Need a companion for our ID shark

by Sandman1969 Mon Oct 28, 2013 10:52 am

Our ID shark is lonely. We used to have 2 Colombian sharks that he swam with, until they died this past summer.
Now, for the most part, he just kinda sits at the one end of our 130 gallon tank, staring out into the room.
He swims alone as the plecos are not good swimming buddies.

So I am in need of another ID shark. I am not looking for a small one, but not one that is too big either.
Sharky, is approx. 12 inches long and is no longer growing.

Does anyone here know where I could find one that is at minimum of 5 inches in length? Not sure on what age Sharky is.

Any ideas?

by alexmtl Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:02 am

Hey sandman, any luck on a swimming buddy ?

by Sandman1969 Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:37 am

We ended up getting 2 young ID sharks from PetSmart. They are not fast growers, so we're good to go for a few years yet.
They're about 3 inches long.

by goldfishbetalover Wed Dec 04, 2013 9:44 am

hope everyone is happy
especially the guy who needed a friend!

by Sandman1969 Wed Dec 04, 2013 4:54 pm

The little guys aren't swimming with him just yet. They mostly hide out within the plants.

by goldfishbetalover Wed Dec 04, 2013 5:06 pm

perhaps he knows of their presence!
hope they all make out just fine!

by GaryE Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:57 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP37ZJGIJ0Q

It's a youtube video, but it's neat to see these young ID sharks in a good sized tank. From my reading on them a 1000 gallon pond is a touch small for a fish that in a ten to 15 year lifespan should achieve 3-4 feet and close to 100 pounds.

A 12 inch predatory catfish with a wide mouth like a Pangasius with a 3 inch juvenile could very well cannibalize both of them. That's probably what the young ones are reacting to. Sharky could start himself growing again...

I'd keep a close eye on that and keep Sharky well fed in the hopes the younger fish will get a growth spurt on.

by Sandman1969 Thu Dec 05, 2013 7:02 am

All 3 eat the shrimp pellets . Also one of the plecos does as well.

by **Sbenson11** Thu Dec 05, 2013 6:51 pm

Thanks for the link Gary, just wished they had panned back so we could see the whole tank/pond they were in. Someone around here has been posting on a facebook aquarium group looking to re-home a pair of those that are about 2' long. It's tempting but I don't have any tank with warm water in it that big.

Steve