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Sharks and catfish

Posted: 13 May 2003, 23:53
by Shawnm311
Is it safe to put a small shark (the kind at the pet store) with my catfish, or will the shark eat the small catfish? :lol:

Posted: 14 May 2003, 00:20
by Silurus
What kind of a shark are we talking about? The saltwater kind or the freshwater? If the latter, there are many freshwater fish (mostly cyprinids) sold as "sharks" so you have to be more specific (e.g. rainbow shark, black shark, etc...).

Posted: 14 May 2003, 00:32
by T
If its a coumbian shark catfish (aka white/black tip shark) then no its not.These can be very aggressive and require brackish water to thrive.They dont live long in fresh.

Shark

Posted: 14 May 2003, 02:47
by Shawnm311
Sorry I will have to look and see what they are called..they are freshwater sharks but they are not that big, just a little bigger that my large green cory catfish. I want to buy one but I did not know if the shark would bother the catfish. I will look next time I go to the pet store and see what kind of shark it is.

Posted: 14 May 2003, 07:57
by Sid Guppy
Usually two species of catfish are sold as "sharks"; both have major drawbacks!
-Pangasius hypopthalmus; the Iridescent Shark. Shoaling fish that needs a whopping big tank and reaches 3 feet or so.
-Arius seemanni; the Colombian Shark, or Silver Shark. A brackish cat, that reaches 2 feet, and is a shoaler too, not to mention it likes "snacks" 9smaller fish).

The non-cats often called "sharks" usually are Epalzeorhynchus bicolor ("Labeo bicolor") the Red Tail Shark. Certainly suitable, but a bit of a fanatic. reaches 6-7".
Morulius chrysophekadion, the Black Shark. reaches 2 feet, and is just as bad as the RedTail when it comes to having too much character.

I still pray for the day, when common names are in the bin, when we all name the beasts in LATIN!!!! :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:


TRUE sharks are for obvious reasons not suitable for any home tank. The smallest species reaches 10", but it lives at 2 kilometers depth (Squaliolus laticaudus, the Spined Pygmy Shark), so you would need a highly pressurized tank (several tons per square centimeter of pressure), and there would be certain difficulties involved in catching a live one..... :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Posted: 14 May 2003, 09:51
by Silurus
Other freshwater "sharks":
Apollo shark: <i>Luciosoma</i> spp. (usually <i>L. setigerum</i>)
Rainbow shark: <i>Epalzeorhynchos frenatum</i>.

Posted: 14 May 2003, 11:47
by Sid Guppy
Tanx those are new ones (I usually use latin names...)

i thought Epalzeorhynchus frenatum (labeo frenatus) was called the Flying Fox?

Posted: 14 May 2003, 12:17
by Silurus
Nope, the flying fox is <i>E. kallopterus</i>.

Thanks

Posted: 15 May 2003, 05:20
by Shawnm311
Thanks guess I will stay away from the sharks for now