Which Tropical fish for my sons birthday?

Question

My son would like a minature shark like fish but we have only ever kept goldfish before. I was looking at buying a bio orb 30litre tropical aquariam and was wondering what I can keep in there as it states 12-18 smaller fish. Also what are the shark like fish called? and what will they mix well with? Thanks for help.

Answer 1

angel fish, mickey mouse platy, and guppies.

Answer 2

A 30 L tank is only 8 gallons so there is no way any kind of shark goes in there and whoever said 12 to 18 small fish would work is crazy.  A 30 L tank is suitable for about 4 guppies, 3 platies, 6 neon tetra's or a couple of mollies.  

You'll need to get the tank cycled before you add any fish as well.  http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.ht...

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Answer 3

Biorbs are terrible as beginner tanks. 30 litres equates to 6 UK gallon, but being a posh bowl they have little surface area for gas exchange and are harder to clean than a regular tank.

Nothing with the word shark in its name is going to last long in this size and shape tank, they all as the other posts point out grow too big.

I don't think you will keep 12-18 smaller fish happy either, they will all be occupying the same surface area gulping for air. Can't recommend any catfish as biorbs have very little substrate. If you are going with this tank I'll second the single male Betta/Siamese Fighter idea, it's what these Asian made tanks are designed for.

If you are going for the shark option, I would suggest looking for a second hand 20 UK gallon tropical set up which will knock you back £50. Then you can accommodate a Ruby or Red Tail Shark no problems and you have numerous tank mate options.

Biorbs are much more an ornament than an aquarium and the disappointment of failure often puts youngsters off the hobby. You would be much better with an ordinary oblong tank.

Answer 4

There are shark looking freshwater species but the problem with most of them is that they all get fairly large, like close to 8-12 inches and require 30+ gallon tanks.

The three main ones are bala sharks who need a minimum of a 55 gallon tank and a school to swim in.

Rainbow sharks who also need a 55 gallon

Red tailed sharks who you can get away with a 30 gallon

Answer 5

Well you should get a betta fish tanks are really cheap at walmart or go to petco

Answer 6

Gosh i wouldnt know where to start answering this question, but you only have to ask the folks at the fish shop and they will tell ya everything you need to know :O)

Answer 7

Ok, big fish eat little fish and if your soon wants a real shark there is no way, you would need thousands of gallons, but a freshwater shark is different IF you can have a big enough tank. In simpler words, unless you have a 50 gallon bi Orb and forget the small fish then a shark is a no. If you get a large tank...say...

Red tail sharks. This sight says at least a 10 gallon tank, but I have noticed they do better in larger tanks of at least 20 gallons. Only 1 per tank, they are very Territorial. http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-RedTail...

Rainbow shark.These are very similar to red tail sharks, only then need MUCH more room. They fight with there own species and with red tail sharks, so only one of these. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?...

Bala Shark. These sharks need a large tank because they like to school together.They also get much larger, 14-16 inches on average. For 2 you need 50 gallons, for a school of 6 or more you need 75+ gallons. They will be happier this way.http://www.grizzlyrun.com/Pets/Fish/Fres...

Non of these freshwater sharks can be mixed with little fish, or they will eat them. If you want a smaller easier fish, a betta would be best.

Answer 8

no aquarium sharks are suitable for a biorb

but the best freshwater tropical fish that resembles a shark is a bala (silver)  shark

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bala_shark

Answer 9

A bioorb 30litre is too small for any shark-like fish.

You need to be looking at at least 120 litres, and a regular rectangular tank at that. You can pick up one fairly cheap in sales, bioorbs are very overpriced.

The smallest "shark" like fish sold under the name "shark" are the Red Tailed and Rainbow sharks. These are actually cyprinids, the same family as fish like Goldfish! These are highly territorial fish and will not tolerate their own kind, nor other shark-like fish.

http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Red_Taile...

http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Rainbow_S...

Avoid at all costs Silver Sharks/Bala Sharks (Balantiocheilus melanopterus), Iridescent Sharks (Pangasius hypophthalmus), Paroon Shark (Pangasius sanitwongsei) and Columbian Catshark/Silver Tipped Shark (Arius seemani). These are all very large growing fish (the smallest at 12", the largest at around 3ft!) and have very specific requirements! Definitely not for the faint hearted beginner! They are often sold at only a few inches long, don't get sucked in!

Don't forget to put your tank through the nitrogen cycle before adding any animals! And stock a new tank very slowly over many weeks.

http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/The_Nitro...

Answer 10

there are two types of small sharks i know

rainbow shark and

inderesent shark

all they need is a 10 gallon tank or more.

rainbow shark

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...

i cant find inderesent shark

srry