# 5 gallon tank, red tailed shark and small algae eater in it. Need help



## Frey (Feb 9, 2018)

(sorry if this is in the wrong section of the form, new to the site!) First of all, I am new to the whole fish care thing and thought that I had everything ready. I have looked up some stuff about my situation and apparently listening to the people at petsmart is not a good thing to do at all (sorry :frown2: ). I do realize now that a 5 gal tank is WAY too small for a shark, wish I knew that before I decided to listen to the petsmart employee. Anyways I have a Red Tailed Shark and a Small Algae eater, both seem like they are breathing heavy and the algae eater looks like it is struggling. The tank is sitting at 80 degrees Fahrenheit currently. I dont really know what to do and I am hoping that there is someway I can have my two fish live in this 5g tank. I do have testers for Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia and PH so if anyone needs me to test, I can. Thanks in advance.


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## aussieJJDude (Jun 9, 2012)

Defiently test IMO, if its a new tank it may have high levels of nitrogen in your water that is causing them to respire fast - causes stress.


Do you have a filter?

Are you looking to upgrade your fish to a larger home, not only is it easier to maintain - more water equals more dilution - but your fish will greatly appreciate it.

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## Sean 1123 (Feb 8, 2018)

Frey said:


> (sorry if this is in the wrong section of the form, new to the site!) First of all, I am new to the whole fish care thing and thought that I had everything ready. I have looked up some stuff about my situation and apparently listening to the people at petsmart is not a good thing to do at all (sorry :frown2: ). I do realize now that a 5 gal tank is WAY too small for a shark, wish I knew that before I decided to listen to the petsmart employee. Anyways I have a Red Tailed Shark and a Small Algae eater, both seem like they are breathing heavy and the algae eater looks like it is struggling. The tank is sitting at 80 degrees Fahrenheit currently. I dont really know what to do and I am hoping that there is someway I can have my two fish live in this 5g tank. I do have testers for Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia and PH so if anyone needs me to test, I can. Thanks in advance.


Hi Frey. Red tailed sharks need a tank of upwards of 20-30 gallons and the algae eater probably needs about a 20 gallon. I would suggest returning both fish to PetSmart if they will take them and buy some small fish such as a betta, guppy, platy, or something like that. If you would like suggestions on some cool nano fish I'd be happy to share more. I assume that your tank is new so it is not cycled yet. http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php read this to learn about cycling. After you cycle the tank (I would suggest a fishless cycle) your tank will be ready for your fish. 

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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Yup I agree with both posters - you need a significantly larger tank to keep the fish you have, or you need significantly smaller fish to live in the tank you have.


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