Silverstipe shark - stock suggestions

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Aquavic

Aquarium Advice Activist
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Jul 28, 2012
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Hey guys, so I'm new to tropical fish and I have a 20 gallon freshwater tank that consists of red, dalmatian, and black mollies. I asked the guy at petco and they said that the silverstripe shark wouldn't be able to coexist with the mollies but on the handout they gave me it said that they do. I wanted to know if I could get one or not because they look awesome and I really want one.
 
Tank is too small for a silver tip shark. Can get up to a foot long

+1 shark=big tank every time

Side note: Is a silverstripe shark another name for a silver tip or for (worse in my opinion for the tank tank size) an iridescent shark? Or is it one of those names that gets tossed about irrespective of species?
 
I have no idea, it said silverstripe but maybe I read it wrong
 
(Shrugs) Ah well; I really wish fish stores would start making an effort to include latin names and get them right...truth off the top of my head I can't think of a single 'shark' species that should be in a tank smaller than 70g either due to adult size, schooling nature or active behaviour or all of the above.
 
Well. Any suggestion though? Plants, fishes, anything?
 
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Well. Any suggestion though? Plants, fishes, anything?

How many mollies are we talking here? Seeing they are your starting point you could do a central american biotope.

Check this out: Central American Lowlands -- Livebearer Biotope Aquarium Setup
Central American River Biotope Aquarium Setup

In a twenty with mollies which are big bodied fish I probably wouldn't go for dwarf cichlids. Personally, with all the variations of mollies available I'd do a species tank but that's just my preference. You could do other livebearers (not guppies ideally as you'd end up with some muppies) but maybe swordtails.
 
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5 mollies and 2 plecostomus

Ummm...what kind of pleco? Plecos are great fish but there are ALOT (100s) of different kinds. Some are cute little things that only grow to 5". Others are monsters (like commons, sailfins, and leopard high fins) that exceed a foot in length when full grown and need at least 125g.

The other thing about plecos is that although they are nice peaceful community fish with everyone else they display territorial aggression towards other members of their own species. Its really recommended that you have at least a 30g for one pleco of any variety IMO. However, you could get away with ONE specimen of the smaller varieties in a 20g but 2 are going to have problems. Because they are nocternal you aren't going to see these fights but they will happen.

For context: here is a good summary about the common pleco http://carnivoraforum.com/topic/9625624/1/
 
image-2611839128.jpg

This is the smaller one
The other big one never usually comes out
 
View attachment 109923

This is the smaller one
The other big one never usually comes out

Ya that is a baby common pleco. Does the other one look the same?

If you can I would take these two wee beasties back to the lfs they are going to be stunted in your tank. Stunting is when a fish stops growing due to being in a tank that is too small. The outside stop but their internal organs continue to grow. This leads to bad health and a shortened lifespan.

If your set on having one see if you can get a bristlenose pleco or a rubberlip pleco. Clown plecos would also work but they are VERY shy and are useless at eating algae (they prefer drift wood).
 
The other is about half an inch longer maybe less but the 20 gallon is only temporary, I want to get a larger tank for obvious reasons. Do these coexist with plants? Because I hear they didn't and I want to buy some for my tank
 
Aquavic said:
The other is about half an inch longer maybe less but the 20 gallon is only temporary, I want to get a larger tank for obvious reasons. Do these coexist with plants? Because I hear they didn't and I want to buy some for my tank

To keep these two critters your going to need at least a 200g tank to allow enough space for both to have their own territories when they mature. With only one you can get away with a 125g. They will need to be move into at least a 55g within 6 months and the full size tank in a year to avoid stunting.

On the plant front, at this size yes the will coexist but as they grow no they will end up uprooting plants. These guys are like bulls in a china shop when it comes to aquascaping.
 
See advice like this would've really helped from the petco guys... It my fault for researching first though. Well, for now I just need some good decor
 
Aquavic said:
See advice like this would've really helped from the petco guys... It my fault for researching first though. Well, for now I just need some good decor

We have all been there. I was sold two iridescent sharks for a 30g tank when i didn't know so much. I was told they wouldn't outgrow the tank. And were slow growers. They were about 1" long. A month later they died during an ick outbreak. They were 5" and 7" respectively. Iridescent sharks can grow to 4 feet.

Driftwood is a most with plecos. They need it to keep their digestion runny well.

Also, how much filtration is on that tank? And what have you been feeding the plecos?
 
I have the algae disks, I feed them once daily an whatever try don't eat I'll just throw out. I have the 15-20 gallon filter.
 
Aquavic said:
I have the algae disks, I feed them once daily an whatever try don't eat I'll just throw out. I have the 15-20 gallon filter.

Get a filter rated for a 50 gal rated filter. Filters are always under rated.

I'd add feeding fresh veggies to the algae disks. Cucumber slices and deshelled green frozen peas (thawed) are always appreciated by plecos. Id throw another thread up asking for more suggestions. Its been awhile since I've had plecos.
 
Aquavic said:
Are all filters like that or on certain brands?

As far as I'm concerned all. They are flow tested perfectly clean with out any media. You want to turn the water over 6-10 time an hour. With two plecos in a twenty Id aim for 10x. They are heavy bioload fish like goldfish which people also recommend 10x for. Thus you want 200gal/hr flow ideally.

So look up the flow rate in your filter add as appropriate. If you google the brand and model you should be able to find the specs.

Having multiple filters on a tank is actually a good idea as it provides insurance invade one stops working. And when you upgrade the filters can always be used on a bigger tank in conjunction with new filters.
 
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