I'm New And Have Questions...

[danny1987]

I set up my first tank in march and on the advice of the petshop owner bought 1 male fighter fish, 2 red tail sharks and 10 neons. Since then, I have been told that 2 red tail sharks should not be kept together in a small tank. One shark has taken on a dominant role, chasing the other shark. Would it be best to separate them? The dominant one is much larger (about 2.5 inches) whereas the other isn't much bigger than when i bought it. I think the larger shark has eaten my neons as 7 have completey disappeared leaving me with only 3 left - is this likely?

 

[Curiosity101]

What size is the tank?

At a guess I am going to say it isn't 55 US Gal (220l)? If it isn't 55gal then it isn't even big enough for one shark. So yes they should both be re-homed.

Also if you set it up on petshop advice then chances are you didn't cycle the tank. Not your fault, petshop advice is often just very bad. If you did cycle the tank, could you please explain exactly what you did?

I would put money on the neons having actually died due to poor water quality, and then after will have decayed or been eaten by other fish.
So yes the sharks may have eaten the neons, but they wont have eaten them until they died. And either the neons or the fighter would've eaten any dead fish.

 

[danny1987]

What size is the tank?

At a guess I am going to say it isn't 55 US Gal (220l)? If it isn't 55gal then it isn't even big enough for one shark. So yes they should both be re-homed.

Also if you set it up on petshop advice then chances are you didn't cycle the tank. Not your fault, petshop advice is often just very bad. If you did cycle the tank, could you please explain exactly what you did?

I would put money on the neons having actually died due to poor water quality, and then after will have decayed or been eaten by other fish.
So yes the sharks may have eaten the neons, but they wont have eaten them until they died. And either the neons or the fighter would've eaten any dead fish.

hi, i think the tank size is 60Litres, . also i have no idea about tank cycle. all we did was 1 month before we bought fish, we had to let the water settle or something, and get to the right temp. then we added the fighter fish and 7 neons, then a month later we got 2 sharks and 3 more neons, 7 gone but the last 3 seem to be staying strong together! i hope to learn more so please advise! thanks danny.

 

[shane87]

i would definatly rehome the two red tails, also i had a male fighter fish and i could only keep neons with him he even attacked my corys so if your thinkin of makin it in to a community tank i suggest you re home him to

 

[Curiosity101]

Okie dokies.
Here is a link to our Beginners Resource Centre
And here is a few specific links you need to read...
What is cycling - This explains all about what the word/process means.
The Nitrogen Cycle - Explains the things that are being 'cycled'
Fish-in Cycling - This is the situation that you were put in due to bad advice from the pet shop you bought your fish/tank from. It exposes the fish to toxins which shortens their lifespan considerably. And with sensitive fish like neons it often kills them within days. The reason the last 3 are surviving better is because they will have been subjected to much less toxins...you will understand why after you have read all of the info on cycling.

Anyhoo....
60l isn't big enough for sharks, sorry I really can't stress how much they need re-homing.
Betta fish - Aren't normally good in community tanks, you may have been lucky here if you haven't seen any aggression so far from him. However always be aware that fish like neons can get nippy. Again you may have absolutely no problems, just be aware of it.
Neons - I wouldn't expect the neons to last as long as they should. Not too be all doom and gloom...but chances are when you added the 2 sharks and 3 neons this will have caused enough of an ammonia and nitrite spike to cause some damage. So although they weren't exposed to anywhere near as much as the first 7 (and are therefore still alive), I would be surprised if they last much longer than 6months.


If anything is unclear or you have any questions. Please just ask.
Everyone will do their best to help.

 

[danny1987]

Okie dokies.
Here is a link to our Beginners Resource Centre
And here is a few specific links you need to read...
What is cycling - This explains all about what the word/process means.
The Nitrogen Cycle - Explains the things that are being 'cycled'
Fish-in Cycling - This is the situation that you were put in due to bad advice from the pet shop you bought your fish/tank from. It exposes the fish to toxins which shortens their lifespan considerably. And with sensitive fish like neons it often kills them within days. The reason the last 3 are surviving better is because they will have been subjected to much less toxins...you will understand why after you have read all of the info on cycling.

Anyhoo....
60l isn't big enough for sharks, sorry I really can't stress how much they need re-homing.
Betta fish - Aren't normally good in community tanks, you may have been lucky here if you haven't seen any aggression so far from him. However always be aware that fish like neons can get nippy. Again you may have absolutely no problems, just be aware of it.
Neons - I wouldn't expect the neons to last as long as they should. Not too be all doom and gloom...but chances are when you added the 2 sharks and 3 neons this will have caused enough of an ammonia and nitrite spike to cause some damage. So although they weren't exposed to anywhere near as much as the first 7 (and are therefore still alive), I would be surprised if they last much longer than 6months.


If anything is unclear or you have any questions. Please just ask.
Everyone will do their best to help.

thats all great, amazing help, thanks & ill keep you posted on how i get on