Iridescent Shark Question

[boomboomflynn]

Hey all. My current setup is a 29-Gal Freshwater with a large Bio-wheel (I think it's actually a 70-Gal Bio-wheel). My current stock is: 2 Gold Gouramis, 2 Pink Gouramis, 1 Pleco, 2 Large Angel Koi, 3 molleys and an ID Shark. I'm coming to understand that this tank is not large enough for the ID Shark. However, I'm confused about the result.

Some people on the internet seem to say the size of the tank will "stunt" it and it will just stay small and (some suggest, but can't confirm) it may not live as long. Other people seem to report, they have ID Sharks that grew to about 10 - 12 in. maximum in a small tank because of stunting (or that there are a bunch of different species).

I called the store where I purchased it -- although they are now under new management. The store told me that it will grow extremely slowly in this tank and that it is not going to cause any damage to my community because it isn't really aggressive and won't attack other fish. However, he offered to take it back and give me a discount on some replacement fish.

Right now the ID Shark is about 6 inches. What I am planning on doing at the moment is holding on to him until (if and when) he gets too big for this tank and then trying to sell him or bring him to the store, but I'd like to hear from some others with actual experience. It seems that these guys have a terrible reputation on the internets.

Thanks for reading,
BBflynn

 

[TheBigB]

Take it back to the store!

 

[ash1712]

As you've probably noticed the i.d shark is a very active fish and it won't slow down as it gets larger. The biggest i've seen for sale was 13" but he was kept in an indoor pond. I think your going to be looking for a larger tank setup quite soon, hope this is helpfull.

 

[Runitis]

Why did you buy such a large fish for a 29!!!! You didn't do your research. I would've understood a small 3" like everyone else gets Confused with you should definitely return it right away at that size shouldn't even be in there at all.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997R using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[boomboomflynn]

I relied on the advice of the "expert" at the store.

 

[KNH]

Id sharks do stunt rather easily and there are many examples of older ids that are still a small size. That being said, if he is eating well (not just flake) and you keep your water in good condition, he will grow very rapidly. The largest id I've personally kept started at 1.5" and in less than 2 years was 26". Your best bet is to return him unless you want to get a much larger tank. Good luck.

 

[kamikaziechameleon]

Hey all. My current setup is a 29-Gal Freshwater with a large Bio-wheel (I think it's actually a 70-Gal Bio-wheel). My current stock is: 2 Gold Gouramis, 2 Pink Gouramis, 1 Pleco, 2 Large Angel Koi, 3 molleys and an ID Shark. I'm coming to understand that this tank is not large enough for the ID Shark. However, I'm confused about the result.

Some people on the internet seem to say the size of the tank will "stunt" it and it will just stay small and (some suggest, but can't confirm) it may not live as long. Other people seem to report, they have ID Sharks that grew to about 10 - 12 in. maximum in a small tank because of stunting (or that there are a bunch of different species).

I called the store where I purchased it -- although they are now under new management. The store told me that it will grow extremely slowly in this tank and that it is not going to cause any damage to my community because it isn't really aggressive and won't attack other fish. However, he offered to take it back and give me a discount on some replacement fish.

Right now the ID Shark is about 6 inches. What I am planning on doing at the moment is holding on to him until (if and when) he gets too big for this tank and then trying to sell him or bring him to the store, but I'd like to hear from some others with actual experience. It seems that these guys have a terrible reputation on the internets.

Thanks for reading,
BBflynn

To understand why keeping a large fish in a small tank is a bad idea you need to understand how stunting actually happens. Stunting is caused by unhealthy levels of ammonia in the tank, this causes the fish to naturally suppress its own growth hormones. If you know anything about how development works this won't necessarily stop the fish from growing, but rather from growing naturally. If people want to supply links you will see fish that look like the elephant man, lol. Eyes and many organs keep growing even though the skeleton stops this causes lots of pain in the animal as the eyes grow out of the socket and their organs expand inside their skeletal/muscular frame. Your fish often will appear to get taller rather than longer. Because of high ammonia levels the fish might also experience gill curel, bloat, fin rot and several other related illnesses. You couldn't not conceivably handle the bio-load of this animal with any level of filtration on that small tank.

The tank size itself has no impact on fish growth beyond limitation of movement, if you properly filter the tank the fish will grow naturally(relatively speaking). You will however notice some other side effects, the lack of movement in the fish as it becomes inhibited in its ability to swim will result in a fattening of the fish and or a crocked back, say you provide a current in the tank and refined diet to reflect these omissions. Even at that your fish will become twice the size of the tank you have now so there is no conceivable way of keeping them. More over iridescent sharks are REALLY ACTIVE and will die from poor swimming patterns or develop crooked backs that lead to death from being in too small of a tank similar to what happens to real sharks. These fish live well over 20 years, the average 1-2 year life span most people experience with them is from poor care and can't be blamed on anyone else.

Conclusion return the fish it has already outgrown your tank and should be in a tank atleast 4 ft long at that size and soon will need a 6 then 8 ft tank for proper swimming as it grows fast when cared for properly.

 

[boomboomflynn]

Thank you so much for this clear answer. Based on what you've said I am going to contact the store about bringing it back/trading it. This is exactly the kind of explanation I was looking for.

 

[kamikaziechameleon]

Thank you so much for this clear answer. Based on what you've said I am going to contact the store about bringing it back/trading it. This is exactly the kind of explanation I was looking for.

Took me several years to get the full story on stunting so I appreciate the need to know. If you don't understand it, it really doesn't sound bad. Then when you know its like... that's just messed up! When you've seen too many visibly stunted fish and turtles it becomes quite disturbing. Its I believe why so many MFKers have such strong reactions to certain novice threads like this. They really just fear for the animal. Hope you have a long successful fish keeping experience!

 

[Allan01230]

Yes by all means give the fish back to the store before he changes his mind. An id shark should not even be in the hobby imo. Not many have the means to care for this fish and there are soooo many other species that will fit in a 29 for life. Just do your homework people!