Why don't my Columbian Shark Catfish eat?

Question

I bought 2 baby Columbian Shark Catfish the other day and put them into a 40 gallon freshwater tank. They are about 5 inches long. And i feed them tubifex worms and fish pellets.
But they just don’t seem to be eating!
Why don’t they eat?
Or do they prefer eating something else?
How often should i feed them?
Does the water have to be a bit salty for them to survive?
If i do add salt, will the submersible filter malfunction?
What other fish could live with these 2 baby shark catfish?

Answers to my questions will be very much appreciated. Thanx...

Answer 1

I would suggest you add about 1 tablespoon per gallon of salt to the tank and be ready to increase that amount as the fish grow as they eventually become marine fish as they reach adulthood. For those 2 you will be running a 100+ gallon saltwater tank in a year or so.

As far as the feeding, try calling the store and asking what they were feeding them. You can offer that and slow work back to the foods you prefer to feed them.

As far as I know, all filters available on the market today are safe in both fresh and saltwater tanks. You shouldn't have a problem there at all.

MM

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why don't my Columbian Shark Catfish eat?
I bought 2 baby Columbian Shark Catfish the other day and put them into a 40 gallon freshwater tank. They are about 5 inches long. And i feed them tubifex worms and fish pellets.
But they just don’t seem to be eating!
Why don’t they eat?
Or do they prefer eating something else?
How often...

Answer 3

Catfish Shark

Answer 4

columbian shark catfish are NOT freshwater fish, they're brackish. this is no doubt one of the factors contributing to them not eating, that and a new tank environment, it can take several weeks for a fish to be fully settled. baby shark catfish can live in freshwater for a short while. try them on bloodworm.

how long has this tank been set up anyhow? if it's new, new tank syndrome may have kicked in also. check your water parameters, ammonia should be 0, nitrite should be 0 and nitrate should be around 25ppm

if you plan on keeping these fish, they'll need a tank upgrade, they can reach 13"+ in adulthood. (so 100 gallons plus of tank) the amount of salinity needs to be increased as the fish gets older, adult fish can live happily in full marine conditions.

the link below has a dozen answers to your questions. that site has a forum, i'm sure there will be a couple of people on that forum with experience in keeping these specific fish.

Answer 5

Shark Catfish

Answer 6

I have noticed that my own Colombians are actually big pigs and will eat until their bellies swell considerably. I feed mine sinking pellets and frozen or dehydrated bloodworms. They do not care for flakes or floating pellets of any kind.

Although Petco will tell you that they are freshwater fish, most sharks need "brackish" water. Brackish water occurs in nature when a freshwater system such as a river flows into a saltwater system. (Think the Rio Grande river flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, for instance.) Try picking up some aquarium salt at your local pet store, or you can add a bit of NON-IODIZED table salt. Most fish can adapt to a little salt, so do not worry if your Colombians have tank mates. And as long as you follow the directions on the package (one level tablespoon per 5 gal. water) your filter will work just fine. You won't notice a difference, but your sharks sure will, and they will love you for it.

Adding salt is beneficial in improving gill functions, maintaining proper organ qualities and functions, and can improve healing if your fish become sick. Even fish marked as "freshwater" can still adapt and benefit from brackish water. Many times, freshwater and saltwater fish can both co-exist in brackish water, since it is a combination of the two. Both types of fish will adapt to their environment.


It is possible that your fish are a little stressed from the move. Try checking pH, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels. You can buy a kit at most pet stores, but they can be expensive. Petco and PetSmart both offer free water tests. Just bring in a small water sample in a dish or a cup and they will run an analysis and tell you what you need to fix any problems they find. I check my water whenever I suspect that there may be even a slight problem.

Sharks have "skin", not scales like most fish, so they are very sensitive to water levels that are off even a little. Mine start to have spasms, twitch, tick, and thrash if something is wrong, so keep an eye on their actions and how they swim. If everything checks out okay, try a different food source. I mixed several types of pellets and flakes together to make feeding time easier, since my many varieties of fish prefer a different types of food. I currently have koi, goldfish, Colombian sharks, albino rainbow sharks, a LARGE 7" gold algae eater, a beta and a pleco all happily living together, but they like different foods. Your Colombians should do fine with most other fish that you house with them. Keep in mind that they are listed as semi-aggressive, although I have never had a problem. Mine are completely peaceful, and have given me many hours of fun watching them.

One quick note, however - sharks are schooling fish, and it may be beneficial to get one or two more of the same size if you have room. Schools are usually 3+. I had a lone pair for a time, and they seemed to do okay, but once I added a third, they had one more buddy to join up with and now they are inseparable.

Answer 7

There is a couple of things that may be wrong, first the water you used did it come straight from the tap? Sometimes the water has chlorine gas in it that can make the fish not want to eat. If you filled the tank with tap water and then out the fish directly into the tank you need to remove the fish and re-fill the tank with cooled down boiled water.
Secondly if the tank does not have a cover/picture on the back the fish can sometimes become scared and not feed.