red-finned shark help

[bonz-1987]

i got a 10 gallon tank and a ghetto 5-15 stock waterfilter on it. i had it set up and had 2 albino red finned sharks about 3inches long. i had a black finned shark also, he died, but it appeared he starved himself, so i didnt do anything with testers (was never instructed on this stuff from my local petstore) i got a new filter and changed some water, then after things got clear, i got some more fish.....i added within 4-5 days of the first death 2 more red finned sharks(not albino) and 1 more albino so a total of 5 red finned sharks, i then added a catfish, a small plecosumus, and 2 snails recently 1 of my red-finned albinos is gettin skinny and it looks like hes hella skinny and not eatin, but then he gets lazy and floats almost sideways, and he looks dead then he moves and swims normal, but ive been noticin my 2 black red-fins are attackin all the others are they gettin weak and killin off the weakest? please post any help

[Glasstapper]

ok, darlin' you have way too many fishies in your little tank and you should only have one shark since they tend to kill off others like themselves. You want to try to use the general rule of about one inch of fish per gallon of tank. Those sharks will grow up to about 6 inches, so even just two of them is 12 inches and too big for the tank. So that means a 10 gallon tank will only house a total of 10 inches of fish. Now that doesn't mean you want a huge 10 inch fish in there, but maybe 5 two inch fish would be fine. Also, just because a fish is small now, that doesn't mean they will stay that way. You want to go by the adult size of the fish. Also, if you have not yet cycled your tank (it's new, right?), your ammonia levels may be way too high. You'll need to test your water, or bring a sample of your water to the fish store to have them test it for you.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're either going to have to get a much bigger tank to house all of them (we're talking at least a 55 gallon) OR you will only be able to keep very small fish in your current tank.

I hope I have helped you some, and of course, it's an excellent idea to always research a fish's needs before you bring them home.

If you really want to keep red finned sharks, here's a useful link taken from this site with some general information on them.
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and remember this from now on....only one shark per tank.

[NorthernBoy]

Hey!!! You have never called me darlin'!!!

[kimmers318]

Good job glasstapper....definitely right, way too many fish in that tank, and I don't think a 10 gal is recommended for even 1 shark, they need much more room than that. You have some quick decisions to make regarding your fish or you will probably lose all of them. You need to remove them and return them or get them into bigger separate tanks. If you choose to rehome them into new tanks they may still not make it after what they have been thru and then having to go thru cycling in a new tank. Read up on cycling and you will understand what is happening in your tank....read up on your sharks needs and you will understand why they won't be happy. If you can, take the sharks back, properly cycle your tank, and have the patience to set things up properly.

[Glasstapper]

Hey!!! You have never called me darlin'!!!

haha! I sometime call people that. I can't help it, I'm from south Louisiana. Also, I busted out laughing at your signature.

Very clever, sugar! ;)

[bonz-1987]

i have read about fish and the chemicals and balance in the water and i rushed out to buy a master test kit and i found ammonia is at .5-.25 not above 1, the high one is nitrites, i reccently switched to a 20-30 gallon filter instead of a pewnny little 10 gal filter, the tank has stayed clear and it appears that my fish is just a lot skinnier then the others and plays dead so they dont chase him, i was wonderin are u allowed to post pictures? cause if u are ill post and u can see its not as crowded as it sounds. i am aware hat thy get much larger, i have a family member with some tanks and she only has one giant pleco. at the moment, i was gonna let her house 2 sharks in a seperate 10 gallon and the catfish maybe also, i think my shark is gonna make it, i need to get some more live and fake grass cover for them it seems to be their favorite thing is to sneak around grass cover

[bonz-1987]

good info link thanks

[Glasstapper]

pictures are always welcome. :)