Odd 4 Columbian Sharks?

Mom2ColumSharks

Mom2ColumSharks

Embrace The Ending
Jun 23, 2007
8
0
0
43
North Carolina
My female Columbian is swimming upside down on the surface of the water in the tank. Is this odd or normal? I'm completely new to all this, Only had these Columbian's for a week. But yesterday was the first time I've seen her doing this, Since I've had them. And being a "newbie" to the whole fish world, I observe them alot throughout the day and night. All 4 have very big appetites and very active. Any help would be well appreciated.
 
Mom2ColumSharks said:
My female Columbian is swimming upside down on the surface of the water in the tank. Is this odd or normal? I'm completely new to all this, Only had these Columbian's for a week. But yesterday was the first time I've seen her doing this, Since I've had them. And being a "newbie" to the whole fish world, I observe them alot throughout the day and night. All 4 have very big appetites and very active. Any help would be well appreciated.
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a buddy of mine has 4 as well, and they do that constantly during feeding time. They eat everything before anyone else can get to it!
 
She along with the rest are in a 20 gal tank. It's been set up for a week and a half now, They have finally settled in and are now swimming on the bottom. When I first got them, I'd say for the first 5 to 6 days they'd stay on top of the tank, straight up and down and swam in 1 corner of the tank alot. Now all that has changed, and they are swimming on the bottom of the tank. I have 2 caves for them, which they love now and go in alot. I have 3 plants (fake) in there, which they also like to play around in. I'm sure it's all just newly jitters, because of the new enviorment to them. All ph levels etc. are what they are suppose to be, And as far as salt, I've added 1 1/3 cup which equals out to it's right amount for 20 gal. And yes it was also cycled before I got the Columbian's. Since my last post here about this, She hasn't been doing it as much, So I was thinking again..Maybe just the change from the pet shop to their new home now may have played a part in it. They all seem very healthy, Very active and always hungry..lol I think they have a non-stop game of "follow the leader" going on too..lol
 
It could have been the reaction of the salt in the tank vs. the LFS tanks. My guess is there is no salt in their water as most LFS sell these guys as FW fish when in fact, they start fresh but need to be weaned to brackish eventually leading them to a high brackish tank.
 
I also agree. columbian sharks grow to around 10", which is way too big for a 20 gallon aquarium. I would suggest a minimum of 55g for the 4 of them.

Also, columbian sharks live in brackish water (water that is inbetween freshwater and saltwater) so your other fish selection is fairly low.
 
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