Shark Tank?

[slingham64]

I've come up with a new idea for the empty 29g I have. How about a small shark tank? Any suggestions?

[Zerileous]

well, the biggest issue is having enough size for the adult to swim.
I am sure it would do a great job of housing a school of bala sharks though. They are pretty small.

[cocoa_pleco]

well, the biggest issue is having enough size for the adult to swim.
I am sure it would do a great job of housing a school of bala sharks though. They are pretty small.


look out. bala's get 1 foot long. I have 4 with a angel in the 30g hex and im lucky theyre still small. However, if you can find a place or get a bigger tank for balas when they get big, you can get some now.

[Incredulous_Ed]

Sorry, but a 29g doesn't really have much options for sharks. Bala, iridescent, and columbian sharks get way too big for 29g. You could keep some in there for a while, but you would eventually have to move them. I would suggest making the tank very well planted with alot of hiding places so you could keep 3 rainbow sharks. but that's just me.

[bscman]

NO BALA SHARKS!
They get wayyyy too large for a 29g. Even a 55g for ONE bala is wayyy too small!
In my opinion, they shouldn't even be able to be sold to the general public--as most people think just like that "Oh, those are cool looking and small...lets get those!" The before you know it, the fish is sick/stressed/stunted/dying because of that little tank!

ALSO!!!
I wouldn't put three rainbow sharks in a 29g, either!
3 small ones would be fine, but by the time they're about 2" long you'll be running into serious aggression problems. A 29g doesn't have a large enough footprint to give each of these HIGHLY TERRITORIAL fish enough room to co-exist. And remember, as they get larger they become more aggressive/territorial!

A red-tailed shark would be a slightly better choice--they are almost identical to a rainbow shark, expect ONLY the tail fin is bright red. They are not quite as aggressive, but are still quite territorial.

I have two RT Sharks in my 25 gallon tank. They are both juveniles, at about 1.5" long, but will need to be separated soon. They reside in their own hidey-holes on opposite ends of the tank...but if they even so much as SEE another red fin they go crazy and become aggressive toward each other.

I see my juveniles chasing each other (no nipping yet) a few times day, mainly around feeding times. I'm afraid that, within the next month, they will be large/aggressive enough that I will have a much bigger problem...which is A-Okay, as I have more tanks than I know what to do with!

Oh, and FWIW, Rainbow sharks and Red-Tailed sharks usually only grow to 5-6 inches...sometimes 7.
If you put any other fish in with them, choose fast moving fish that are at least 2" in length. They will chase other fish from their "territory" as well, so do NOT chose other bottom dwelling fish.

My Suggestion!
Get ONE rainbow or red-tailed shark, and a small group of tiger barbs for the 29g tank. The tigers are VERY active, and will be quite entertaining...they will also be large/fast enough to get away if the "shark" is in a bad mood.
Make sure you put 2-3 caves in the tank (big enough for a 6" fish) so he can choose the one he wants...but also leave enough room for the barbs to freely swim.

[crackatinny]

well, the biggest issue is having enough size for the adult to swim.
I am sure it would do a great job of housing a school of bala sharks though. They are pretty small.

Mate, I have 2 of those Bala's, they started small yes, in a 40G community tank, and soon caused havoc, they have now been transferred into my 120G (4x2x2 foot), and live alongside a 7inch oscar a red devil of similar size, 4 silver dollars ranging from 4 to 6 inches, and a 6 inche suckermouth catfish, Oh and did I mention, the Bala's now are at least 6 inches long (in just 6 months)

And coaco is correct, they may reach a foot, so please, if you have not had at least a bit of experience with certain species, do not recomend them to others, at least do some research first.:thumb:

[YaYgoldFish]

I THINK you could try black sharks, but im not sure..

[cocoa_pleco]

lol, now with mine i have a good excuse to build that 300g!

[gm72]

Please don't put any sharks in a tank that small. No way to have a good outcome.

[bscman]

Please don't put any sharks in a tank that small. No way to have a good outcome.

Just so you know, red tailed sharks and rainbow sharks aren't really sharks...and they don't get too large.

[cocoa_pleco]

most fish that are called sharks arent sharks, like redtails, blacks, bala's, and I.D's, someone just threw the name shark in for fun and popularity

[slingham64]

I feel like I'm being punished by a parent! Haha, it was just an idea, thought I'd throw it out there. But thanks for all the replies, I think I'm pretty much not gonna do that. So don't worry mom.

[gm72]

We didn't mean to sound like we were punishing you, just trying to give you some wisdom with which to work. Apologies if it came across as being negative, certainly not intended as such.

[crackatinny]

As GM said, your not being punished LOL, but we would hate to see you make the same mistakes some of us have.

[gm72]

Exactly. When you receive overwhelmingly negative opinions on something, we just mean to drive home the point that what you (or anyone else to whom we are replying) are about to make a HUGE mistake. Take the feedback and act on it or we'll be here and will, pleasantly, tell you "we told you so" and continue to offer support and advice for you.