What sharklike fish can i get?

[ddaddy]

When i first decided to buy a tank, i had my heart set on a pang/irridescent shark fish. No im ready to stock, i find out they grow far to big and are very nervous and have reportedly cracked tanks.

My tank is 260l juwel vision.

The pang catfish looks kinda sharky and swims kinda sharky with its big wavy tail.

Is there a similar kind of fish i can get?
I want something that'll grow about 12" and will suit a community.

Thanks

 

[CFC]

Bala sharks would be your best bet but your tank is just a little too small for them as adults, a rio 300 would be the absolute minimum i would keep a group of them in and even that is cramped for 3 or more 12" fish.
There are also the Labeo type sharks (RTBS, rainbow shark etc) but these only grow to around 6" and are more loach like than shark like IMO.

Another choice if you are prepared to have a brackish tank instead of freshwater is the columbian shark catfish (Arius seemani) which can be kept alone (though does better in groups) and usually only grows to around 12" in captivity, however a brackish aquarium will limit your fish choices drasticly.

There are also the catfish of the Ageneiosidae family which have a very shark like appearance and many of these wont exceed 12", however they are extreemly predatory and will eat fish over half their own size so again your choices will be limited. They are also difficult to find in the hobby and usually expensive.

 

[LoachLover]

Ok, exatly how many gallons is your tank?

 

[CFC]

Around 65 gallons.

 

[LoachLover]

(Thanks CFC)

It also depends on what you would consider "Shark Like". Because personally I find the Common Pleco pretty shark like, especially in the way they swim in open water.

 

[CFC]

an over weight basking shark maybe


He means something that looks like a Pangasius catfish (ID shark) but doesnt get as big.

 

[LoachLover]

Alright, well maybe

But just look at the swimming style compared to say.....a bull shark.

 

[Teelie]

The Labeo's (Epalzeorhynchos now to be accurate) are still the best bet IMO.

 

[CFC]

There are still a lot of fish in the Labeo genus but they just arent that common in the trade, one that has recently started appearing in the hobby is Labeo boga and more will probably follow.

 

[ddaddy]

Wow, thanks for the quick replies. One of the things i like about the I/D shark is the flat nose, this in my oppinion, is what makes it more shark like than the bala.
Can the common pleco be found in black or grey or are they al the browny/yellow colour?

 

[Teelie]

There are black ones but I don't think I've seen grey. It's certainly possible though.