Though this is a very attractive fish and fun to observe, the Silver-tipped Shark or Shark Catfish gets rather large, up to 14 inches (36 cm) and needs several companions. This equates to a rather large aquarium!
Linda - 2012-06-26 My husband wants to get this type of fish and I've been doing some research on it. I pretty much know most of what I need to. However, I was wondering if someone could tell me exactly which fish would be good to go in a tank with it? As in the specific names of the most compatible fish.
savannah - 2012-06-22 I just got one of these from wal-mart and didnt know anything about them. Its about 3 inches and is in a 10 gal tank by itself with brackish water. Will it survive in a 10 gal tank?
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Jeremy Roche - 2012-06-22 Yes but will out grow the tank fairly fast.
Paul - 2012-03-30 I have 2 of these and 1 has just started to go swimming around the tank non stop for the last day or so which is out of the ordinary for this breed of catfish shark. Checked PH GH KH AMONIA & NITRATES which are fine. Can anyone tell me what is going on with the fish and a cure for what maybe the start of some disease?????? Many thanx Paul
Hayley - 2011-09-13 My shark catfish has started to hide and chase other fish if they come to close. He also appears to keep gulping. I'm wondering if he is likely to be brooding?? Any tips?? I have read that this is pretty unlikely for them to breed in captivity... But wondering what else would cause this behavior? I have 5 shark catfish in 180L tropical tank x
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amy - 2012-02-18 Hi, I know this reply is very late but the first thing I would do is test the water. Your ammonia and/or nitrites might be high. Definetely a water change would be in order. Also, I learned that almost all bacterial and fungal infections are secondary to a parasitic infection. At the first sign of illness I treat my tank with 'Quick Cure' and add a little additional aquarium salt. The salt provides them things necessary for their immune system to fight it off. After that I do a 7 day course of melafix. It's natural and cures secondary bacterial infections and helps any damaged fins/scales to re-grow. Pimafix is also a secondary treatment for fungal infections. My fish have not tolerated it well but it has been highly recommended to me by many people and I keep some on hand. Hope this helps for the future. Amy
Stephanie - 2012-01-28 I purchased two of these beautiful fish at PetSmart and they died within ten days. The girl in the fish department did not know anything about them at all. I realize now that the water for my angel fish is too soft for these sharks. Does anyone have suggestions about similar sharks thsat would stay smaller and go better in a soft water environment?
Josh - 2011-09-27 Do silver tip sharks NEED brackish or saltwater as they get older or is it possible for them to survive in fresh water their whole lives?
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Charlie Roche - 2011-09-27 Silver Tip sharks are actually brackish water and in the Animal World Article Silver Tip tells you how to do that.
Katie - 2012-01-08 Yes silvertip sharks do need brackish water as juveniles they can survive in freshwater but it is best to keep them in a brackish tank with a salt content of 1.005 and this should be increased gradually to 1.015 or above as adults this is for their long term health.
James - 2010-02-26 Hey. These catsharks are really cool fish. I never knew they were brackish! My dad had some of these a while back. Oh yea, they do not get up to 24 inches, they only get up to 12, usually 6-8.
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CichlaDude - 2010-05-18 I don't want to sound rude but you're wrong...I have 2 that are over 12 inches. Go check out monster fish keepers and you will see.
marko - 2011-08-05 Hey thanks for the info
lvmblfkdmb - 2011-08-28 Mine are 13 in.
Minisip - 2011-10-27 While this fish *can* get up to 24 inches in size, it is actually quite rare. I have kept several of these over the years in various tanks and setups and the largest I have had was 15 inches long. Most of them actually topped out at approx. 10 inches. I've kept them in larger and smaller setups, and even with lots of room to grow and feeding regimens geared towards growth, I've only had the one that hit 15 inches; (150 Gallon setup). Normally I'll get them as babies, move them from fresh to brackish, eventually ending with them fully converted to a marine setup as in the wild, they are born in freshwater, as they move to the coast, salt gets in the water putting them into brackish, then they find their way to sea, spending periods at sea, eventually returning to spawn.
Carrie - 2011-12-30 James, I agree with you. They are cool, and I own four that are three years old, and they're only one foot long
Scott - 2011-09-25 My shark has suddenly developed a white body fungus and appears distressed. What medications are safe for this species along with botias and red-tailed sharks?
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Charlie Roche - 2011-09-26 Sounds like a fungus to me. Here is a link for Fish Diseases and Treatments so just scroll down to symptoms and they are clear and the recommended treatment is there. http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/Diseases.htm
Scott - 2011-09-26 Thanks Charlie. I had always learned to be a bit cautious treating scaleless fish like sharks and loaches, but apparently that's "old school". Unfortunately my white tip succomed last night but I still need to protect the rest of my tank. What ever it was attacked quickly and ruthlessly. You'd think after 40+ years of being a breeder and avid hobbiest I'd know better. SM
Charlie Roche - 2011-09-26 I've done birds for years and years and sometimes something happens that I just can't figure out. Weird. I am sorry your little fella went though.
Randy Brown - 2011-07-06 Hello, I love these fish, but they will not eat! Anything seemingly, whether it be tropical flakes or Blood worms. Any suggestions or alternate sources of food I should try??
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Charlie Roche - 2011-07-07 Pellet?
Timika - 2011-07-29 Try sinking pellets. Mine wait for them to get soggy and then suck them right in their mouth.
ryan - 2011-09-01 Try neon tetras they ate mine all six
Alainn - 2011-09-04 Mine love the freeze dried brine shrimp. And I have a few plants that float on top of the water and I sprinkle the shrimp the sharks seem to enjoy hunting in the plants. gl hope this helps.
Charles - 2011-09-09 Try ghost shrimp, I have four of them and they love it when I feed them ghost shrimp, they will actually chase them all around my tank.
90 gal tank, 4 cichlids, 3 silver tipped sharks, 1 Placo, 1 (not sure of the name, but fat little orange and black guy that grunts when he is out of the water)
Jenn - 2011-04-16 We have had a grand total of 4 of these awesome little guys, and only 1 has survived (so far!). One we had in our 40G long with our cichlids, and 3 in a 55G L with emperor tetras, rasbora hets, and angels. So far, all but one in the big tank has died. My husband LOVES these guys, and I agree that they are cool and interesting to watch around the tank. They don't seem to die of any disease, or because of our water levels (we have yet to lose a fish due to our errors). They just randomly up and die. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as we sincerely adore this fish, and the money we keep spending on them!
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Charlie Roche - 2011-04-18 There is usally a reason for things. Did you get them all at the same time? Did you get them from the same place? Attached is some information on the silver-tipped shark. Read the info and if you have additional questions, I'll get you to the owners here cuz they have a trillion years on fish. OK?
floyd - 2011-09-08 They need to be in a brakish tank they are dieing because of this. They will not eat because of lack of salt in the water quality and die slowly.
Though this is a very attractive fish and fun to observe, the Silver-tipped Shark or Shark Catfish gets rather large, up to 14 inches (36 cm) and needs several companions. This equates to a rather large aquarium!
My husband wants to get this type of fish and I've been doing some research on it. I pretty much know most of what I need to. However, I was wondering if someone could tell me exactly which fish would be good to go in a tank with it? As in the specific names of the most compatible fish.
I just got one of these from wal-mart and didnt know anything about them. Its about 3 inches and is in a 10 gal tank by itself with brackish water. Will it survive in a 10 gal tank?
Yes but will out grow the tank fairly fast.
I have 2 of these and 1 has just started to go swimming around the tank non stop for the last day or so which is out of the ordinary for this breed of catfish shark. Checked PH GH KH AMONIA & NITRATES which are fine. Can anyone tell me what is going on with the fish and a cure for what maybe the start of some disease??????
Many thanx
Paul
My shark catfish has started to hide and chase other fish if they come to close. He also appears to keep gulping. I'm wondering if he is likely to be brooding?? Any tips?? I have read that this is pretty unlikely for them to breed in captivity... But wondering what else would cause this behavior?
I have 5 shark catfish in 180L tropical tank x
Hi, I know this reply is very late but the first thing I would do is test the water. Your ammonia and/or nitrites might be high. Definetely a water change would be in order. Also, I learned that almost all bacterial and fungal infections are secondary to a parasitic infection. At the first sign of illness I treat my tank with 'Quick Cure' and add a little additional aquarium salt. The salt provides them things necessary for their immune system to fight it off. After that I do a 7 day course of melafix. It's natural and cures secondary bacterial infections and helps any damaged fins/scales to re-grow. Pimafix is also a secondary treatment for fungal infections. My fish have not tolerated it well but it has been highly recommended to me by many people and I keep some on hand. Hope this helps for the future.
Amy
I purchased two of these beautiful fish at PetSmart and they died within ten days. The girl in the fish department did not know anything
about them at all. I realize now that the water for my angel fish is too soft for these sharks.
Does anyone have suggestions about similar sharks thsat would stay smaller and go better in a soft water environment?
Do silver tip sharks NEED brackish or saltwater as they get older or is it possible for them to survive in fresh water their whole lives?
Silver Tip sharks are actually brackish water and in the Animal World Article Silver Tip tells you how to do that.
Yes silvertip sharks do need brackish water as juveniles they can survive in freshwater but it is best to keep them in a brackish tank with a salt content of 1.005 and this should be increased gradually to 1.015 or above as adults this is for their long term health.
Hey. These catsharks are really cool fish. I never knew they were brackish! My dad had some of these a while back. Oh yea, they do not get up to 24 inches, they only get up to 12, usually 6-8.
I don't want to sound rude but you're wrong...I have 2 that are over 12 inches. Go check out monster fish keepers and you will see.
Hey thanks for the info
Mine are 13 in.
While this fish *can* get up to 24 inches in size, it is actually quite rare. I have kept several of these over the years in various tanks and setups and the largest I have had was 15 inches long. Most of them actually topped out at approx. 10 inches. I've kept them in larger and smaller setups, and even with lots of room to grow and feeding regimens geared towards growth, I've only had the one that hit 15 inches; (150 Gallon setup). Normally I'll get them as babies, move them from fresh to brackish, eventually ending with them fully converted to a marine setup as in the wild, they are born in freshwater, as they move to the coast, salt gets in the water putting them into brackish, then they find their way to sea, spending periods at sea, eventually returning to spawn.
James, I agree with you. They are cool, and I own four that are three years old, and they're only one foot long
My shark has suddenly developed a white body fungus and appears distressed. What medications are safe for this species along with botias and red-tailed sharks?
Sounds like a fungus to me. Here is a link for Fish Diseases and Treatments so just scroll down to symptoms and they are clear and the recommended treatment is there. http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/Diseases.htm
Thanks Charlie. I had always learned to be a bit cautious treating scaleless fish like sharks and loaches, but apparently that's "old school". Unfortunately my white tip succomed last night but I still need to protect the rest of my tank. What ever it was attacked quickly and ruthlessly. You'd think after 40+ years of being a breeder and avid hobbiest I'd know better. SM
I've done birds for years and years and sometimes something happens that I just can't figure out. Weird. I am sorry your little fella went though.
Hello, I love these fish, but they will not eat! Anything seemingly, whether it be tropical flakes or Blood worms. Any suggestions or alternate sources of food I should try??
Pellet?
Try sinking pellets. Mine wait for them to get soggy and then suck them right in their mouth.
Try neon tetras they ate mine all six
Mine love the freeze dried brine shrimp. And I have a few plants that float on top of the water and I sprinkle the shrimp the sharks seem to enjoy hunting in the plants. gl hope this helps.
Try ghost shrimp, I have four of them and they love it when I feed them ghost shrimp, they will actually chase them all around my tank.
90 gal tank, 4 cichlids, 3 silver tipped sharks, 1 Placo, 1 (not sure of the name, but fat little orange and black guy that grunts when he is out of the water)
We have had a grand total of 4 of these awesome little guys, and only 1 has survived (so far!). One we had in our 40G long with our cichlids, and 3 in a 55G L with emperor tetras, rasbora hets, and angels. So far, all but one in the big tank has died. My husband LOVES these guys, and I agree that they are cool and interesting to watch around the tank. They don't seem to die of any disease, or because of our water levels (we have yet to lose a fish due to our errors). They just randomly up and die. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as we sincerely adore this fish, and the money we keep spending on them!
There is usally a reason for things. Did you get them all at the same time? Did you get them from the same place? Attached is some information on the silver-tipped shark. Read the info and if you have additional questions, I'll get you to the owners here cuz they have a trillion years on fish. OK?
They need to be in a brakish tank they are dieing because of this. They will not eat because of lack of salt in the water quality and die slowly.