Any iridescent shark experts?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Karl K said:
Makes sense, i once heard this guy say that discus hide less when theres small fish like neon tetra, because they see them and think "Well, their out there, so it must be safe" or something like that.
He was in a fishstore, so i dont know if he was right. It seemed to be a good fishstore.
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It is commonly known and is called a dither fish effect and it really does work. I am of the opine that fish don't think or feel. They are instinct-driven bio-machines. 99% programmed. 1% room for learning new tricks but even those are instinct-based too. A fish will never paint but it will do things for food :)
 
thebiggerthebetter said:
It is commonly known and is called a dither fish effect and it really does work. I am of the opine that fish don't think or feel. They are instinct-driven bio-machines. 99% programmed. 1% room for learning new tricks but even those are instinct-based too. A fish will never paint but it will do things for food :)
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I know, it was just an explanation, and what i was told :D
 
thebiggerthebetter said:
I am of the opine that fish don't think or feel. They are instinct-driven bio-machines. 99% programmed. 1% room for learning new tricks but even those are instinct-based too. A fish will never paint but it will do things for food :)
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Funny, I have had some exes that I could certainly say the same thing about. :/
 
Your cloudy water could be from the frequent large water changes. Moving water that much will increase the air bubbles in the water making it appear cloudy. Also does the water from your filter drop into the water and create bubbles this could create cloudy water. Our shark is fine with water changes and will even hang out in that end of the tank. They may just need some time to trust you and get comfortable. A few other fish though would likely help the most to calm them.
 
Thanks again for everyone's inputs!
The sharks shouldn't feel more closed in from what they are use to. They were raised in a 55 with a 3rd shark. Then given to the LFS only a few short months ago. The LFS had all 3 in a 75. I have the 2 in a 75. They do have a few mates. There are 3 synodontis hybrids who stay hidden full time. There are also 6 other really small fish so they are not alone. Someone told me to try turning their light off while doing the cleaning. Since they have bad eye sight anyway that maybe it could help. I've put in a few other offers today on my local Craigslist to try to get them a bigger tank quick then the one I am supposedly waiting for. I know they need a bigger tank hopefully one will become available this weekend! Fingers crossed.
The filter I have is a side hanging one that drops the water into the tank. Guess you guys are right if I get a bigger tank I will need a bigger filter so I could just buy it now and use it for both tanks. Is it true you can't over filter a tank? I never thought doing bigger water changes could make a tank cloudy. I guess I should have asked my other question as it would answer somewhat the cloudiness. How does your shark eat? My LFS didn't have a clue and said they've never seen one eat. So far I've but a select few times see them eat. I bought Spectrum New Life Mega Fish sinking pellets and Algae Wafers that also sink. The sharks don't go after the food when I feed them. Of course it's bad to let the food sit but if they don't eat it how long should I let it sit in there? The pellets say only feed what's consumed in 1-2 mins and wafers say remove after 2 hours. If I follow that the fish would never eat. I didn't know if they should be eating these pellets right away or if they let them sit to turn mushy then eat it. Then again if it gets mushy I still can't guarantee the sharks are eating it and not the synos. This is partly why I'm doing larger wc.
I'll see if I can get a pic posted of them now too.
Thanks-Amber
 
My other ID shark specific question I had has already resolved itself but I still don't know what exactly caused the situation in the first place. I have a good assumption but maybe with your help I can understand more.
I'm talking slime coats. With small fish you never good a good look at their anatomy as well as you do giant fish. I understand the purpose of it and I use Prime conditioner to help them out. When I first brought them home and got them settled in their new tank the SC looked as if it was sloughing or peeling off. That day they looked absolutely terrible! Again my LFS didn't have a direct answer and I left disappointed. After about 3 days the issue disappeared and they are back to looking great. Everything has smoothed back out since then and they look like the other shark I didn't buy. Is there something I did wrong that made it tear up like that? They seriously looked like a person does who's been really sunburnt and started to peel. I chalked it up to stress but could I have hurt them somehow? I did have to touch them a bit to coral them into the net I had to transfer them to my tank. During the transfer I thought my net could hurt them so I stopped and used a big bucket to move them instead. I just don't want that to happen to their SC again if it was something that I did wrong.
Thanks-Amber
 
With this new info, it sounds like your cloudy water issues are food related. The food should be eaten either right away (the best way) or it should not fall apart and cloud the water. With IDSs, there is never a need to leave the food overnight or for some time. They are still settling. They will eat once fully settled and stress-free. They eat right away as you feed them.

Yes, dim lights should help significantly. It is not recommended to have the tank lights on with catfish. Just ambient, not bright room light is enough.

Mine almost always go through slime coat change when re-homed. It is normal for them. What you described sounds typical.
 
Your picture is what our ID looks like, I saw a you tube video labeling this color the Emperor ID. How long have you had your ID's as ours took almost a month to come out of his shell. But as mentioned he is right there begging for food now. Maybe hold off feeding them for a few days and give the syno's a few pellets at lights out. Does sound like they just need to settle a little more some fish are like that. We have RTG that will sulk for 2 days if he sees a net. They do like to dig food off of the bottom or mid water. How big are the pellets you got as I am not sure how big of mouth the ID has. Hang in there they will reward you soon.
As for a larger tank you may be able to pick one up cheaper than the 150 your looking at. Sometimes you can get 300's and bigger for a dollar a gallon or less because they are harder to move.
 
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