Black-Finned Shark Tank Maintenance.

Question
Hi, I'm new to fishkeeping and recently bout a Betta and a black-finned shark.  I was informed by the store this would be okay.  I'm wondering how often I should feed, and also how I should change the water in my small tank?

Answer
Hi Kyle,
I'm sorry to say this but with the black finned shark you have been badly informed by the petstore. These catfish can grow large, to a foot long with good care, and while they can live in freshwater while young, they really need salted (brackish) water as they grow and especially when they are adult fish.
This of course won't go over well with your betta. While they might live together ok now you might be in for some problems later on down the road. The catfish may grow fast and outgrow your small tank (not sure of the actual size). And not do very well long-term since your betta needs freshwater. So really the best thing for you to do is to take the shark back if possible. The betta's needs will be more easily seen to then the shark's.

Here's a little more info-
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile63.html



As far as feeding, most fish do well with twice a day feedings. Better yet, three tiny meals a day are ideal. This is what bettas prefer. They nibble tiny amounts throughout the day in the wild so this is ideal for them to get small tiny meals frequently. Also supplement his diet with some small amounts of frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp several times a week..The majority of a betta's wild diet is consisted of insect larvae.

With changing the water. I'm not sure how small your tank is but typically you know, the smaller the tank, the bigger and more frequent the water changes. If your tank is about a 2-2.5 gallon, I'd change about 50% twice a week (use a gravel vacuum to clean the bottom and siphon water... and always make sure to treat new water with a water conditioner and make sure the temp is equal to your tank or just a little bit warmer)

Larger aquariums are about the same. Perhaps it could be cut down to about 30-50% once a week depending upon the bioload (waste-load) of the tank.

Best of luck, again sorry for the bad news but I hope this helps!
Karen~