4ft Tropical Tank But Which Sharks ?

[netty-x]

Sorry, this is really off topic but how much did the goldfish tank cost? If you could tell me it'd really, really help me out. Thanks!

 

[kaz219]

Sorry, this is really off topic but how much did the goldfish tank cost? If you could tell me it'd really, really help me out. Thanks!

The hexagon tank cost around £80. I'm not 100% sure but it's soemwhere around that priice tag...

From Gay Lyfe on Stockport Rd in Manchester....

 

[kaz219]

well first off, you are going to have to cycle the tank to make it safe for the fish. You can cycle a tank in about 4 weeks if you do a fishless cycle and add some of the mature media from your other tanks. From the discription the fish sound like they might be iridescent shark, which are not really suited for aquariums. You could keep a red tail or rainbow shark in their.

Yes, they are the sharks i was after! I was told they were Pangasius Catfish today at the pet shop...

The guy at the petshop said they would be fine in a tank of my size? I think they were around 3 inches along and he said they should get quite large when they get to 6 months.....how big though? Why do you say they are not suited to aquariums ?

Am new to the hobby...this is the first time i am planning on having proper fish....what do you mean by cycle the tank?

Are they any other sharks that look like the real sharks in the ocean that i could have in my tank...

Thanks in advance!

Irridescent sharks are not suitable for your aquarium because of the size they can reach, up over 3ft in some cases, they are also schooling fish so you need more then 1, and they also what can be considered "tank busters". They can be very skittish fish and once they get over a foot long, if they were to get spooked they can ram the sides of the tank, and spash water out, so imagine what a 2ft scared fish going full speed across a tank might do? Your tank is just not going to be big enough for them, even when they are small, as it will stunt their growth and cause an early death.
Just Iridescent shark into google and see what kinda stuff you come up, they can be some monster sized fish.

However there are still 2 kinds of sharks sutable for your tank.
Red tailed sharks and Rainbow sharks, both would need to be a single specimen, as they are highly territorial.
Red tailed sharks are beautiful when mature, I have a friend who as a 5in long one(about their max size) and he's thick body. He's charcoal black and his tail is ruby red, stunning fish.

To fill up the rest of the tank, since you would have some room, you could have a school of tiger barbs, about 8, and maybe a school of zebra danios, once again 7. This is what the above friend has, and the tank is active, colorful and the shark is definitely the center of attention. Just remeber they need some kind of cave or log to claim as their own, to keep them happy.

Awww...i really wanted them Irridescent sharks.

I'm not sure what if going to get now....my tank is the average 4ft by 1.2ft by 1.2ft (approx).

There is prenty of hiding spaces and i'm going to cycle it tommorrow and see how it goes but 2years or so ago, i bought 4 oscars for £2 each. One died and about a year later, i changed my mind and wanted smaller fish (i only had one tank at the time) so sold the Oscars back to where i bought them from for £8 each.

With the sharks, would i be able to keep them for a year and then possibly get smaller ones again... I've always wanted them and a bigger tannk isn't a option as that is the maximum space between the chimney breast and the wall....

As for the room, it is a room that is used on special occasions.....there's hardly anyone in there (apart from me watching the fish) so the sharks would probably never get scared....

I seen the other sharks today and tbh, i really prefer the Irridescent shark to them. I think its just a phase as i really want one and don't want to squash them into a tiny space and make them uncomfortable or even worse, kill them....

So if i bought them, kept them for 6 months to a year....would this be ok?

I can't really see myself getting anything else...

Orr....are there any fish which have the chracteristics of a Prana look beter, but are more active (ie. don't sit around all day waiting for there food!)

Thanks guys for all your input.....i really appreciate it !

Cheers

Could you maybe tell us what you like about the irredesent sharks? Maybe we can help you find a different fish, as there are probably many more options that you might not see in your local pet store.

What i like about the Irredescent Sharks....

How they Swim...they wag there tail from left to right.

How much they actually look like a real shark...

Their body shape...they're wider at the front and get thinner towards the back.

Also, i seen a big one...around 2ft big..and it looked beautifulll.....

Are they're any other fish that resemble the characteristics of a real shark ?

Cheers

 

[kaz219]

Completely agree with the above.

Orr....are there any fish which have the chracteristics of a Prana look beter, but are more active (ie. don't sit around all day waiting for there food!)

Thanks guys for all your input.....i really appreciate it !

Cheers

Exodon paradoxus

A seriously crazy fish, I'd love some myself if I could dedicate a decent sized tank to them. Where I work, we get them in every now and then, very attractive active fish that I find very interesting. It was pretty amazing seeing them tear apart any food put in the tank - whitebait/locust/earthworms/squid/mussels - they will destroy and eat anything.

Downside to them is that they seem to have a tendency to spontaneously decide to eat one member of the shoal every now and then...

The only other fish you would be able to have in with them would be tough armoured catfish like plecs and corydoras though, and only if you certainly have enough hiding places for them.

Would certainly be a challenge, if you feel your really up to it, but easier than looking after an iridescent shark lol.

Make sure the tank is cycled and 100% ready for fish first obviously, and you'll want to read up on them and ask questions about them elsewhere

Sorry mate... they're not for me...

They just don't stand out to mee...

Thanks for the suggestion though !

 

[Mikaila31]

red tailed shark

IMO thats the closes you will get to a shark looking fish that will fit in your tank . The things you describe all point to fish that get really big. True sharks get really big and fish that look like sharks usually follow suit.

 

[pastabake]

The Iridescent shark doesn't look very shark like to me. On the positive side though they are cultivated as a food source so you could always eat them once they get too big for the tank

 

[kaz219]

red tailed shark

IMO thats the closes you will get to a shark looking fish that will fit in your tank . The things you describe all point to fish that get really big. True sharks get really big and fish that look like sharks usually follow suit.

Going to go the pet shop probably this week and see what i can do...

Tank is all ready...but going to get the people there to re-check the water jsut in case i;ve done anything wrong!

Thanks for everyones advise and I'll let you know hwo it goes !

Cheers