any experience with iridescent sharks, bala,etc..?

aquapants

aquapants

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Mar 3, 2008
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portland, me
So, we finally got our 55 gal set up. (We are so excited about it that we sat for like an hour watching the empty tank clear!) While we are patiently waiting for the cycle to establish itself, we want to plan our future fish community.
My bf wants a "shark". We have been looking at bala's and iridescents, but I am wary. Sounds like iridescents get along fairly peacefully with most fish, but there are drastically varying accounts as to how big they will grow.
We really want more Gouramis, so the other inhabitants must get along with them.
Any thoughts about "sharks" or maybe some suggestions that would satisfy our urge to have something similar?
Cheers!
 
I know DebraMark on here had some ID sharks in her huge tank, I think they were a few feet long. Not an option for a 55. Bala sharks also not an option, they get upwards of a foot and are hyperactive, and also schooling fish. You could look at rainbow sharks, they might not give the gourami issues.
 
ID sharks not only get big but they're prone to banging into the sides of the tank and decorations and everything else. I have never seen one over 6 inches that didn't have damage to it's face from collisions. They are really not good candidates for a 55.

You might get away with a red tail shark if your boyfriend really has to have a shark. They sometimes tend to get agressive as they get older but I have had one with Gourami's without problem.
 
I love both Bala & Irredescent's.... Both beautiful and i did up till Christmas eve have both in my 55 gallon. The Bala was around 6-7 years old but died unexpectedly with no sign of illness... At this point I still have 2 5-6 inch Irredescents who are fabulous fish... (no damage to face as some describe) but i could see why this could happen as they are frantic and very clumsy... Incidentally they lived happily together....

I aim to keep my guys as long as possible and am aware that i will have to upgrade their housing situation as they grow...

I am fairly luck in that i have a friend who owns a very large aquarium store who has the facility to home them in one of the largest set ups i have ever seen..
 
If you want a schooling "shark" & have deep pockets, puntius dennisoni aka roseline sharks are stunning. I've seen them kept with pearl gouramis, cardinal tetras, blue rams & cherry barbs, a lovely display at a lfs.

If you go with a red tail or rainbow shark remember only 1 & no other shark shaped fish. Ours used to kill corys too but we had a blue gourami in with it ok. Another time we had 1 with a pair of pearl gouramis. Be careful mixing gouramis too.
 
if you've ever eaten basa (asian catfish) you've eaten an ID shark, or at least part of it. while they can easily stunt in the home aquarium, they are supposed to get very large and in reality are not suitable as pets. stunting of course carries a whole host of related problems. it's just that they look so cute when they are babies.
 
These are food fish that grow fast they can be produced cheaply and eaten cheaply, so yours must be stunted.

carlyleigh said:
I love both Bala & Irredescent's.... Both beautiful and i did up till Christmas eve have both in my 55 gallon. The Bala was around 6-7 years old but died unexpectedly with no sign of illness... At this point I still have 2 5-6 inch Irredescents who are fabulous fish... (no damage to face as some describe) but i could see why this could happen as they are frantic and very clumsy... Incidentally they lived happily together....

I aim to keep my guys as long as possible and am aware that i will have to upgrade their housing situation as they grow...

I am fairly luck in that i have a friend who owns a very large aquarium store who has the facility to home them in one of the largest set ups i have ever seen..
Click to expand...
 
Yeah neither iridescents nor balas are a good fit. Both are schooling fish, like groups of 5 or more. They are both very active as well and require lots of swimming space. Iridescent sharks kept in captivity, if given proper room and nutrition, will grow to 3 feet each. However, most kept in home aquariums only get to 6 inches to 1 foot because they are stunted and therefore die prematurely from organ failure (when a fishes body is stunted due to lack of space, the organs continue to grow). The balas get to easily a foot and are also hyperactive, so tank is way too small for either.

I would agree that rainbow sharks or red-tailed black sharks would be your best bet, though I think they should be kept alone rather than in groups and are aggressive to their own kind?? Never kept them myself though, so someone correct me if I'm wrong.
 
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