guess whos getting a megladoras irwini!!!!

[fish_breeder_05]

A freind from monster fish keepers wants to get rid of his 12" irwini to redue the tank style. He paid $150 for it, but its beingn offered to me for $40. We pulled some strings, and he'll trade it to my lfs for some koi, and I will save up for it along with a tiger shovelnose, wich the store will hold

[ghinksmon]

Not that you have a history of taking advice but....
why do you want to get two fish that you're not prepared to care for?

[fish_breeder_05]

I know, its a liite over the size recomendations for a 55, but they hide most of the day, and I'm getting a 125-180 in the summer, and you may be forgetting that I will be 14 in a few weeks (may 6)and will get a job to help funding my hobby. the tiger shovelnose is only 3" and will have plenty of time to grow out

[fiske]

Although the tiger shovelnose is a beautiful fish and I think that it would be cool to have one in suitable conditions, heated garden pond or monster fishkeeper swimming pool like tank, I hope you have done your research and know that it is unsafe to keep one in any hobby size aquarium. I'm not sure about their growth rate but it will eventually get big and most likely attempt to bust out. A 180 gallon aquarium is a big investment, I wouldn't toss one off my roof and I wouldn't put a "tank buster" in one either.

[ghinksmon]

Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum is the more common tiger shovelnose. It is a tankbuster at 40"+. Besides the max. size the problem is dealing with the waste as well.

Brachyplatystoma tigrinum (aka Merodontotus tigrinum) is much less common but is smaller and argueably better looking. More like the zebra pleco's.

Either way the point is you're currently dealing with reducing your overstocked tanks, but you're already looking at adding more fish. Get your big tank first, get it running well, then look at getting the fish.