Old Fish Vs. Young Fish

[tlef316]

75 gallon freshwater tank. Sand substrate with 3 large pieces of mopani wood, some rock formations and a bunch of fake plants. Looks like its less than a week away from being fully cycled (4ppm gone in ~12 hours, nitrites at around 2ppm) Ive been to 4 or 5 fish shops trying to get a look at price and selection. My question mainly has to do with oneof the bigger fish i plan on getting, a red tail black shark.


Shop A: Small local shop/ pet store. Tanks are kept pretty clean. Selection is pretty limited, but they do have most of the smaller schooling fish im looking at, as well as the shark. Their RTBS are obviously very young. They are about 2 inches long, and very thin. Not thin in a sickly way, just thin because they havent filled out yet

Shop B: much larger shop that only sells fish and other aquarium stuff. One of the top stores in my area (new jersey) The tanks are very well maintained and all the fish have amazing color. Most of their sharks are about 4-5 inches long and very filled out. They look just as good as this

What im asking is, which fish would be better to get? Obviously, the older one is probably a bit healthier and more colorful, but im worried that he A) might be kind of old or B) will bully all my other fish due to his large size. I wonder if getting a juvenile would be better, as he wont think he is king of the tank just yet.

Im having a similar debate about some clown loaches. I could get some smaller ones at a local store (around 2 inches, obviously very young) or i could get some from store B, who are more mature. Ill probably go with the bigger clowns, because they looked Very healthy, and are pretty peaceful fish, but im nervious about puting a 5 inch RTBS into a new tank and having him boss everyone around from day 1. The last thing i need are a bunch of stressed out schooling fish spreading ich all over my tank. thanks in advance for any help

Pic of my tank

 

[rdd1952]

Since this is an initial stock so you don't have to worry quite as much about bringing a disease home, I would definitely go for the younger fish.

 

[tlef316]

Since this is an initial stock so you don't have to worry quite as much about bringing a disease home, I would definitely go for the younger fish.

for the reasons i stated? (longer life span, less "king of the tank" mentality)

Ive always thought this was the way to go, but the older fish really does look amazing. Looks exactly like the one in the picture.

 

[rdd1952]

Mainly from longer life point but having one older, larger fish could cause problems too.

 

[Tiger Barb]

I would get the younger fish... as well as the reasons already mentioned, you will be able to add more fish to your tank initially as the load on the new filter won't be so large and sudden. Also you will be able to see him grow and get the satisfaction of knowing that you looked after him properly, rather than buying him when someone else had already done it!

Please think very carefully before getting clown loaches. They can grow to about 16 inches long and are very deep-bodied - they need a massive tank. I have a 300 litre and wouldn't dream of putting clown loaches in. They are also a shoaling fish so you need a good number of them for them to be happy. Most people consider a 7 foot tank is the minimum they need.

More info here.... Clown Loaches

 

[pica_nuttalli]

really? younger? i'd personally go for the older and larger fish. these are probably more disease-resistant (those that aren't die off quickly) and they're also more impressive. "introduction shock" really should be a problem if you use drip acclimation, which you really should be doing anyways. you're also going to experience problems with territoriality in an adult rtbs no matter how old he is when you get him. those fish just grow up and develop tempers.

since these are also fish that have decade(s)-long lifespans, there's really no big reason to start smaller except to reduce the expense of buying the larger fish. that is, of course, assuming that your tank is adequately sized. you'll need at least 18" wide and 48" long for the clowns--but bigger would definitely be better in this case.

 

[mark.w.jones]

Personally, I like to have juvenile fish and watch them mature and develop through my careful dedication. The mother hen approach to fish keeping. It seems a shame to me to buy all fully grown fish that aren't going to change or get any bigger. However, some fish like Boesemani Rainbows look very dull as juveniles and take a number of years to reach full colours and maturity. So if you are a bit impatient, like me, it may be better to buy them a year or so old. As metioned, young fish all stocked at a similar time will also grow up more tolerant to their tank mates whereas buying a grouchy old RTBS that's been used to its own space for a number of years may be a mistake.

 

[lilfishie]

i'd go for the younger shark but larger clowns, the clowns don't to well with the stress of moving and many smaller ones die from it, you have a better chance with larger clowns IMO younger shark is best because it will then be growing up with the fish around it so won't see them as a big treat where a larger one might. i think with RTBS your suposed to avoid fish that have a similar shape which the clowns do, someone correct me if wrong

 

[mark.w.jones]

Agreed. Clowns + RTBS bound to be problems. Similar body shape and area of tank occupied.

 

[tlef316]

Agreed. Clowns + RTBS bound to be problems. Similar body shape and area of tank occupied.

yeah, i have thought about that. These are the two fish that i really want the most, so it kinda sucks that they might clash a little bit. The tank is 48 inches long and has a pretty good amount of cover. I certainly dont want the clowns to be all stressed out. Dang, i hate decisions like this.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

does the LFS with the rtbs have a return policy?

 

[tlef316]

does the LFS with the rtbs have a return policy?

dont know. havent asked. Im sure the larger one does, not sure about the pet store