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L# Freshwater Species
 L# Cyprinid Corner
  L# Fresh Water To Brackish
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SubscribeFresh Water To Brackish
mike/joan
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Small Fry
Posts: 4
Kudos: 1
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Registered: 18-Dec-2007
usa
hello all,,question ?? can redtail sharks,,rainbow sharks,
pictus cats,,can they be switch to brackish water,,like the
bala and columbians sharks do when they get older,,its time
to start switching the water over,,but before I do NEED TO
KNOW about the others before i do..???please help,,,oh yea
all sharks are about 1 3/4 years old and as live together
since they all was about 1 1/2 inch long....
Post InfoPosted 18-Dec-2007 22:49Profile PM Edit Report 
Joe Potato
 
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EditedEdited by Joe Potato
No, they can't. In fact, bala sharks shouldn't be kept in brackish conditions. They're all cyprinids, only a few of which can handle anything other than FW, and none of those I can think of as being a common aquarium fish.

The Columbian Shark is in fact a type of catfish, which needs full-strength SW as an adult.

The two groups aren't compatible.
Post InfoPosted 18-Dec-2007 23:07Profile Homepage AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
mike/joan
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Small Fry
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Registered: 18-Dec-2007
usa
but all the reading I found they say to switch bala and
colubians,,but since the others came from asia I fig that
being in the rivers was brackish ?????
Post InfoPosted 18-Dec-2007 23:22Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Joe Potato
 
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I direct you to FP's own profile of bala sharks. It says nothing about needing to switch it over to brackish. I couldn't find a link that said they do, and should one actually exist, it's wrong. Plain and simple.

I'm sorry, but I overlooked you mentioning pictus catfish in your original post. These guys, like the name implies, is a catfish, not a cyprinid. Sorry if that was confusing in my first response. Anyway, pictus cats are also FW. The only fish you have that needs brackish-to-saltwater is the Columbian Shark.

The bala shark and the Columbian shark are both schooling fish, so to be happiest they need to be kept with their own kind. The RTBS and the rainbow shark are intensely territorial and shouldn't be kept with their own species or even with each other.

I'm sorry, but your set-up needs a little reorganizing. In my opinion, Columbian Sharks shouldn't even be sold to aquarists. They get BIG and their specialized requirements make them unsuitable for anything but the most diehard fan. Either get a new tank to hold a school of them or ditch them. All of the other fish will need a BIG tank as well. Bala sharks can get 14 inches long and are active as all hell, not to mention skittish, especially if not kept in a group. If they get spooked, they can run into the glass or jump into the hood, potentially breaking it as well as itself. Like I said previously, the RTBS and rainbow sharks will fight unless kept in a HUGE tank, and even then they may still go at it. The pictus are incredibly active as well, and need a fairly large tank.

I can't think of a river where the main body of it is brackish. Maybe where the mouth hits the sea and forms an estuary. So, in almost every case where a fish is listed as living in a river, it means FW.

I'd say you have some decisions to make about your fish.



Post InfoPosted 18-Dec-2007 23:45Profile Homepage AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
mike/joan
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Small Fry
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EditedEdited by mike/joan
well all of them are in a 210 gal tank and been in there
for the past year...yea we know abt how skittish the bala
are,,the rest of them yea they chase each other but their
all happy together...thanks for the info....mike
our stock;
5 balas= 8-10inch long
4 colubians= 8-10inch long
7 rainbows= 6inch long
2 albino rainbows= 6inch long
2 redtail= 5 inch long
4 pictus cats= 5inch long
3 chinese alge eater 5inch long
2 blue lobsters 6inch long
oh yea 3 chicken's,,I mean tiger barbs=2inch long
Post InfoPosted 18-Dec-2007 23:57Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
DeletedPosted 19-Dec-2007 04:11
This post has been deleted
truestar
 
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Young Pup
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I would definitely get rid of the Columbians. I would keep the Rainbows and get rid of the Red-Tailed Black Sharks. You may want to remove the CAE as well. Other than that, I think it's okay, but I'm not a great judge when it comes to stocking.
Post InfoPosted 19-Dec-2007 07:14Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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