Starting 30 gallon catfish tank - need help

[Mistago]

Hi,

I have just fully stocked my 20 gallon community tank and would like to start on my 30 gallon catfish/shark tank.

I'm very interested in the ID Shark but I hear a 30 gallon won't house it for it's entire life span as it can get up to 6 feet long.

I've been researching online and all catfish seem to grow huge!

Are there any sharks/similar catfish I can house permanently in a 30 gallon? Anything that remotely resembles the shark would be interesting.

Thanks!

[Brhino]

you might read up on the red tailed shark or the rainbow shark. Both of those shouldn't get bigger than 6" and would probably be doable in a 30 gallon tank, although a slightly bigger one would be preferred.

[toddnbecka]

Redtail and rainbow sharks are members of the carp family, and really should be kept in a 4' tank or larger.
The closest thing to a shark-looking catfish (that I can think of anyway) suitable for a 30 would be a group of Synodontis petricola or lucipinnis. They aren't predatory species, but the white edges on their fins and white barbels stand out in a moderately lit tank. A group of 5-6 would be fairly active, and while you won't often see them all at once (aside from feeding time) in a suitable furnished setup, at least a couple are usually visible at any given time IME.

[Sasquatch]

Don't know about "sharks", but there are some species of catfish that will fit.

An obvious choice, though not very sharky, would be glass cats. A group of them will be nice in the tank. African glass cats (aka debauwi cats) look more catfishy and stay aroung 3" long.

I know there are some dwarf iridescent sharks. They get 7-8" long though, so still too big for a 30g. Smaller than the three feet of normal iridescents though.

To add to toddnbecka, Synodontis multipunctatus is another one that stays small. Synos won't cause trouble, but they are cats, so they'll eat just about anything that fits in their mouth if they have the chance.

[Mistago]

Now my interest is piqued. What is the dwarf ID shark called? I've googled it and after searching I was able to come up with the scientific name "Neotropius atherinoides".

But I can't seem to find any information on it. Is there a common name I can search by? I tried Indian Potasi but no care information was provided.

Also, how big of a tank should I have for it?

[coolingeffect]

ive kept bullhead cats in the past, pretty cool fish, very active and will eat anything. I think they would outgrow your tank though.

[Kazenouta]

ive kept bullhead cats in the past, pretty cool fish, very active and will eat anything. I think they would outgrow your tank though.

Yeah, Bullheads like those found in Lake Erie I've seen reach 14" so that's not so doable :hmm3grin2orange: