silver tipped shark

Question
ok i am 13 years old and i'm going to get a silver tipped shakr in a few days.  We went and got the tank today, and set it all up.  The men at PETCO told us to let it run a few days and let the hard metal, and minerals and things like that settle with the filter.  I think that PETCO has them in a fresh water tank, but i have done a lot of research and i'm scared my fish might die in a few days without salt!!  Were getting two of them, and will that be anough to keep them happy??.......Should i add some salt??  What are some simtoms of a fish suffering or needing salt??  Well thanks for your time and i hope to get an answer back soon!!

lacee

Answer
The Silver-tipped Shark or Shark Catfish is actually a brackish water fish! So they would prefer hard water with salt added. I would do 1-1.25 teaspoons per gallon of non-iodized salt is usually recommended. Buy this at a Local Fish Store. DON'T USE TABLE SALT!!!

Ignore everything that PETCO says. They can have good advice but they can also lead you in the wrong direction really, really fast.

I would not get two of them. They can be very aggressive to their own kind and you might end up with one of them dead. Make sure you have a big aqrium. Nothing under 45 GALLONS. I would keep it with other brackish fish in the same tank that are mildly aggressive.

But make sure you let your tank settle in for at least 4 days. At Local Fish Stores they will carry this stuff called CYCLE in a bottle for a new tank. It would be a good idea to buy some and add it to your tank before getting your shark. Good Luck!