Animal-World > Aquarium Tropical Fish > Catfish > Silver-tipped Shark

Silver-tipped Shark

Shark Catfish - Tete Sea Catfish

Family: AriidaeHexanematichthys seemanniPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   Though this is a very attractive fish and fun to observe, the Silver-tipped Shark or Shark Catfish gets rather large, up to 24 inches (60 cm). It will need to be kept in a large aquarium!

   This is a peaceful fish and very good in a community aquarium as long as it is kept with tank mates it own size.

   The Silver-tipped Shark or Shark Catfish is actually a brackish water fish! So they would prefer hard water with salt added. As with many of the livebearers, 1-1.25 teaspoons per gallon of non-iodized salt is usually recommended.

   This fish has a venom on the spines that causes wounds to heal slowly so be careful when handling them!

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Habitat: Distribution / Background

   The Silver-tipped Shark or Shark Catfish fish are found in Coastal Peru.

• Scientific Name: Hexanematichthys seemanni
• Social Grouping: Solitary - Can become aggressive with fish of its own species.
• IUCN Red List: NE - Not Evaluated or not listed

Fish Keeping Difficulty

• Aquarium Hardiness: Moderately Difficult - This fish tends to fall ill frequently even in well maintained tanks.
• Aquarist Experience Level: Intermediate

Foods and Feeding

   Shark Catfish are omnivorous but prefer meaty foods. As juveniles, they will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food or pellet everyday. As they grow go to either pellets or live foods.

• Diet Type: Omnivore
• Flake Food: Yes
• Tablet Pellet: Yes
• Live foods (fishes, shrimps, worms): Some of Diet
• Vegetable Food: Some of Diet
• Meaty Food: Some of Diet
• Feeding Frequency: Several feedings per day - This fish grows quickly and as such requires a large quantity of high quality food.

Aquarium Care

• Water Changes: Bi-weekly

Aquarium Setup

• Minimum Tank Size: 100 gal (379 L) - Silver-tipped Sharks are large and active and should be given ample swimming space.
• Substrate Type: Any
• Lighting Needs: Low - subdued lighting
• Temperature: 71.0 - 78.0° F (21.7 - 25.6° C)
• Range ph: 6.5-8.5
• Hardness Range: 10 - 35 dGH
• Brackish: Yes - Although it can survive in a freshwater tank as a juvenille salt must be added as the fish ages.
• Water Movement: Weak
• Water Region: Middle

Social Behaviors

   The Silver-tipped Shark or Shark Catfish are generally a good community fish with fish their own size. Can be territorial with members of their own species. Don't keep with fish that are much smaller since they are predaceous.

• Venomous: No - The spines on this fish are loaded with a toxin that can do some damage. The aquarist should invest in some aquarium gloves to prevent injury during tank maintenance.
• Temperament: Semi-aggressive - Silver-tipped Sharks are highly predatory to smaller fish and somewhat aggressive to other tankmates.
• Compatible with:
  • Same species - conspecifics: No
  • Peaceful fish (): Threat
  • Semi-Aggressive: (): Monitor
  • Aggressive: (): Threat
  • Shrimps, Crabs, Snails: Safe - not aggressive
  • Plants: Safe

Sex: Sexual differences

   Not known.

Breeding / Reproduction

   The Silver-tipped Shark or Shark Catfish have not been successfully bred in aquariums. In the wild they are mouth-brooders with the male brooding the eggs.

• Ease of Propagation: Difficult - Aquatic breedings are incredibly rare as the aquarist must simulate the fish traveling from marine to freshwater breeding grounds and back. This fish is a mouthbrooder that will produce very few large eggs which the male will watch over.

Availability

   The Silver-tipped Shark or Shark Catfish is readily available.

References

Animal-World References
Freshwater Fish and Plants Tropical Fish ~ Freshwater Fish ~ Aquatic Plants

Author: David Brough. CFS.

• Silver Tipped Shark : $4.29

Silver Tipped Shark Offered By: PetsMart Price: $4.29

Lastest Comments on Silver-tipped Shark View all 99 comments on Silver-tipped Shark Add Your Comment

Stephanie - 2012-01-28 I purchased two of these beautiful fish at PetSmart and they died within ten days. The girl in the fish department did not know anything about them at all. I realize now that the water for my angel fish is too soft for these sharks. Does anyone have suggestions about similar sharks thsat would stay smaller and go better in a soft water environment? Reply

Josh - 2011-09-27 Do silver tip sharks NEED brackish or saltwater as they get older or is it possible for them to survive in fresh water their whole lives? Click For Replies (2) Charlie Roche - 2011-09-27 Silver Tip sharks are actually brackish water and in the Animal World Article Silver Tip tells you how to do that. Katie - 2012-01-08 Yes silvertip sharks do need brackish water as juveniles they can survive in freshwater but it is best to keep them in a brackish tank with a salt content of 1.005 and this should be increased gradually to 1.015 or above as adults this is for their long term health. Reply

James - 2010-02-26 Hey. These catsharks are really cool fish. I never knew they were brackish! My dad had some of these a while back. Oh yea, they do not get up to 24 inches, they only get up to 12, usually 6-8. Click For Replies (5) CichlaDude - 2010-05-18 I don't want to sound rude but you're wrong...I have 2 that are over 12 inches. Go check out monster fish keepers and you will see. marko - 2011-08-05 Hey thanks for the info lvmblfkdmb - 2011-08-28 Mine are 13 in. Minisip - 2011-10-27 While this fish *can* get up to 24 inches in size, it is actually quite rare. I have kept several of these over the years in various tanks and setups and the largest I have had was 15 inches long. Most of them actually topped out at approx. 10 inches. I've kept them in larger and smaller setups, and even with lots of room to grow and feeding regimens geared towards growth, I've only had the one that hit 15 inches; (150 Gallon setup). Normally I'll get them as babies, move them from fresh to brackish, eventually ending with them fully converted to a marine setup as in the wild, they are born in freshwater, as they move to the coast, salt gets in the water putting them into brackish, then they find their way to sea, spending periods at sea, eventually returning to spawn. Carrie - 2011-12-30 James, I agree with you. They are cool, and I own four that are three years old, and they're only one foot long Reply

Scott - 2011-09-25 My shark has suddenly developed a white body fungus and appears distressed. What medications are safe for this species along with botias and red-tailed sharks? Click For Replies (3) Charlie Roche - 2011-09-26 Sounds like a fungus to me. Here is a link for Fish Diseases and Treatments so just scroll down to symptoms and they are clear and the recommended treatment is there. http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/Diseases.htm Scott - 2011-09-26 Thanks Charlie. I had always learned to be a bit cautious treating scaleless fish like sharks and loaches, but apparently that's "old school". Unfortunately my white tip succomed last night but I still need to protect the rest of my tank. What ever it was attacked quickly and ruthlessly. You'd think after 40+ years of being a breeder and avid hobbiest I'd know better. SM Charlie Roche - 2011-09-26 I've done birds for years and years and sometimes something happens that I just can't figure out. Weird. I am sorry your little fella went though. Reply

Hayley - 2011-09-13 My shark catfish has started to hide and chase other fish if they come to close. He also appears to keep gulping. I'm wondering if he is likely to be brooding?? Any tips?? I have read that this is pretty unlikely for them to breed in captivity... But wondering what else would cause this behavior? I have 5 shark catfish in 180L tropical tank x Reply

Randy Brown - 2011-07-06 Hello, I love these fish, but they will not eat! Anything seemingly, whether it be tropical flakes or Blood worms. Any suggestions or alternate sources of food I should try?? Click For Replies (5) Charlie Roche - 2011-07-07 Pellet? Timika - 2011-07-29 Try sinking pellets. Mine wait for them to get soggy and then suck them right in their mouth. ryan - 2011-09-01 Try neon tetras they ate mine all six Alainn - 2011-09-04 Mine love the freeze dried brine shrimp. And I have a few plants that float on top of the water and I sprinkle the shrimp the sharks seem to enjoy hunting in the plants. gl hope this helps. Charles - 2011-09-09 Try ghost shrimp, I have four of them and they love it when I feed them ghost shrimp, they will actually chase them all around my tank. 90 gal tank, 4 cichlids, 3 silver tipped sharks, 1 Placo, 1 (not sure of the name, but fat little orange and black guy that grunts when he is out of the water) Reply

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