sexing my sharks

Question
Hello my name is jason and i have a 125 Gal tank ..right now I have 3 ID sharks 2 albino that are small and one older id shark that is about 8 inches long its quite lazy and lays around a lot but i was more interested in how to figure out the sex of id sharks and how to breed them .. i also have a bala shark a rainbow shark and 4 pleco's and an assortment of guppies but mostly i wanted to know about breeding and sexing id sharks thank you i would appreciate your help and be very thankful
  Jason

Answer
Hi Jason;

Iridescent shark males have darker stripes and are thinner. Since they reach an adult size of 3 to 4 feet, you may not be able to breed them in an aquarium. They are bred commercially in huge ponds outdoors for sale as pets. Your tank is a pretty large size but they will outgrow it too. In my opinion, they really should not even be available to us as pets for that reason. Most hobbyists really have no idea what they are getting into. Here are some profiles about them to learn more;

http://www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/cotm.php?article_id=65
http://www.aquariumlife.net/profiles/asian-catfish/iridescent-shark/100117.asp

Bala Sharks can't be sexed or bred in aquariums so far, so I can't help there.

Rainbow shark males are thinner and have have thin black stripes on the anal fin. They are territorial so very difficult to breed in a aquariums.

There are many varieties of plecostomus, so if you know what they are you could let me know and we could go from there. Here is a web page link about just regular common plecos to start you out;

http://www.fishpondinfo.com/pleco.htm

Have fun!

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins