CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

Hey gang!
long time no type 
I need to know what the best food for freshwater sharks is!
Thanks!
Sabina

Hi!  And Welcome back!  What kind of sharks?  Most of them will eat pretty much anything.  I believe a good bit of veggie matter is needed as part of the mix.  I really like those fish, tho right now I just have one -- a large bala.

We aren't sure we are going to get them tomorrow and we are hoping to get a couple of different types bala for sure. we are going to see what they have. we just want to know if we need to get food while we were there.
any info is appreciated
Thanks

Couple of things to bear in mind about "sharks".  The "shark" that has been in the hobby the longest is the black shark.  Nice, peaceful fish, but they grow to well over a foot long, and eat like there's no tomorrow  The red-tailed black sharks and the "rainbow" sharks top out at around 6".  They can be rather territorial, so you want to be careful about space if you're going to get more than one.  They both do some algae grazing, but are omnivores.  Bala sharks get much bigger (around 12"), like to be in groups, and will cheerfully eat smaller fish if they fit in their mouths.  Iridescent sharks (actually a catfish) look very pretty while they're small, but can grow eventually to around 3 feet, and lose that green color.  Omnivorous, but not aggressive, they're quite shy -- even prone to panic, and can hurt themselves by crashing into the ends of the tank.  The so-called "Paroon" shark is also a catfish, and also grows prohibitavely large.  There is also a "silver shark catfish" or "Colombian shark" that is more obviously a catfish, but as it grows and matures needs more and more salt content in the water, eventually requiring full marine conditions.  I've also seen a fish called a "blue shark" that really does look like a shark, but is in fact a catfish.  These are somewhat parasitic, in that they feed by biting circular chunks out of other fish.

hey thanks for the info. it helped us make an informed decision about sharks. 2 bala and 2 red tail for starters. not too worried about the sized we have a total of 4 tanks and one is a 100 with only 2 JD's. If we have probs well just relocate. the one we bought are only about an inch to inch and a half long.
thanks alot. love this site!
sabina