# Columbian Sharks



## solsc (Nov 9, 2006)

Hello 
I have a question...
I just brought 2 columbian sharks and they both seem very healthy and swim around the tank every second they can. I cant ever recall seeing them rest.

But there is one problem, the man i brought it from said that they would eat tropical fish flakes so thats what I brought them. One of them cant get enough of them and will come to the top of the tank and gobble them all up while the other tends to stay at the bottom eating only 1 or 2 that fall from the top.

Was one of the fish misidentified (they look identical except for the color) that they have such diffrent feeding habbits? Should I buy a diffrent type of food?

Thanks for any help,
Solsc


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## PetMax (Jun 18, 2005)

pics of said fish?

and i dont know much about the colombians, but ive had great luck feeding Balas, rainbows, redtails, and the like shrimp pellets.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Columbian sharks will take a variety of foods like all preditory catfishes... try the shrimp pellets that PetMax has talked about as well as frozen blood worms and the like. 

FYI, columbian sharks are not a freshwater fish, although they can live in freshwater for some time, they should be put in a brackish system as soon as possible.


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## solsc (Nov 9, 2006)

I will have the pic up in one minute need to find digital camera first. But should I get sinking or floating pellets. Also should I feed them once or twice a day?


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

sinking... once a day is fine... especially if they've been newly introduced


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## solsc (Nov 9, 2006)

http://img451.imageshack.us/my.php?image=089ns8.jpg

http://img477.imageshack.us/my.php?image=088ei8.jpg

Here are two pictues of them...
The one with black fins is the one that dosent eat that much.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

columbian sharks


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## solsc (Nov 9, 2006)

I just read the thing you sent me about cycling and it said all the fish in my tank now are going to die or be damaged =/


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## yukalaeli87 (Jan 24, 2006)

What you have are both columbians, and for one thing, they are brackish fish when they get older, and for another thing, they get VERY BIG. I have to upgrade from a 55 gal to a 180 gal for my guy. And they will eat everything, including other fish, dead or alive. I fed mine the sinking shrimp pellets as a youngster, and now I feed him frozen bloodworms, earth worms, and live rosy reds.
Here's a picture of my guy. He's about 8" now, but this picture's a couple of months old, so he was prolly only about 6" then. And I've had him a little over a year.
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2592038070093841377djnVzw


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

well you can help prevent that if you do those instructions I told you to do in chat


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

Yeah, definitely get a bigger tank with higher end salinity, they are a brackish fish...most people even suggest full saltwater conditions when they are fully grown. 

As a note, don't keep them in low temps, and don't keep them in freshwater for long. They are NOTORIOUS for getting ick and white skin slime.


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## yukalaeli87 (Jan 24, 2006)

flamingo said:


> They are NOTORIOUS for getting ick and white skin slime.


hey flamingo, what is this white skin slime? i've never heard of it (or maybe i have, just not this name). any info would be great, cuz i think my lima shovelnose might have it. i was told it was nothing to worry about, but just curious. thanks


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

Yuka, what i'm generally speaking of is a condition with brackish water fish placed in freshwater. Fish like dragon/violet gobies, moray eels, and the sharks on this thread get it often. After a few months they develop a "white coating" of slime..and usually die a few days later.

As for you Lima, it could be many things. Pleco or someother fish sucking on it (if you have one with it), disease, water quality, etc.


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## yukalaeli87 (Jan 24, 2006)

Thanks flamingo! 
Yeah, once in a while, my lima will look like his skin is literally peeling off (slightly white, transparent sheets peeling off of him). I do have a large pleco in there, but there are other fish in there and this guy's pretty fast compared to the other guys, so I've pretty much ruled the pleco out. I figured the other fish would be targeted first or at least would have similar conditions if the pleco is to blame. His appetite doesn't change, and it usually only lasts a night, so I haven't been too concerned about it. It's literally like when snakes shed their skin.

Anyways, sorry guys, this was wayyy off the original topic.


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