Sharks and catfish

Shawnm311 · Post by **Shawnm311** » 13 May 2003, 23:53

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?

Post by **Silurus** » 14 May 2003, 00:20

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...).

T · Post by T » 14 May 2003, 00:32

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.

Shawnm311 · Post by **Shawnm311** » 14 May 2003, 02:47

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.

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 14 May 2003, 07:57

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!!!!

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.....

Post by **Silurus** » 14 May 2003, 09:51

Other freshwater "sharks":
Apollo shark: Luciosoma spp. (usually L. setigerum)
Rainbow shark: Epalzeorhynchos frenatum.

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 14 May 2003, 11:47

Tanx those are new ones (I usually use latin names...)

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

Post by **Silurus** » 14 May 2003, 12:17

Nope, the flying fox is E. kallopterus.

Shawnm311 · Post by **Shawnm311** » 15 May 2003, 05:20

Thanks guess I will stay away from the sharks for now