Silver Shark

[gabradenver]

I would like to get a silver shark, and would like to know what size tank do I need, as I have to put this on my kitchen bench the only spot, and does the tank have to be very high or can it be quiet long and not so high? I know this much that they grow big and need room to swim.

 

[Spishkey]

i doubt the tank youwould need for a silver shark would fit on your kitchen bench sorry, they need huge tanks a few sites recommend 55gallons min, but to me even this is to small. i wouldnt keep one in anything less than 6 foot. they need space, get spooked easily and take off round the tank.

in all honest these are one of those fish i hate seeing in home aquaria

 

[nmonks]

I'd also like to add that you shouldn't keep "a" silver shark. This is a schooling species, and while keeping them in schools of six or more is the ideal, at the very least you should keep at least three specimens. Otherwise these fish are very skittish and unhappy.

There are lots of smaller alternatives you might consider. If you want silvery fish, then platinum tetras (Hemigrammus vorderwinkleri) or diamond tetras (Moenkhausia pittieri) might be considered. If it's the combination of shape and colour, then species like the spotted headstander (Chilodus punctatus) and the reticulated flying fox (Crossocheilus reticulatus) are reasonably close to the silver shark.

Cheers, Neale

 

[jonp]

WOuld be interested to hear other peoples opinions on this but one of the books I have says not to place tanks in kitchens because the odours and chemicals in the air could contaminate the water?

 

[3ndl3r]

That is a possibility, i never had any problems with kitchen based tanks though.

 

[nmonks]

Depends on the kitchen. If you fry a lot of food, or use a lot of aromatic spices (of unknown toxicity to fish), then putting an aquarium in the kitchen might conceivably be problematical. But I've kept fish tanks, including open-topped tanks, in my kitchen without problems.

This said, the main sources of poisons are perhaps more commonly used in kitchens than elsewhere, so you would need to be careful to avoid accidental spillage or spraying things into the water. Bleach, detergent, window cleaning spray, air fresheners and so on are all toxic to fish.

Cheers, Neale

Would be interested to hear other peoples opinions on this but one of the books I have says not to place tanks in kitchens because the odours and chemicals in the air could contaminate the water?