mixing fish #2?

Question

right now i have.
-1 silver shark (approx. 2 inches)
-1 black redtail shark (approx 1.5 inches)
-3 dwarf tiger barbs (about fully grown- 1-1.5 inches each)
-1 female dwarf guarami (approx. 1.5 inches)
-1 chinese algae eater (approx. 1.5-2 inches)
-1 ____ catfish(black w/white spots) (approx. 2 inches)

They all live hapily with each other it seems.the catfish doesnt swim around alot.ive never seen him eat but hes gotten alot bigger.is this a good mix?what else could i put in with them?what is the best kind of food to feed them?right now im feeding them complete flake food becase i ran out of blood worms.im wondering if there was something better than blood worms(i heard they were the best and the have the most protien).is there a difference between enamel coated rocks(like the blue/green/red ones)and the other gravel(smaller rocks/sandy type stuff.)?.i know its a big long question but im curious i want to give my fish the best environment i can:D all answers are appreciated :D

Answer 1

How good of a mix depends in part on the tank size. I'll assume these are in the 33 gallon you mentioned in your last question.

The dwarf tiger barbs can be very nippy and might cause some problems for the other fish, especially the gourami. They may never cause a problem at all, but they will need to be watched.

The silver shark is most likely a fish also known as a Colombian shark or catfish and will very quickly outgrow the tank. Further more, it is a predator that will start to make meals of your other fish as it grows. You can top of the problem here with the fact that as it ages and grow, it will require brackish water and eventually a fully saltwater tank to live.

I don't think a Chinese algae eater is a good mix for any tank, anytime. They get large, rowdy and territorial in addition to the fact that they will stop eating algae at all and will actually attack your other fish.

So I would suggest you replace the CAE with something like a bristlenose catfish that will eat the algae and will not become a problem for the other fish.

Find a new home for the silver shark and replace him with a peaceful fish that will not grow over about 5-6" long.

As for feeding, I would suggest using a quality flake of pellet food as a staple and supplement with bloodworms, blackworms, mosquito larvae, brine shrimp and other assorted frozen foods. It's not only about which has the most protein, but feeding a variety of foods to give them a balanced diet of micronutrients and vitamins.

Any aquarium safe gravel will work well in this tank with this selection of fish. None of them have any special requirements in that regard.

MM

Answer 2

You asked, so I'll tell you. You didn't say how big your tank was, but by judging from your stocking selection, it is not very big. The silver shark could be one of many different fish sold under that name. Paroon shark, irridescent shark, apollo shark, and bala shark all fit that description. The paroon shark and irridescent shark can grow 5 ft or longer. Apollo sharks can easily reach 8" and the bala's will reach 13-14". None of these fish are good for a tank under 6 ft in length at the minimum. The two larger ones really need a tropical pond. There is no such thing as dwarf tiger barbs. They grow to 3" or so. If yours are not growing, it is because you have stunted them. This is not the same as a dwarf. The choice of food is fine. Flakes or small slow sinking pellets are good for what you are keeping. Bloodworms are fine but are messy. Most fish foods will be fine for the omnivores that you have. You never see your spotted raphael catfish eat because it is nocturnal. I would not recommend adding any new fish unless this tank is well over 30 gallons, and you need to figure out what kind of shark you have. If you have a pic, email it to me and I'll identify it for you.

Answer 3

A 2.5 gallon is the absolute bare minimum (most, including myself consider a 5 gallon the minimum) for a single betta. Another fish is not a possibility. You probably saw a corydoras catfish. These bottomfeeders grow to be about 2.5-3 inches in length and should be kept in groups. Because they live on the bottom and in groups they should have an aquarium with a much larger footprint than a tiny 2.5 gallon aquarium allows.

Answer 4

well of all things dont over stock
and besides bloodworms try earth worms just make sure you clean them an chop um up real nice or you can always feed brine shirmp to them and three pretty easy to grow your self
and between the gravels i would say the natural kind be cuase the enamel coated seems to erode and it makes your tank kinda look bad but trully it dosent matter your fish will be happu either way unless your trying to make a biotope for it then go natural