# Thought I'd share some picts



## Avenom (Feb 22, 2006)

Finally got some fish, and plants. What do you all think?

Tank shot









Iridescent sharks....Catfish(Pangasius)









Baby Bala...1 of 2









Other side of the tank.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Tank specs?


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

I must say, very most impressive on placement! Have any pics of during install?


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## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

gorgeous! how big is it??


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## Avenom (Feb 22, 2006)

It's a 55 gal...
My wife and I were never into fish, but when we bought our home it had this tank in it.
So I don't have any install pictures, it was already there when we bought the home.


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## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

thats awesome! I would love to have a tank in the wall like that


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## manda (Feb 9, 2006)

in my opinion it needs more plants, etc.
but it is awesome!


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2006)

nice tank! i think it looks awesome. you will need an upgrade in the future however, as bala sharks should be in larger schools and can get up to a foot long. Not to mention, irridescent sharks can get to 3 feet long i believe. Overall, i really like the setup of this tank though. I kind of like how it is pretty bare and not completely planted. That way the emphasis is on the big plant in the back (sorry, i dont know what it is. lol, not a plant expert). What kind of sand did you use?


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## Avenom (Feb 22, 2006)

It's sand I got at the pet store. The tank used to be home to 12 malawi cichlids, so that's why it's so bare. We removed all the big rocks, and had to replant it. We tried plants at first, but they got ripped out.

As far as the fish getting too big, I'm very skeptical that they will get that big in that tank.
I've read about wild Pangasius getting huge, but have never heard of them out growing a tank.
Do _you_ have them? Have _you_ seen them get this(3 FEET) big?
In my short experience with this combo of fish I've noticed that the balas school with the catfish, and appear to LOVE their new home.
Also with only 4 fish in the tank, even if they do get 12 inches they will be fine.


As for adding more plants...ect, I don't think it's a good idea. The catfish run into everything, and if I add more to the tank they will not be able to get around.


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## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

Scuba Kid said:


> nice tank! i think it looks awesome. you will need an upgrade in the future however, as bala sharks should be in larger schools and can get up to a foot long. Not to mention, irridescent sharks can get to 3 feet long i believe. Overall, i really like the setup of this tank though. I kind of like how it is pretty bare and not completely planted. That way the emphasis is on the big plant in the back (sorry, i dont know what it is. lol, not a plant expert). What kind of sand did you use?


I agree - I think it looks great just as it is..


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

here's some info on wut you have
http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Shark, Bala.htm
http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Catfish, Pangassius.htm

they will not grow that big because your small tank will stunt their growth and shorten their lifespans


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## BlueMaxx (Jan 10, 2006)

Cool fish! They look like fun


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## Avenom (Feb 22, 2006)

fishboy said:


> here's some info on wut you have
> http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Shark, Bala.htm
> http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Catfish, Pangassius.htm
> 
> they will not grow that big because your small tank will stunt their growth and shorten their lifespans


Thanks for your help, but that didn't tell me anything I didn't state above.
6-12inches in a tank, not 3 FEET. That's what I expect, and it's* not* too big for my 55gal.
That's 4 fish 12-14 inches each TOPS. I highly doubt they'll even get that big in the next 5 years.
But if for some reason they got 3 FEET, I would make the appropriate changes.


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

That's an awesome tank! I love the way that you have it setup  Our LFS has an ID shark that's two feet long in a tank with a giant gourami, and he/she is one mean looking fishy


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## dwool36 (Jan 31, 2006)

I do not believe your tank is a 55 gallon. It is hard to tell from the picture, but assuming that your specs are 48" L x 6" W x 16" H, that is going to put it at 20 gallons, not 55. Judging from the picture your tank is installed in a 4" wall. You may want to measure. A simple guide to determine gallons is L x H x W x .0043.


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## Avenom (Feb 22, 2006)

dwool36 said:


> I do not believe your tank is a 55 gallon. It is hard to tell from the picture, but assuming that your specs are 48" L x 6" W x 16" H, that is going to put it at 20 gallons, not 55. Judging from the picture your tank is installed in a 4" wall. You may want to measure. A simple guide to determine gallons is L x H x W x .0043.


Well your wrong. I guess it is hard to tell from the pictures.


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## dwool36 (Jan 31, 2006)

Well alrighty then...my apologies.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

L X W X H *in inches* divided by 231 = U.S. gallons


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## Avenom (Feb 22, 2006)

dwool36 said:


> Well alrighty then...my apologies.


You know what....I think you may have something here.
using your table there, it's only a 40gal. Holy crap....and I've been thinking it was a 55 gal for the past 6 months.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

okay after searching through old posts because the search button doesn't work right now... I remember of a lady or lad who had a large RB pacu and a large irridescent shark in her 1000 gallon tank, they started him in a 55 or so like you, then kept having to upgrade to that tank. It was nearly 3 feet long.


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## Guest (Mar 3, 2006)

Avenom said:


> Thanks for your help, but that didn't tell me anything I didn't state above.
> 6-12inches in a tank, not 3 FEET. That's what I expect, and it's* not* too big for my 55gal.
> That's 4 fish 12-14 inches each TOPS. I highly doubt they'll even get that big in the next 5 years.
> But if for some reason they got 3 FEET, I would make the appropriate changes.


as Fishfirst and fishfreaks have said, irridesent sharks can get huge. a 12 inch iridesent shark is small....they have the potential to get that big and therefore should not be kept in a smaller tank just so they stay smaller....that is stunting their growth and will shorten their lifespan and can lead to other problems.


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

I was goin' say what a nice tranquil setup you have there......until I saw the shark cats. I don't know why you would want such fish that grow more than your tank width. Never mind, I'm sure you'll learn one day.
Other than that, I love your tank, (from the distance so that I can't make out that you got pangasis!):lol:


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## RockabillyChick (Nov 18, 2005)

how deep is the tank? it doesn't look that deep.

i think the tank would look better with a school or two of small colorful fish, and a couple larger ones as centerpieces (ones that get about 4-6" long)


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

Avenom said:


> Thanks for your help, but that didn't tell me anything I didn't state above.
> 6-12inches in a tank, not 3 FEET. That's what I expect, and it's* not* too big for my 55gal.
> That's 4 fish 12-14 inches each TOPS. I highly doubt they'll even get that big in the next 5 years.
> But if for some reason they got 3 FEET, I would make the appropriate changes.



Hmmm...that *is* too big for your 40 gallon though. What are the dimensions?


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

No matter if your tank is 40 or 55 those fish WILL get too big for that tank. If they reach 12inches they will not be able to turn around in a 55, measure your 55 width wise, its like asking you to live in a closet.


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## Avenom (Feb 22, 2006)

well when/if they get too big, they'll just go out in the pond I guess.
The tank is 48in long, 16in high, and 12in wide.
Like I said, I've never had any fish before we bought this house with the tank already in it.
We thought about taking it out, or getting some lizards....but I thought fish would be fun.


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Avenom said:


> We thought about taking it out, or getting some lizards....but I thought fish would be fun.


Fish are a lot of fun. That's why so many fish loving people on this forum are trying to help you. If you will follow advice received here, you will have fun. If you don't, you won't be in the hobby for long.


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## micstarz (Oct 22, 2005)

I would change it into a massive anabantid tank... but thats just me dreaming. All i can say is change your stocking plan, and activity on both side of the tank can be extremely stressful. It looks awesome tho.


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## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

ron v said:


> Fish are a lot of fun. That's why so many fish loving people on this forum are trying to help you. If you will follow advice received here, you will have fun. If you don't, you won't be in the hobby for long.


Everyone learns from trial and error - Im sure most of us did..


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

Georgia Peach said:


> Everyone learns from trial and error - Im sure most of us did..


I agree Georgia Peach, I know we sure did


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

hey, we all make mistakes. As long as he keeps coming here, knows what he's going to do with the sharks in the long run, learns something, and enjoys the hobby, he's doing fine in my book. What worries me is, and this could have already come up, did you cycle your tank at all?


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## Avenom (Feb 22, 2006)

Yes the tank cycled, and was running for 2 months before we got these fish.


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

What fish were in it for those two months?


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## RockabillyChick (Nov 18, 2005)

or were you dosing with ammonia for those two months?


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## 2complicated (Aug 25, 2005)

plain but Nice.. i like where its placed...


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## Avenom (Feb 22, 2006)

ron v said:


> What fish were in it for those two months?


1 kenyi, and 1 pleco.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

cool cool, just makin' sure, a lot of people skip that step so I thought I'd ask.


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Sounds like your cycle should still be intact.


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## rbcxpeter (Feb 19, 2006)

I think your tank is awesome and presently you have nothing to worry about. Enjoy It!


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## qwik92rs (Feb 4, 2006)

Nice looking tank! I like how it looks in the wall. I would leave it just like it is, looks sweet!


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## rbishop1 (Feb 17, 2006)

Nice tank! Hope all grows well!  I would say more, but I am off to find my recipocating saw......:mrgreen:


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## tromeokid (Mar 8, 2006)

it looks great! just from my experiance i have had to trade my two balas that i have had for over a year from my 75 gallon and will be purchasing a small school of rainbows. you will find way more color and activity in a smaller fish then with the current ones you now have. i know everyone has already told you this so im sorry for repeating myself. also putting these fish in your pond wont help their life span. its best to just try and trade them while they are small as some LFS wont give you as much trade/money for larger fish just my opinon. the fish lovers in this forum have really helped me understand why and how differnt fish live and live happy.


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