can i add some cardinal tetras with...

[Swifterz]

50 gallon tank


2 Iridescent Sharks (about 3")
3 Bala Sharks (about 2")


The Cardinal Tetras are very, very colorful and I would love to have about 10 or so in there, but I worry a little about whether or not my sharks will eat them.

I just got the Bala Sharks and for right now they wouldn't even be much bigger than the Tetras, but I need to think about long term also.

The ID sharks were given to me. i've had them for month sand they have never bothered any of the smaller fish I've kept with them in the past (black skirt tetras, mollys, red wag platys, tiger barbs, etc.)

HOWEVER, just this week I had dropped a couple of goldies in there and I came home to discover the tails on a couple of them were completely gone. It had to be the ID sharks because the Balas weren't even put in the tank yet. And obviously the goldfish are larger than the Tetras would be.

Before this I never once saw my ID sharks even try to chase any of the much smaller fish i mentioned above. But what other explanation is there other than the ID sharks were trying to eat the goldfish?

So having said all that, do you think I could put a school of Cardinal Tetras in this tank? I'd like to hear from someone who has had both in a tank before.

Thanks for the help!

[rich311k]

Unless you have a large tank in your future you may want to rethink your whole stocking and start over. None of your fish are appropriate to your tank size.

For now the neons would work but those other fish will soon get large enough to consume them.

[Swifterz]

Unless you have a large tank in your future you may want to rethink your whole stocking and start over. None of your fish are appropriate to your tank size.

For now the neons would work but those other fish will soon get large enough to consume them.

i'm thinking of getting rid of the ID sharks cause i know they will get big. they were actually in a 20 gallon tank with all those tetras, mollys, barbs, platys etc. for 6 months and they were fine. the person who gave them to me could accommodate them and would gladly take them back.

so i could do without the ID's, but i REALLY want Balas and i also really want the Cardinal Tetras. I mean how long is it going to be before the Balas get anywhere near big enough to bother the Tetras? I've heard Balas sometimes only get about 6 or 7" and the Tetras would (hopefully) be at least 2".

[Red]

I say a no more then a year, I wouldn't go with cardinals with the ID sharks. Balas might be able to handle the cardinal but IMO it is a 50/50.

[Swifterz]

it's just weird cause my sharks never bothered any of the fish and some of them were tiny. so i was surprised to fine some goldfish missing their tails.

UNLESS they were already missing their tails when i got them from the store, and i just didn't notice.

[Swifterz]

I say a no more then a year, I wouldn't go with cardinals with the ID sharks. Balas might be able to handle the cardinal but IMO it is a 50/50.

how big do you think those 2" Balas will be a year from now? that's another thing i was wondering.

[Swifterz]

well i just talked with my friend on the phone who gave me the two ID's and he has a 60 gallon with nothing but ID's in it. like maybe 10 of them. he says the largest one is about 7 or 8" and he has had them for a looooong time. they are happy/healthy and they are not getting gigantic.

i'm really starting to think that those goldfish might have already been missing a tail before i got them.

[Red]

There is something called stunting a fish. Which means the fish are in to small of tank, and when they stay at a smaller size. It sounds like a good thing, but it is really not. Stunting is bad for fish because it shortens there life span, and puts strain of the fish. It may look like they are healthy on the outside, but in reality they are not healthy. If he has had them for a long time, they should be a lot bigger. ID have been known to be fin nippers, and eat fish whole.

Here check out this list I made a while back..
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Swifterz]

yeah i've heard that.

i dunno, i clicked that and saw where you said balas need 350 gallons. everyone has vastly different numbers. i wanted balas for about a year but didn't get them because i only had a 20 gallon. every pet store in town i went to said 40 gallons is the acceptable minimum, so i figured i was fine with a 50 gallon tank. then online i see numbers like 75, 100, 150, 200, and now you're saying 350. everyone says different things. i know it's not an exact science, but there is a huge difference between 40 gallons as an acceptable minimum, and them needing 350 gallons to be happy/healthy.

thanks for the input. i just don't know what to do.

[cer]

Balas need to school and can get 14 inches. Not a good choice. Red Severum knows what he is talking about. For a school of bala sharks 350 gallons minimum. I have no idea what the people at your fish stores are saying but it is wrong. But if you still want something similar to a bala shark there are always silver dollars.

[Red]

Agreed with cer, its not that a single bala needs a 350, you should have a school around 5+. When a bala gets 14", I would want them in anything smaller then a 200, when they get scared, it could be a free for all, which means they can break the glass if they can run and hide and hit the glass. 40 gallons is unacceptable for balas, bare min. is a 200 gallon tank, just make sure you have towls ready just in case.

[Swifterz]

i mean it will probably take how long before they get to be about 6"? a year or more?

[Red]

I am pretty sure it will take shorter then that to reach 6".

[cer]

Depends on the tank size. In a large tank it might take 4-5 months. In a small tank it might never get over 6 inches or it will take a year.

[Swifterz]

the tank is 50 gallons. it's a wide tank, not as tall or as deep as most 50 gallons that i've seen. this should be good since the sharks swim side to side and not top to bottom.

so let's just say the sharks max out at 6", and i have 3 of them in this tank. is that ok?

[Red]

I say you have a year, then I would try to move them. But it is easier moving a bala and a ID before there big.

[cer]

They are going to get bigger than 6 inches. Plus if one of the sharks gets spooked if you walk by the tank it will slam into stuff and it could die.

[jaysee]

i'm thinking of getting rid of the ID sharks cause i know they will get big. they were actually in a 20 gallon tank with all those tetras, mollys, barbs, platys etc. for 6 months and they were fine. the person who gave them to me could accommodate them and would gladly take them back.


The reason they were all fine in the 20 gallon is because there was not enough room for the sharks to swim, let alone hunt.

[coralreef234]

a 50 g tank will fit smaller fishes.

it's not ideal for sharks....yes, cardinal tetras can co-exist with sharks ....but I will advise to buy a bigger tank if you really want to keep the sharks...bcoz no sooner the sharks will grow larger and shouldn't fit in your tank

[coralreef234]

Look mate.....I think that a 50g tank is quiet small for a single Iridescent Shark ...each of your fishes should feel comfortable in at least 150g tank as they will grow large very soon...and if you want to fit them all you will need a 500g instead of a 50g:lol:

I will suggest that you better keep cardinal tetras and replace the sharks....

if you are asking about compatibility then I can say that they are compatible

[jaysee]

if you are asking about compatibility then I can say that they are compatible

Yeah, I don't know about that. They are compatible in the sense that you can keep them together, sure, but periodic trips to the LFS will be needed to maintain the school of cards.

[iZinedane]

Look mate.....I think that a 50g tank is quiet small for a single Iridescent Shark ...each of your fishes should feel comfortable in at least 150g tank


it would be better if they were in a large pond :hmm3grin2orange:
well thats in my opinion lol :ssmile:

[mac]

Right IMO I would not bother getting the Cardinals with the Balas around. The chances are high that the Cardinals will get picked on as the Sharks grow.

Keep in mind they will grow. So keep a eye out for a larger tank.

IMO if you want to keep the Sharks get fish that will be okay with them. Fish like bueno aires tetra would work great.

mac