Anyone knowledgable about freshwater aquariums?

[V]

Ill looking to get a freshwater aquarium in about 2 months
it will be in the 50-55 gallon size

The main fish i want is the Redtailed shark, (2 of them) and I'm trying to see what other fish will co-habitate with them peacefully. In total, i'd like about 8 fish.
Some online sites say the redtails get along with other fish of similar size as long as they are the sole sharks. Their max size is about 4inches so i'd be looking for fish that get to about that size as well.

We had a fishtank years years ago but just had goldfish that grew up to almost 5". so i know the basics of caring for fish including heaters filters etc.

any advice or suggestions is appreciated.


edit: one online guide said these following fish are compatible with sharks(the freshwater kind whioch i know arent "true" sharks)...
Barbs, Danios/minnows, gouramis, loaches, placos, rainbowfish

[Jersey Mike]

I've had a ton of different set-ups ranging from a 55-gallon salt-water system to a small 10 gallon of un-heated, freshwater, gold fish. For the last few years, my main tank has been a 55-gallon freshwater system of African Cichlids. I like this set up because it's maintenance is simple, the fish last years, they're come in a variety of colors, grow in size and don't cost much. However, they're very territorial and can get aggressive, so they can't be mixed with other fish. I've lost count of how many there are in that tank now--the one fish just keeps reproducing 2 at a time every 6 months or so.


I unfortunately don't know much about Red Tailed Sharks, but it sounds like you know the basics of tank set-up. I'm sure you could find tank temperature, food, and other info online. If I could make a suggestion, it would be to take a drive down to The Animal House, on Rt 23 in Butler (in the shopping center with the Burger King) and talk to the owner. I forgot his name, but for years I went there for all my aquarium needs (after getting a lot of mediocre advice from other sellers) and this guy must have went to school and studied marine ecology or something because he knows everything there is to know about aquariums, fish, they're behavior, tips, tricks, whatever. I found he's trustworthy & extremely helpful. Give them a call before shooting down there though, as I haven't been there in years (I've had no need to, he helped me set my tanks up so they have been running flawlessly without so much as a hiccup for the last two-three years)

Good luck, Paul.

[The_Bishop]

Aquariums are expensive and labor intensive, just be ready for the maintenance.

[Savage_Messiah]

Aquariums are expensive and labor intensive, just be ready for the maintenance.

We had a fishtank years years ago but just had goldfish that grew up to almost 5". so i know the basics of caring for fish including heaters filters etc.

...

[The_Bishop]

Goldfish =/= sharks. Will have different requirements.

[Fleetwiz]

Animal House in Butler is closed. You may want to check out Absolutely Fish in Clifton...one of the better fish stores in NJ

[Lt1_8U]

Animal House in Butler is closed. You may want to check out Absolutely Fish in Clifton...one of the better fish stores in NJ

great store, tons of stuff and the people there will help you with anything you need

[V]

ok cool, ill check out that store next time i get to NJ

[mtg6486]

fishtown usa in ramsey is another good store i worked there for a few years when i was a kid and they always had good stuff. the owners name is Evan and he is very knowledgeable. i find absolutely fish is very good as well but they can get pricey with some of there stuff.

[usp55]

I havent had a freshwater tank in years, moved over to salwater reef only, aggressive only, and even a pico 2.5gal desk coral tank. Any question with that stuff i got it. Had lion fish, eels, anemones with breeding clown fish , LPS coral, SPS, crazy exp lights and skimmers, you name it i had it. <-money pit!!

From what I remember though the red tails are semi aggressive, however as long as they are the only "shark" in the tank and as long as the other fish are about the same size you will have no issues.

Are you set on the 55gal? Just from my experience I hate the 55 dimensions. I'm assume you going to have some sort of driftwood and some plantlife in the tank? If so the lack of depth (IIRC its 12-13") which doesnt give you much of a foot print to work with. Harder to to clean as a result of being crampt with any sort of decorations. Also the min for those sharks is the 50gal, why not just go bigger with atleast a 75 (IIRC 16-18" deep) or the perfect 90. Craigslist will have a ton of tanks for sale for a fraction of what they cost new also.

[Raist103]

if any of you fish guys need a tank i have a bunch in the for sale section.
it got to be to much work with a 180 salt, 150 turtle, 125 reptile 90 fresh, 55 fresh and 40 turtle.