[Jersey Mike]

I've had a ton of different set-ups ranging from a 55-gallon salt-water system to a small 10 gallon of un-heated, freshwater, gold fish. For the last few years, my main tank has been a 55-gallon freshwater system of African Cichlids. I like this set up because it's maintenance is simple, the fish last years, they're come in a variety of colors, grow in size and don't cost much. However, they're very territorial and can get aggressive, so they can't be mixed with other fish. I've lost count of how many there are in that tank now--the one fish just keeps reproducing 2 at a time every 6 months or so.


I unfortunately don't know much about Red Tailed Sharks, but it sounds like you know the basics of tank set-up. I'm sure you could find tank temperature, food, and other info online. If I could make a suggestion, it would be to take a drive down to The Animal House, on Rt 23 in Butler (in the shopping center with the Burger King) and talk to the owner. I forgot his name, but for years I went there for all my aquarium needs (after getting a lot of mediocre advice from other sellers) and this guy must have went to school and studied marine ecology or something because he knows everything there is to know about aquariums, fish, they're behavior, tips, tricks, whatever. I found he's trustworthy & extremely helpful. Give them a call before shooting down there though, as I haven't been there in years (I've had no need to, he helped me set my tanks up so they have been running flawlessly without so much as a hiccup for the last two-three years)

Good luck, Paul.