pepetj

A dear friend of mine called me today to offer me, as gift, a juvenile (likely less than 2") Rainbow Shark. I haven't picked it up yet, since I need to decide where to place him/her first.

I know his fish are kept in good water conditions and are indeed healthy.

Since my temporary housing options for this particular fish are reduced to two tanks, I need your help as for where it makes more sense (or less non-sense) to put until at least next month. Both tanks are already overstocked but well maintained and pretty stable with ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, and Nitrates <10ppm. I keep both tanks with a mixture of my source water and R/O processed drinking water (usually 2:1, adjusted as needed).

Angelfish Tank:
Tank age: 4 months, 3 weeks
29gal bow (26gal water),
pH 6.8,
Temp 26C (no heater)
6.0 dGH,
2.5 DKH;
bio-load in inch of fish per gal (actual size: 0.84; adult sized: 1.38):
paired-off young Angelfish,
4 Khuli Loaches (one is carrying eggs),
6 Panda Corydoras.
HOB at 160GPH + dual Sponge filter;
CO2 injection,
60% Eco-Complete (bottom layer) + 40% Natural River Sand (top layer) (3" thick)
2WPG, moderately planted with Black Amazon Swords.

Silver Dollars "Growing" Tank:
Tank age: 1 month 2 weeks
30gal "wide" (27gal water),
pH 6.8,
Temp 28C (100W heater)
6.0 dGH,
3.5 dKH;
bio-load in inch of fish per gal (actual size: 0.97; adult sized: 3.25):
paired-off young Angelfish,
9 sub-adults Silver Dollars,
11 Harlequin Rasboras (4 juveniles).
HOB at 350GPH + internal bio-wheel rated for 30gal tank.
20% Eco-Complete + 80% Natural River Sand substrate (1" thick)
1.2WPG, mildly planted with Vallisneria (dwarf variety) and Anubias Barteri.

I am aware I need a minimum of 55gal tank for the Rainbow Shark, this is a temporary housing issue I would appreciate your input with.

Pepe
Santo Domingo

URFisher35

my rainbow seems to prefer warmer water...I keep my tank around 78F and he seems to be very happy. So i would say the "growing tank," although this definitely cannot be a determinant solution. also, my rainbow prefers places to hide...so that might be another consideration. due to the territorial nature of the rainbow, i would go with the "growing tank" as well...the presence of corys and loaches might make it aggressive in defending any territory it will stake out which could either harm itself or your other fish. IMO id say the growing tank

Shawnie

I agree with thesnipe ...grow out tank for sure....less bottom feeders for the rts t feel threatned by

Mike19

pepe, is your friend still using the tank? since he is giving you the shark if not borrow it, if his still using it maybe delaying it is a good idea let your friend keep it for a month until you get your larger tank set up then you will only need to move him/her once.

pepetj

"Growing tank" will be. Thanks. I'm putting some extra stones there now to provide some shelter "caves".

Pepe
Santo Domingo

pepetj

A pic of my newly arrived Rainbow Shark juvenile. He/she is still under 2". Substrate is a thin mix of natural river sand and Eco-Complete. He/she choosed an Indian Almond Tree Leaf as shelter for the night.

Took me over an hour to acclimate this fish due to substantial pH differences (the bag's water at pH 8.5 while my tank's pH is 6.8).

Pepe
Santo Domingo

Attached Images

Rainbow Shark juvenile.JPG (82.1 KB, 8 views)