Need Ideas on Finding Shark a New Home

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chazz

Feeder Fish
May 27, 2011
3
0
0
Cochrane, Alberta
Hi all,

I am a Nano Reefer, so pretty much the opposite of a monster fish keeper but another one of my aquariums contains a monster fish. Around 2003/4 we purchased "Bubbles", and he has been living with us since he was 1" in a 10 gallon tank as recommended to us by the LFS. Bubbles is now around 10"-13" still living in the same tank.

And since up till 1 week ago we thought he was a Columbian shark. We did some research and bubbles is absolutely positively a Iridescent catfish shark, and if he is given the proper living accommodations has the potential to grow 4 feet long. When I was reading about the shark it pretty much said LFS are uneducated and are selling this shark to people who do not have proper tank sizes, these sharks should be left in the wild because very few people have tanks big enough for them.

We've called Petland when we thought it was a Columbian and they said they would take it, then they told us there was catfish sharks that they would not take, guess who was on that list. We need to do something about Bubbles quick. He has bad eyesight and is frightened quite easily, he has already jumped out of his tank twice and is bumping into the glass on impact sometimes resulting in a face laceration which has just finished healing.

Our Ideas Thus Far
- The City Zoo and see if they can do something about it.
- The city's freshwater reservoir


We really need help on a good idea and provide Bubbles a great new home. I don't have the money to keep him.

Thanks.
 
At that size bubbles is extremely stunted. At his age a healthy iridescent would be in the 2'+ range if not bigger. Unfortunately I doubt the zoo would take an animal in his condition. Also releasing him would not only be potentially disastrous for local native fish populations (he could potentially introduce an exotic disease that they have no immunity to) but it would also be sentencing him to a slow painful death when winter comes. As hard as it may be, euthanasia is probably your most humane and reasonable option.
 
prskiller;5162406; said:
If you can't give it away then you could do what I've done and put your fish in a 5 gallon bucket of ice water and use it as fertilizer for a garden.
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Freezing would be a very slow painful death, knocking him out with clove oil and giving him a quick blow to the head would be more humane
 
chazz;5162521; said:
We really don't want to kill him. He has been in the family for so long.
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Is there any way you could get him a bigger tank? Are there any other stores that might take him?
 
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