A Larger Than Usual Community Fish
Silver Shark Fact Sheet
The Silver Shark, Balantiocheilos melanopterus,
is a bigger fish than most of the ones normally considered peaceful
community fish. It grows to about 14 inches (36 cm) long. Despite its
size it can be kept as a community fish with much smaller fish in a large aquarium.
It comes from Sumatra, Thailand, Borneo and
Malaysia. Alternative common names for the Silver Shark are: Bala
Shark, Tricolor Shark and Shark Minnow.
The Life Span is about 10 years.
Water Conditions
Because the Silver Shark
is a fairly big fish, it will need a big aquarium. Although smaller
ones will be quite all right in a small aquarium, and for convenience
may well be sold from a small tank, when purchasing one you need to
consider the size it will grow to. I suggest that a minimum aquarium length for a Silver Shark is about 48 inches (120 cm).
The Silver Shark is a tropical
fish, and although I have seen it suggested as a cold water fish, this
would depend on how cold your water gets. I suggest a temperature of
between 22 and 29 degrees C (71 and 84 degrees F), with a moderate
hardness and a pH near neutral. As far as water conditions are
concerned, it is quite compatible with most community fish.
Well Oxygenated water is recommended. This fish can jump so a well fitting aquarium cover is a good idea.
Food
Like
most fish, the Silver Shark is an omnivore. It will most dried fish
foods as well as live food like small crustaceans like Daphnia, insect
larvae like wrigglers and blood worms as well as frozen food.
Companions
The
Silver Shark can be kept with most small and medium size fish. People
with experience with this fish are divided over whether they can be
kept with Neon Tetras and other very small fish like Green Neons and
Cardinal Tetras. There is no doubt that Silver Sharks have sometimes
eaten very small fish, but on the other hand I have seen very big
Silver Sharks in a large aquarium with Neon Tetras and not bothering
them at all.
Other, slightly bigger, community fish should be in
little danger. This includes fish like Cherry Barbs, Penguin Tetras,
PristellaTetras, Glowlight Tetras, Siamese Fighting Fish, Red Eye
Tetras, Silvertip Tetras, Gold Barbs, Rummy Nose Tetras, Scissortail
Rasboras, Lemon Tetras, Emperor Tetras, Head and Tail Light Tetras,
Glass Bloodfin Tetras, Swordtails, Platies, Mollies, Zebra Danios,
Black Widow Tetras, Rosy Barbs, Tiger Barbs, Paraguay Tetras, Buenos Aires Tetras, Colombian Tetras and Splashing Tetras.
Breeding
The
Silver Shark is not one that many people have bred in a home aquarium,
so there is incomplete information about it. I can only make the
following suggestions.
It is an egg laying fish that will need a
lot of space to breed. The females tend to be larger and plumper. In
the wild it breeds in the monsoon, so imitating the water conditions
which occur during the monsoon are worth trying.
Sources
http://www.justtropicalfish.com/Silver_Shark.html,
http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?h=silvershark,
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/show_article.php?article_id=39
and
http://www.fish-keeper.net/Forum/index.php?/topic/563-bala-shark-silver-shark/.
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