Red tail shark needs more room?

[efields]

I've had my 30gal tank setup for about 3.5 months now. I've been adding slowly. Up until a few weeks ago, the stars were two german rams who actually paired off nicely.

But yesterday I was put to the task of saving a tank from a friend's old office. 6 tetras, a dwarf pleco, and a 6" red tail shark.

They all seem to be doing fine in my tank, but I'm not sure if the red tail needs more room to swim. He seems pretty happy, but I can't really tell. Thoughts?

I can rearrange the driftwood to make more room. If we think so.

Pic: Image 2011.06.29 10:11:28 AM.png

BONUS: Can you identify this guy? Another rescue… Image 2011.06.29 10:12:36 AM.png Looks like an overgrown neon tetra.

[bstnrdsx]

IMHO, the Red Tail Shark needs at least a 55 for proper swimming space. Being that it's already 6" it can't be very happy right now. But I could be wrong!

[dskidmore]

You might need a bigger tank.
Red-tailed black shark - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Red tail sharks and their native home

Removing the driftwood might not help. It can obscure the view so that a fish feels more alone than he is, and give him a nice hangout.

The second picture has a cardnal tetra on the bottom, and a glowlight tetra on top.

[aquabeast]

yea, the tank size for a red tailed shark is 55. oh, and the bonus? thats a cardinal tetra.

[dskidmore]

Those rescue situations can be tough, I once had a full tank of incompatible fish, had to end up taking some back to the store for credit.

[aquabeast]

unbelieveable what people will put fish through just to have them.

[efields]

Thanks for the help guys. I actually rescued him from a 20g tank, so I like to think he's a little bit better off :-/.

Thoughts about what I should do w/ him? Call my LFS?

[efields]

Wikis seem to say 1 x 3 ft is a fine minimum (that's mine).

Also, the rest of the tank is

6 gold/diamond tetras
5 neon tetras
3 glowlight tetras
2 german rams
1 cardinal tetra (thanks!)
2 dwarf plecos (i'll have to snap pics…*not sure the species)

Ph 7.

Seems to be a happy tank. The rams have paired off and i've had 1 batch of eggs so far.

[dskidmore]

You are at the minimum according to the wiki, but you had commented that the shark didn't seem happy, which would lend to the idea of having more room. He might not like some of his tank mates and there's not extra space to get away from them.

The bioload is fine if fish are spawning. It's up to you to decide if he will actually find a better home if you take him to the pet store. Chances are pretty good that he'll end up in the same or smaller anyway. If the fish's welfare is the main concern, start saving up for a bigger tank.