Shoaling with albinos?

I am thinking about adding an albino ID shark to my existing four that are normal colored. Are they all going to be able to recognize each other as the same species? Anyone got any experience whether a mixed group of albinos and non-albinos does or does not work as a shoal? I don't want to risk getting an albino if there is a high chance he is going to be singled out. Getting one just to test it and see what happens does not appeal to me - he won't be a guinea pig.

Any other reason why an albino ID shark might be bad to have?

phreeflow said:

It will be fine...they will shoal and live together. Hoever, I'd highly discourage you to get more. They are tankbusters....literally. Not only do they get 3-4 feet long but het heavy enough to bust open a glass tank of they're startled. Please do some homework on them

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Yes, I am aware, even when I got them, that I cannot keep them forever due to housing requirements. Also them turning solitary when older. I was under the very wrong impression that a 300 gallon tank would be adequate to keep a single iridescent. Now I am pretty sure that nothing but a large pond will do.

I am looking for alternatives, but come up empty so far. Unfortunately ID sharks are quiet unique, and the close siblings are even bigger that cannot be housed in public aquaria. At least in the US, not sure about worldwide. What I love about them is this:

- great body shape (closely resembles a real marine shark)
- likes to be in a shoal (at least in my tank before they grow too big)
- non aggressive for peaceful community tank
- very active swimmers (more so at night, but mine also like to come out during the day every now and then)

If I could find something like that in a catfish that grows to about 8-12 inches max, I would be happy. The closest to that size in not aggressive is the raphael cat, unfortunately solitary. Then there is pictus cats, which are a little on the smaller side (for my like) - but I will seriously consider them since they shoal - maybe I get lucky and end up with some that will grow past their usual 4".

Any other suggestions for alternatives that I am overlooking? Oh, one non-negotiable requirement is compatibilty with my clown loaches - those are the dearest of my fish.

evil wizard said:

Even the public aquariums dont have these guys on purpose,they get them because someone buys them then they get to big then they pawn them off on them.
so DON'T get another one.

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Thank you for this kind advice. The problem as I see it is not only the stupid buyers (like me), but also the insanely easy accessibility of ID sharks almost everywhere. On top of that they are dirt cheap - a very evil setup by many stores e.g. Walmart that carries 20gal tanks max. Walmart also got tons of fancy goldfish, and yes still next to the shelf with tanks of 20gal max.

On a bright note, we will be getting a new fish store in a week or two that will not even stock fish that will get too big for most everybody. Balas or ID sharks, for example, won't be for sale. Very excited about it - from what I hear his coral and frag stock is awesome.