Silver Shark Died

[dannym]

Well i got home from work & found my silver shark floating on the top of the water

I wonder if im just unlucky or have i contributed to his death, due to the lack of capacity?..

Are silver sharks hardy fish?

Should i do a water change?

This may sound like a stupid question but do fish pine? My other silver shark is now on hes own..

thanks all

Danny.

 

[Adie]

How do you mean Pine? as in his scales are in a pinecone effect? If so that sounds like Dropsy..

Or Longing for his own kind?

Silver Sharks are a community species so need to be with their own kind. I think 4-5 is a minimum.

Plus they get very big so need to in a fairly large tank.

What are your water stats?

 

[eschaton]

I assume you mean a Bala shark? What size tank did you have it in? They get to be 13 inches in length. You could have killed it from putting it in a tank too small for it.

Anyway, I know they do startle very easily. It's possible it got spooked and brained itself against the tank wall as well.

What are your test kit readings?

 

[dannym]

I have had problems with my water quality my No2 is 0,5 my No3 is 10 but my GH, Kh & pH are extremely high (still not sure what all that means i think my ammonia levels are ok), the members i have spoken to say my water quality is bad because im wayyy overstockedAlthough i have been 50% water changing every other day and will continue to do that till the end of the month when i can afford a tank upgrade

And i meant pine as in longing for hes own kind

Thankyou

danny..


**Edit**I have 13 fish(small at the moment) in a 60 litre tank im getting possibly a 300 litre when i get paid at the end of the month, The bala sharks are small at the moment roughly 2 ins

 

[eschaton]

If your tank still has nitrite, it's not totally cycled yet. It's hard for me to say you're overstocked or not since I don't know what you mean by "small fish." 13 fish around 4 cm is okay - though pushing it. 13 at 7 or 8 cm each is really troublesome.

I think the high PH is very common in the South of England due to all the limestone throughout that area. However, they strongly prefer acidic water.

If you can't lower your PH, I suggest you stick to livebearers, Cichlids, and other fish which like alkaline water.

 

[Tommy Gun]

Hey Dannym! Sorry to hear about your silver shark

If you can't lower your PH, I suggest you stick to livebearers, Cichlids, and other fish which like alkaline water

To be very honest, I have to disagree with eschaton and anyone else who may suggest that because your pH is high, you can only keep a select few species of fish. My reasoning for saying this is because - and I have noticed that at least a few members of this forum would agree with me - freshwater fish have a very strong ability to acclimate or adjust to different pH levels if given enough time to do so - hence, many hobbyists would suggest that you simply try to maintain a constant pH no matter what that might be; entirely skipping the work and risk involved in trying to maintain the pH which his/her fish are naturally found in.

I have had problems with my water quality

Based upon your numbers, I would tend to agree with you and would add that water quality would be my guess as to the most possible culprit for your fish's death. Of course, I suggest getting that under control...which is sounds like you are already doing.

im getting possibly a 300 litre

While I am 100% supportive of anyone who may want to upgrade to a larger tank (for a myriad of reasons), I honestly do not think a 300 litre aquarium will solve your potential problem of silver sharks out growing the tank -- assuming that your silver shark(s) are also known as Bala Sharks. The reasoning behind this is, as already mentioned, these potentially large fish do best in a school/shoal of three or more...which creates the need for an even larger tank....which is also not to mention that these fish really do reach lengths of a foot long or slightly larger. In fact, I actually have a pretty good 'visual aid' to support that notion:

^^ Sorry it is such a large picture - Im not sure how to resize it - but just to clarify, that is my hand just below the bala shark...and I am a fully grown adult with, from fingertip to wrist, approx 8 or 9 inch hands.

To add to that, in many cases the consideration of gallons of water to fish size (i.e. 'inch per gallon') is not something we should rely on entirely since the dimensions of the tank are also important. For example (and an extreme one, I know), you wouldn't want to keep a bala shark in a 150 gallon tank which is 9 feet tall by a few inches wide. While I would, of course, suggest getting the biggest tank possible, in the case of fish which reach that one foot to one and a half feet long, you may want to buy a tank which is at least 20 or more inches between the front of the aquarium and the back...while at the same time, having a tank which is long enough from one side to the other as well.

 

[jo1326]

hi this is my first posting. i had a silver shark that died. they scare so easily mine was forever darting from one end of the tank to the other and hitting the glass. they were also known to jump out of water and hit the tanks lid!!! i know this doesnt help you in anyway but just thought i would let you know.