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your shark looks like a normal [link=black shark]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/blackshark.xml" style="COLOR: #80FF80[/link]. these guys get huge but I have no idea how fast they're supposed to grow cause I've never kept one.

for the algae eater, if they were just labelled as "algae eaters" at the lfs then they were probably [link=chinese algae eaters]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/cae.xml" style="COLOR: #80FF80[/link]. these also come in a gold color morph. these get to around 9-10" I believe and can get very aggressive when they get bigger.

now for the frogs...what kind are they? once we find out what kind they are we can give you an idea of what sized tank you'll need.

well, i bought them as "dwarf" albinos. But i am beginning to think that there's nothing dwarf about them. I've had them about 2 months and two have doubled in size and the third is about the same as when i got them. I really want to know about this black shark. If it is really one of these guys i want to take him back asap. There was one in the lfs i bought him at and the man said that he has had that one over a year and he's still the same size. :%)

chelle

jeez, that is my algae eater....i just can't win. one day i will stop listening to the lfs people. This is a different store than where i got the black shark, but this guy told me that these algae eaters get to be about 3 to 4 inches!!!!!
arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]:|

chelle

i wasn't sure where to post these, but i'm gonna try here cuz this is where i ALWAYS start. I have taken plenty of pics of the infamous "black shark" who is still only about 5". Maybe with the pic someone can identify him. Black lancer was one guess made. Anyway, help is always appreciated. I have lost my common pleco and got 2 "algae eaters" to take care of the algae. I'm looking for the description of them now. Everyone else is doing good. I plan on getting a new tank this weekend for the frogs. I have 3 and suggestions on tank size? http://community.webshots.com/user/elsasser1

chelle

you know, i did think of that!! LMAO~~

chelle

Time to dig a pond

you know, i am so disheartened by the lfs's. I thought if I went to a well known, highly respected lfs that I would get some good advice. HAHAHAHAHA~ Since I have been researching and talking to you guys here at FP, I probably know more than they ever thought about knowing!! This is really sad. Now I have SEVERAL fish that I have to part with because they are INCOMPETENT!! I hate to even return these fish, after taking such good care of them for months now, knowing that they are only going to sell them to some other unknowing customer!! I got the CAE's from walmart, and the description under them, with a pic, said that they only get 6" tops and are WONDERFUL for algae eating!! The name was algae eater, no real name at all!
So, when I take greedy (my tfb) and El Diablo (black shark)back they will probably just put them in a small tank there...is there anything else I can do to make sure they have a better life??? OTHER than keeping them myself? I have no room for a aquarium that size, nor the time to care for it...this is just MISERABLE!!! thanks guys!! I wish i lived close enough to liverpool to donate these fish, but it's a long way from GEORGIA!!

chelle

I dont know how anyone could mistake african dwarf frogs for acfs (lfs people i mean) they really look nothing alike. I have three acfs and they have killed so much. They even teamed up and killed the 10 inch oranda i had forever although they lived with her all their lives from babies. They cant be trusted but they are so cute, i feed them by hand and pet their soft heads.

Wow, what a mix. Black Shark (reaches 2 feet with ease), Tinfoil Barbs (14 inches and are total pigs with fins into the bargain, placing a huge load on a biological filter) and CAEs (10-12 inches). That lot would need a 500 gallon aquarium [minimum to keep them all happy. A Black Shark on its own needs 200 gallons as a baseline, preferably 300, and given that Tinfoil Barbs need to be kept in a shoal of at least 6, you're looking at around 200 gallons for those too.

I think Liverpool Museum's aquarium is soon to reopen after a refit. They might have a 1,000 gallon display tank going spare for your Black Shark and Tinfoils if you ask them nicely ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

thanks, s-pete, you've been alot of help!/:'

chelle

Hi Michel,
Yes those frogs in the pics I posted also have webbed feet and four black claws.
They are just bad pics thats all.
Heres a better one for you.


Heres a website with some good info for you.
[link=http://clawedfrogs.tripod.com/index.html]http://clawedfrogs.tripod.com/index.html" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link]
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oh how do I know that the frogs are hunters!!! I had 7 tiger barbs, now down to 5. 6 danios and now have 3. The only fish that they have not gotten ahold of are my dwarf gouramis, my one "bonus" guppy, and my tetras. I just caught one of the little jokers eating one of the chinese algae eaters, so i may not end up getting to take them back.. Do u have any idea about the frog identification problem i'm having? The pic posted toward the top looks like my albino frogs, but mine have webbed back feet with four claws on each foot and black nails.

chelle

With the frogs- Keep in mind, if they can catch it, they will eat it!!
All frogs are carnivores for sure. Fish not the best bet, and any fish large enough to avoid being eaten by your frogs, will be too large for a 33g tank.

Maybe you could keep an African Butterfly fish or two with your frogs. They are neat and strictly surface dwellers- so they may be OK with your frogs.
Or you could keep a very cheap small fish with your frogs and watch them hunt- such as neons or glowlight tetras.


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This is a Siamese Algae Eater:




You could get a Farlowella Catfish for your tank as opposed to SAE's if you cant find them. The Farlowella is also called a Twig Catfish. Heres a pic:




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Siamese Algae Eaters (not to be confused with chinese algae eaters or siamese flying foxes)

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

what r sae's? sorry, new @ this!

chelle

SAE or Otos would be fine for a 55.

My choice would be a pair of SAE

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

yes, i do have one tf barb. I know he will get too big for the tank...he's going back soon!! i'm just waiting until the last minute. I guess i'll pack up the algae eaters and black shark at the same time. JEEZ! What should i get for algae that is ok for a 55 gal and is not a bn. i can't find one of those around here.
By the way, the "dwarf albino" i was referring to was not the algae eaters, it was the frogs. The only difference between my frogs and the ones in the pics here is mine have webbed feet and four claws on each foot!
so, i need a 33 gallon for the frogs...is there anything i can put in there with them?

chelle

Unless you want a 200+ gallon, with your shark in it, give it back to your LFS. Along with the tinfoil barbs, and CAE as these get 12"+.

Here is a link to see if you have tinfoil barbs:
Click Here!

Do you have any pictures of the algae eaters? Chinese Algae Eaters are rarely labeled "dwarf albinos" at any LFS.

My guess is that you've got common albino plecos. The most common albino species is the rhino pleco. They typically get to be 12 to 15 inches.

See http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/rhinoplec.xml

Good Luck !

Last edited by crazy4plants at 07-May-2005 21:57