, I may as well just get another betta

Emma

 

[QuotheRaven]

where exactly do you live? Someone on the forums may be able to suggest a better aquarium in your area to go to

 

[cuticom]

Given up on sharks as well. Sigh I will find sometype of personality plus fish, I will LOL. Or just bug Mum till she give sin and gets me a larger tank LOL

 

[DoyouWantsum]

If you want a fish like the RTBS with personality then get loaches.

I recomend Botia striata they stay small and are full of caricture.

 

[Talkmuch]

I reccomend going for puffers. They definately have alot of personality.

 

[cuticom]

LOL the only place I've ever seen a puffer was on a holiday in hawaii. Not too much choice of fish round here.

Me and Mum are going to the shop tomorrow, hopefully we'll find a decent tank that would suit a single shark. We were going to get an aqua one, but all of them are vertical not horizontal. Useless if i get a shark.

if all else fails I'll just get a nice paradise fish LOL.

Mum's got some loaches, they are ok but not my type of fish, all they do is sit in caves and chase the other fish

 

[khenghock]

How about crayfish? They can be very cheeky.

Or eels. I have an eel that i occasionally mouthfeed it with a tweezer

 

[cuticom]

Only place I've ever seen an eel was at Sydney Aquarium, and then it was 2 metres long and called Banana Peel the Yellow Eel.

Yabbies ick, good for catching and cooking, not for pets. LOL I'm a country brat, I dont see the point of buying somnething from a petshiop that I can catch at adult size in our dam.

We ended up getting an 80 litre tank, and Mum said when it grows out of it we'll upgrade to a three foot tank, but it'll suit a 2 inch long shrak for a bit anyway.

 

[connorsbala]

Silver sharks will only get to 6 inches in an aquarium. If you have like a 300 mlitre tank then they may get bigger. I really get annoyed when time after time ppl tell me to get rid of my shark cause he gets to 14 inches. It all depends on how much you feed him and the size tank you have. I feed my fish once every other day and on a saturday bloodworm.
Im getting a juwel rekord 70, so that i can get a couple more fish and they have alot more room to swim.I know my current tank is far too small but they seem fine and it should be alright till after xmas!!

 

[OohFeeshy]

Silver sharks will only get to 6 inches in an aquarium.

LOL, you wish. Nicking some info from andywg,

A bala shark should grow to at least 5" in the first year and up to around 8" by the second. After that the growth will slow down.

a 55 gallon is just plainly nowhere near adequate for 1 bala, let alone 5. They are a fast swimming skittish fish that really need a 6ft length. Their adult size demands a fair width so the best minimum is 6 x 1.5 x 1.5. Anything less than that just isn't fair on the fish.

I would dispute that. My 8 in my 6x2x2 are starting to look like they need something bigger, and they are just 2 years old. I would say that the largest is pushing 8 to 9 inches and before long will be far better off in something larger to enable him to swim without stopping after just one flick of the tail.

I have seen first hand the curved spines (vertebrae) of fish kept in too small conditions forcing them to be constantly curled. It is not nice. A 3 foot tank is nowhere near large enough for balas.

Etc. Basicly you seem to be a great advocate of fish abuse. Evidently you support keeping goldfish in bowls, their condition too depends on how much you feed them and the tank size. Amount of food affects speed of growth, but not adult size, especially at the amount you feed them (I hardly consider every other day not much food). Size of tank is hardly a factor either- as Andy mentioned, most fish will simply grow on anyway regardless of whether their size allows them to move or not. Almost all of us have seen pictures of RTCs 3ft long in a 4ft tank or similar- by your reasoning they would have stopped growing at 8" when they had plenty of room to swim.