How to care for my fish?

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hotchilidog7

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i just got a common plecostamus and a silvertip shark. I am new to aquariums (these are my first two fish) so i need advice on how to care for my fish. If you know what i should feed them, when i should feed them, if i should have the hoodlight on or off, the best temperature to have them at or any other info you think i should know please help me. thanks =]
 
what size tank do you have?

Both of those fish get 12"-14" They're gonna need a 4' tank, preferably a 75 if you plan on keeping them much longer.

If you have a smaller tank, consider getting a bushynose pleco (they get 4") and some of the synodonis cats, pictus cats, and all the cory's stay under 10" and can be housed in 30" tanks. (Corys can be in tanks as small as 10gal)
 
Take them back. You don't need a pleco in a newly set up tank. If you have what PetSmart sells as silver tips, they are saltwater fish as adults and get up to a foot. The bala sharks are schooling also and you would need a huge tank.

Please research before you take fish home next time.
 
Since your aquarium is new, the placo is an algae eater, get some algae tablets that sink to feed him till your aquarium is established. The shark is a mid to bottom feeder and a small pellet or flake will be great. Temperature should be 76 to 80 degrees. I like to go about 8 hours on and 16 off for lighting, this helps prevent Algae build up. Feed every other day as much as they can eat in about 5 minutes. Get a basic test kit and follow instructions for testing and recommended levels. Depending on your aquarium size be careful what fish you add and be sure they are compatible. Also keep check on your temp in summer you may need to cut back on lighting, and winter increase.
 
Uh-oh--those aren't good fish for beginners. To start with, they both get HUGE--Up to 2 feet and just over a foot, respectively--and need massive tanks. The shark is also a schooling fish and needs to be kept in groups of at least 5-6.

If you can, return them ASAP and get something smaller. Platies, white clouds, and guppies are all good starter fish. Also, read up on fish tank cycling.
 
1st off I hope you have a large tank, a common pleco gets over a foot long and needs to be in a 75+gal, silvertip shark, assuming you mean bala shark, needs to be in a group and gets fairly large as well. Theres a lot that needs to be learned before even getting fish, but way too much to even try to type right now, just check out some sites like fishlore.com, badmanstropicalfish.com theaquariumwiki.com and firsttankguide.net they have good articles for beginners that'll help you out a lot, just make sure you get a good basic understanding of how the nitrogen cycle works and read as much as you can about the fish themselves, like compatibility, behavior, feeding habits, etc. good luck!
 
1st off I hope you have a large tank, a common pleco gets over a foot long and needs to be in a 75+gal, silvertip shark, assuming you mean bala shark, needs to be in a group and gets fairly large as well. Theres a lot that needs to be learned before even getting fish, but way too much to even try to type right now, just check out some sites like fishlore.com, badmanstropicalfish.com theaquariumwiki.com and firsttankguide.net they have good articles for beginners that'll help you out a lot, just make sure you get a good basic understanding of how the nitrogen cycle works and read as much as you can about the fish themselves, like compatibility, behavior, feeding habits, etc. good luck!
 
http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-Pleco.htm
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/catfish/sharkcat.php
 
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