Red Tail Shark Stats
Minimum Tank Size: 29 Gallons (55 Gallons Recommended)
Care Level: Easy
Water Conditions: PH 6.8-7.5 and Soft to Fairly Hard
Temperature: 72-79 F (22-26C)
Maximum Size: 6 inches (15.2cm)
The red tail shark (Epalzeorhynchos bicolor) was once found inhabiting streams throughout Thailand, but after decades of habitat loss, it was declared extinct in the wild in 1996. A tiny remnant population has recently been rediscovered, and the red tail shark is now listed as critically endangered.
Despite this, it is widely available in the aquarium trade, and is bred commercially in large numbers. For anyone who has ever owned a red tail shark, it obvious why this fish has remained so popular over the decades.
With its brilliant red tail and jet black body, a red tail shark makes an impressive center piece fish for larger aquariums. It is normally a very active fish, and is constantly on patrol in its aquarium. Other times it comically tries to hide by cramming itself into tiny spaces, oblivious to the fact that its bright red tail is sticking out.
Most red tail sharks will grow to 6 inches (15.2cm) in length, but it’s not unusual for a shark to reach 7 (17.8cm) or even 8 inches (20.3cm) in length. While most sharks will only life 5-6 years in the home aquarium, some exceptionally well cared for ones can sometimes live as long as 10 years, with reports of some living even longer.
Housing
As a rule, red tail sharks require larger aquariums, and should be housed in aquariums 29 gallon aquarium or larger. As it reaches maturity, it should ideally be placed in a 55 gallon aquarium, with other types of semi-aggressive fish.
Since the red tail shark is a noted jumper, any tank containing them should be well covered, with any spaces between the lid and the fish tank covered with breathable materials (plastic mesh or sponges work best).
This fish can also be extremely aggressive, and should never be housed with another red tail shark, or any other fish with a “shark-like” body. Docile tank mates with large bodies should also be avoided (like Mollies and Platys).
With that being said, it is occasionally possible to house a group of red tail sharks together, but it usually requires a very large aquarium and a minimum of five sharks are needed. When there are this many sharks, a hierarchy usually emerges, and no one shark will be singled out and bullied to death.
While the red tail sharks can be very aggressive to tank mates, it rarely bites or does any damage to the other fish. But it will chase some fish relentlessly, and prevent them from feeding. If nothing is done, it will chase them until they eventually die from stress.
Red tail sharks don’t have any special filtering requirements, and a good HOB (hang-on-back) filter will normally be more than adequate. However, on the larger fish tanks, a canister filter works best if you can afford one.
If choosing an HOB filter, I would strongly recommend choosing an Aquaclear Power Filter
Feeding
In the wild, red tail sharks primarily feed on plant matter, but also eat worms, crustaceans and small insects. In the home aquarium, they should be offered a high quality plant based flake or pellet food, along with a normal high quality flake food. I have used Hikari Sinking Wafers
They also appreciate vegetable matter in their diet, and aside from grazing on algae, they should be fed blanched zucchini medallions, cucumber medallions and shelled peas. Make sure that any vegetables are washed before they are placed in the aquarium, and any uneaten vegetables should be removed after 24 hours, to prevent the water from becoming fouled.
As a treat, they can also be feed frozen foods. Their favorites include frozen brine shrimp, blood worms and they seem especially partial to frozen daphnia.
Breeding
Not much is known about red tail sharks breeding habits, and it is extremely rare to have them breed in a home aquarium. Commercial facilities breed them by introducing hormones into their ponds, which is something that can’t easily be replicated in a home aquarium.
hello im from Alberta canada and i bought 4 red tailed sharks for my 30g fish aquarium. i put them in there to start off a brand new tank and expected thwm to die from not fully cycling my tank. however the 4 survived and never showed a sign of stress or even fighting. tho a 3 week period went by with no water change and i decided to put 3 guppies in there because i thought the sharks whould eat them. but after i put the guppies in, 2 of my sharks are latxhing onto eachother and swimming around eachother constantly for hours at a time. my other 2 actually started fighting and now those 2 lay alone in a corner. now those 2 that were “mating” 1 of thwm now has a verry swollen belly and doesent eat, hudes in the slate rock home and i wont see her for 2 days at a time.
i thought it was interesting because your site mentioned the fact thats its rare to have thwm mate in a home aquarium. well mine are and shes going to have babies for sure. i dobt have any other explanation for why shes got a full belly. if anyone can help with how to care for thease small frie it whould be much appreciated. email me at treyswampy@gmail.com thank you!!
Hello Trey,
I actually used to live in Edmonton, so I’ll do my best to help out a fellow old neighbour. lol
A lot of red tailed sharks aren’t as aggressive when they’re younger, but what you’re seeing is the fighting that comes with maturity. The way that they fight is by using their bodies, and denying the other fish food, or “herding” them around the aquarium. The other fish is exerting its dominance by not allowing the weaker shark to eat. Sometimes in larger tanks, groups of sharks can work, as no one shark get singled out. But sometimes one does get singled out like the one in your tank.
Also, these fish lays eggs, so your fish isn’t pregnant. A swollen belly means that it’s seriously ill, and likely has bloat. This most likely signifies a bacterial infection. I would recommend removing the red tailed shark to another aquarium, and treating it there. But first make sure that’s it not constipation, by feeding it some shelled peas. If this clears it up, it was just constipated.
If that doesn’t work, head to your local fish store and pick up some antibiotics. Before adding them, make sure to remove the carbon from your filter. These should hopefully clear it up and if the fish it strong, it might still live.
I hope this helps.
My goodness isn’t it amusing when someone who struggles to type legible words is prepared to tell someone who at the very lest has done extensive research on a subject for the purposes of compiling an informative article AND is quite possibly also richly experienced, personally, on said subject…that the author is in a bafoon and though passages in the article such as”not much is known about red tail sharks breeding habits and it is extremely rare for them to breed in a home aquarium “…clearly are potent statements about the conventional wisdom of this creatures existence,that yet another internet savant is here to tell us all that THEY are the chosen torch bearer of the home breeding red tail Shark….never mind the fish is practically extinct in the wild and cannot be bred commercially without infusing their water with hormones to stimulate mating behavior….of all tjings I might have expected…to read some poor moron describe inappropriate tank mates , ammonia poisoning and bloat as mating behavior even after reading this article (presumably anyway) was NOT what I would have expected at all ….this is why we are doomed as a race ….not because each of us isn’t a genius…but because SO many of us aren’t even holding the average…geeez
Haha see …it’s contagious…I can’t type legibly now either…
Don’t worry…no one will hold it against you. lol
wow, you give canadians a bad name
what is a “bafoon”?
Trey. You sound like an awful person. I realize you’re probably 10, maybe 13 years old tops, but try not to get fish just to watch them die or get eaten by other fish. Also, fish-in cycling is stressful, so the fish are probably sick, not pregnant. Please let your parents handle the setup of the tank, or put fake fish in there and be sadistic to them instead.
I have 2 red tailed sharks, one of them is quite active but the one lays motionless in the plant. It moves its fins from time to time. Does that mean its sick? If so what should I do for it.
Does it look bloated at all? Does anything look wrong with it – patches of fuzz, etc? If it looks fine, it may be hiding from the more dominant shark. It’s generally a bad idea to keep two red tail sharks together, as one will become dominant and constantly harass the other shark. I’d make sure the shark is still getting food, since a dominant shark will often prevent the other shark from feeding.
It doesnt look bloated, but it seems to be losing its color.
I have a red tail shark and he is acting a bit strange. I didin’t do much research (my fault) when I first got a tank, and so it is being cycled with fish inside it. I have him in a 13 gallon tank with 3 platttys, and 1 molly. The first day he was pretty active and explored. Now he just hides in a dark cave decoration I bought and is very motionless. I checked the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels and they seem pretty safe. He also doesn’t want to eat that much. Is he dying or sick? Please help me I’m a new at this and I don’t want my fish to die or suffer because i already lost one.
It’s pretty normal for a new fish to hide in a tank like that. I’d give it a few more days, and try to feed after the lights go out – it may eat more then.
Also, how does its colour look? Is the black fading?
Please get a bigger tank,u have to many fish for such a small tank.
I have a retail shark in my 30gal breeder and it likes to hang out with my clown loach
i have a red tailed shark that lives with nine other tropical fish
and he swims around in circles
but since he jumped out the tank i was cleaning
i have noticed that he is starting to try and swim on his side pls help
could it be a swim bladder problem
thanks
How is the shark’s colour? But you’re probably right about the swim bladder. The best cure I’ve found is feeding the shark lightly boiled, shelled peas. It normally clears it up pretty quickly. Let me know how it goes.
Its not bloated, but it seems to have lost some of its color. Its now kind of a dark grayish.
It could be something internal, but it’s most likely stress. Like I said, it’s very difficult to keep more than one red tail shark in the tank. Just to be on the safe side, I would check your water conditions, but if there are no other visible signs of illness, I’d guess it’s stress from the other shark being aggressive to it.
, thanks Rob
I have two and they are fine together….one is lighter then the other but when I looked it up it said that its the difference between male and female one is lighter then the other they have been like that since I got them I also have guppies in the tank and the sharks eat the baby’s…..one is more dominant I can tell but it doesn’t constantly chase the other just when the other one comes near the plant ( or turf) as I like to call it
I’ve never heard of colour being used to sex red tail sharks. Usually, a lack of colour indicates severe stress in shark, and means something is wrong in the tank, or with the water conditions.
And while some sharks tolerate each other, I know from failed experiments in that past it gets much worse the larger the sharks get. Though if you have a large enough tank, sometimes you can get it to work by keeping five or six sharks together, so the aggression gets spread out among the fish.
I just started a fish tank and I got to red tail sharks and when I got up in the morning the one was gone no body nothing and I have other fish in as well bt they fyn is there a reason ?
Fish often disappear like that. If a sick fish dies, the other fish will normally consume it quickly, and this is doubly true if you have a large snail population. What other fish was it kept with?
I am planning to move my red tail shark from a 10 gallon tank which has guppies to a 50 gallon tank which has angels. Will the shark bother the angels? The shark has grown to about 6 inches long and is about 3 years old.
They should be alright together, assuming it’s well planted and not overcrowded. The shark may show some aggression to the angels, but the angels should be able to stand up for themselves. And thankfully with sharks, they don’t actually attack fish – they only show aggression towards them, so you won’t have to deal with nipped fins and the like.
But every situation is different, and you should always watch the tank closely for a few days after adding the shark. If problems do develop, you need to be ready to reorganize the tank, or remove the shark completely.
Hi one question I have a tank with guppies, mollies, platies, 1 anglefish,a zebra danio, 2 chinese alage eaters, and two bumble bee gobys. can all those get along with a Red Tail shark?
First of all, how large is your tank? And right off the bat, you will normally run into aggression problems with a Chinese algae eater and a red tail shark. In fact, Chinese algae eaters are a pretty awful community fish, and I usually don’t recommend them for a tank like you have. The rest of the fish would likely be fine with the shark though, although you may run into some issues with the bumble bee goby.
The tank is either a 39gal or a 40 gal i’m not sure.
Also the algae eaters are Gold Chinese algae eaters, and they are small.
You’d probably be alright with that size, but you still may run into issues. Just make sure you have a back up plan in place in case you have to remove one of the fish.
Sounds like a pretty good tank. Although, Angelfish are members of the cichilid family which are very agressive when they mature and will eat other fish. I’d definitely worry about your guppies and other smaller fish. To keep your other fish alive, your best bet is to feed your angel a diverse diet including fry or baby brine shrimp.
My Red Tailed Shark is harassing the hell out of my community fish; Gourami, Platy, Molly, and others. Is there anything I can do to distract him, or? I wondered about getting another large fish to keep him busy?
The good news is a red tailed shark rarely ever hurts any fish it harasses. But that’s not to say it won’t highly stress them out.
There are a few ways to deal with aggressive fish, and adding another large fish is rarely the way to go. You risk just increasing the aggression, and that’s the last thing you want now. The best way to deal with this is to create line of sight breaks for your fish. This can be done by using tall aquatic plants, or decorations. This allows the other fish to escape, and once they’re no longer in sight, the red tailed shark will often forget them.
The other ways to deal with it are a bit more extreme. They involve either upgrading the tank size which almost always helps, or getting rid of the aggressive fish in question. Neither of these are usually feasible, so I would try adding more plants and rearranging the tank a bit.
Well my red tail just layed eggs and the male red tail was moving about rubbing her belly and at the same time discharging white cloudy sperm….. Waiting for the result
That sounds great. Let me know if you actually get any fry out of it. If you do, I’d love to hear your setup.
my red tail is going white and is going to the top of the tank for air he also seems to be in a frenzy hes eating well and the temp is spot on any ideas please
Usually, a loss of colour is from stress in the fish. Have you tested the water for ammonia and nitrites? Most stores will test your water for free if you bring a small container. Also, are there any fish in its tank that seem to be harassing it? Also, how large is your tank, and how large is the red tail shark? It might be outgrowing your tank.
The best thing to do right away is a partial water change. If the problem is water quality, that will give your fish some breathing space until you figure it out.
I have a Freshwater pond with 2 Red Fin Sharks along with Gold fish.for2 yrs now..3 weeks ago I saw 1 Small black long fry…could it be a Red Fin ?
It really might be, and ponds are one of the few places where they seem to breed. Do you have any pictures? I’d love to see some fry for these fish.
Thank you Robert for all of the information on red tails. I am researching and have set up a saltwater themed, freshwater 39 gal tank. First mistake not washing the sand substrate.. 😢 anyway it was good b/c it gave me more time to research. I wanted a “shark” or actually 2 for my tank. I figured out that 2 are out of the question pretty quick by reading. Then I found out the bala shark gets too big for my 39 gal. So now I am thinking 1 red tailed shark. Do you know a great online store to buy from? I also want a zig-zag eel and maybe some glofish tetras… Do you think that combination would work? Any suggestions? Who should I add first and will it matter?
What country are you in first? But to be honest, I prefer to buy fish from the store. That way you can look for signs of illness, and only choose ones you know are healthy. While most online stores are good, it’s still a bit of a crapshoot sometimes.
And red tailed sharks are a great fish. They were one of the first ones I was exposed to as a kid, and I’ve kept them pretty well continuously since then. They would make a great addition to the tank as well as the glo fish.
I’m hesitant to recommend the zig-zag eel though. There are several different eels sold under that name, and some can grow close to two feet in length. But if you find the smaller type, then it should be alright. Just make sure not to keep them with any small fish, or they will get eaten.
As for when to add them, I would add the shark first after cycling the tank. Then add a few fish every two to three weeks after so the aquarium beneficial bacteria have time to adjust to new bio-load. I would add the eel last, since they’re extremely sensitive to poor water conditions. You want the aquarium to be relatively mature, and have everything perfect before you put them in the water.
I would not recommend a zig-zag eel and glow tetras in the same tank, as I got one of the eels that was only about 5 inches long and it downed two if the tetras in the bag before the tank. Later that week I had no more tetras and one fat eel.
I have 2 RTS in my tank with tetras and an angel and 2 gold killing and they are doing just great, grazing at everything in the tank
That’s great. Are they juveniles though? You should keep an eye on them, as they tend to get aggressive as they get older. But I’m happy it’s working out for you now.
I have a red tail shark and a rainbow shark in the same tank is that going to be a problem when they get bigger it is a 55g tank and I have some glofish tetras and 2 grouramis along with a couple of cory cats and a molly and the RTS has white tips on its dorsal and tail fins is that normal
You’ll most likely start to experience pretty significant aggression between these two fish. Neither of them like other high finned fish invading their territories, and while the fights likely won’t produce any damage between the fish, one will become dominant and prevent the other one from feeding. Although, there is hope in a 55 gallon they may be able to establish territories without invading the others territory, those this becomes more unlikely as they grow larger.
As for the white tips on the red tail shark, it’s totally normal, and nothing to be worried about. You only need to worry if the body’s black colour starts to fade.
Thank you
I have 6 red tail/rainbow sharks that have always had their own place in their tank. For the past 2 days, however, they are all laying together in a pile on the bottom, front of the tank. Any ideas what could be going on?
There’s very likely something wrong with the water, or some illness in the tank. The first step is to test the water. If the water is fine, then check for signs of infection: Is there any bloating, any change in colours, or any fungus? Usually if they all go down that quickly though, it’s a water problem.
Let’s say I have a tank with 5 red tail shark. 1 gets pregnant and lays eggs. Will the others eat the eggs or the baby red tails? Plz answer by gmailing me: Northernspaniel@gmail.com
It’s virtually impossible to breed them in aquariums without the use of specific fish hormones. But even if you do, the other fish tank inhabitants will eat both the eggs and fry. It’s rare for any fry to survive that doesn’t have parents protecting it in a community tank.
We have a Red Tail Shark, a Plecos and a silver Guorami in a 60 gallon tank. They were both doing well, the shark hides almost all the time, with his tail almost sticking out of the top of the tank and his head pointed down. I never really notice him eating but his color looks good and he seems healthy (we’ve given him live blood worms, frozen blood worms and flakes). We just got a gold Koi fish, (the 3 of them are all about the same size). The Koi is super active! They all seem to leave each other alone. Since putting the Koi in, the shark has come out of hiding but now he is kind of “resting” on the bottom. He still moves, but he almost swims a little drunk. His color is still good. Should I be concerned with his behavior?
I would definitely be concerned with that. Have you tested your water recently? Is there any bloating on the shark? Any growths?
Also, the koi won’t be happy in there. They are tank busters and will quickly outgrow that tank. Plus, they prefer cool water, not tropical like your other fish. You may want to rehome it if you get the chance.
I’m not sure what disease the Koi fish had, but they both died, 🙁
I’m sorry to hear that. It’s always hard to lose fish like that.
Thank you Robert for all the info. I’ve had my red tail now for 2 years. He’s survived all kinds of stresses by my toddler who used to throw everything from chocolate to dish soap in the tank. He is a hardy fish. I have him in a 20g tank with decorations and plenty of hiding spots. His current companions are 1 glo fish and 1 plecos. They live in perfect harmony. We had 2 glo fish but one died about 6 months ago.
1. We were wondering if we could get another glo fish or just let them be. Our red is about 4 inches long. The glo fish is maybe 2.5 and our plecos is 3. About harassment, we got 2 glo fish and plecos a year ago after the toddler incident to replace the ones that died. The 1 glo was sick from the start and our red gave up his fave hiding spot to the little guy and never harassed it that I saw. However, he will chase around the healthy one at the start of feeding time for a minute or so before he’ll let him eat.
2. How can we tell if our red is a boy or girl?
Thank you.
What kind of pleco do you have? If it’s a common, I wouldn’t recommend any more fish, as it will grow fast. If it’s a smaller type, then you could probably squeeze in another glofish, but you’re flirting with overstocking your tank, and in time, you will definitely be overstocked as the fish grow.
As for sexing, it’s virtually impossible to accurately sex them. But females fins are slightly more rounded, and are said to be slightly duller in colour, though I’ve had a hard time using that to sex a female.
Hi, I have a redfin and he was really calm originally. Now he is a attacking all the other fish and not letting them eat. I only have the one redfin, no other sharks and have some tiger Barb’s and cherry Barb’s. Why is he being so aggressive? The other fish try and get away but he follows. Is there anything I can do? Thanks!
There’s not much you can do in a situation like this: red tail sharks are just naturally an aggressive fish. Luckily, they don’t bite, and if you rearrange the tank, you can create ‘safe areas’ where he can’t see the other fish. The key is to break the tank up into spaces using plants and high ornaments. If he can’t see the other fish, then his aggression should be dispersed to just the fish he can see. It usually works quite well in tanks.
There are plenty of areas for the fish to hide, and they do. My cherry barbs I barely see any more as they are always hiding. The tiger barbs hide but it is almost like he is going out of his way to attack them. He used to attack when they would get to close to him, now he is just constantly chasing one of the barbs. I am worried they are going to get too stressed. Do you think I should remove my shark? My fish place is really good and I know they will take him back. He is such a cool fish I’d like to keep him but don’t want to over stress my entire tank with one fish. How long would you observe this situation before making a change?
I would give it a week or so, and see if things calm down. Also, I would feed on two sides of the aquarium at the same time, so the fish can feed away from the shark. That should help things.
We bought a couple for my my infant daughter to watch swim around in her room. Unfortunately, like every fish I’ve every bought from Wal-Mart they died within the month. However, when going to dump the water, i noticed babies. Tiny little things with fluttering fins. How do I keep them alive and care for them. Every thing ireseaech says it’s uncommon, but uncommon doesn’t mean impossible.
unless the site alerts you to replies, please email me personally.
I can truthfully say I’ve never heard of anyone successfully breeding them before, and don’t have any experience with their fry. However, they shouldn’t be too different from other, similar species. The key thing is to keep the water clean. Try to do regular small water changers, and if you use a gravel vac, place some like plain nylons over the end to prevent sucking up the fish. Feeding is also key, and try to feed them at least three times a day. At this stage, you need something like commercial fry food, or you can try crushing up flakes into an extremely find powder.
All fry care really amounts to at this stage is keep the tank as clean as possible and make sure they’re well fed. Let me know how it goes.
Hi! I am going to be moving my RTBS to my new 75 gallon shortly.
But I was curious what your thoughts were for a substrate. She (honestly not sure but I think it’s a female, lighter black, wider belly, and less pointy dorsal fin when compared to others I have seen) is currently in a non-planted tank (gravel) but the 75 will be planted, just need to figure out my plan.
Since she likes to cruise the bottom of the tank, would it be best to have open areas with pool filter sand or a complete top layer above the soil for her to rub her belly on? Or just fully planted to create a mat with some dwarf grass (or similiar plant)?
I have read that some substrate can be ‘sharp’ and may irritate bottom feeders like the RTBS?
I am basically building this aquarium just for her, and will eventually add more fish when I decide what I want (or what she will allow me put in with her lol). As for hardscape, I plan to use some sort of wood and rocks along with strong current to help simulate a river.
I would like to try to make it similar to it’s original habitat, which is now only the Chao Phraya River.
Thanks!
When it comes to the substrates, I tend to give them just sand substrate, as they can easily search through it should the mood strike. As for the warning about substrates, it’s really refers to anything like construction sand, or more jagged rocks. Any of the gravel you find in the hobby is coated, and most of the sands like play sand or pool sand tends to be very fine, which shouldn’t cause injuries or irritation.
But not matter what you do, it sounds like you have the foundation for a great river tank. The dwarf grass could work well, but I usually leave large open areas, with dense areas of vegetation. It seems to work well that way.
Thank you for your prompt response.
I may end up doing a planted island or planted ends with open sandy areas then. My main concern, with putting pool filter sand on top of soil or by itself, is the possibly of anaerobic gas pockets. I have heard of a few cases where the sand gets compacted and creates these pockets, which house a harmful gas.
Since pool filter sand is fairly course compared to other sands, will I not have this problem? Have you every had or heard of this issue? Or do you just need a few fish/snails to disturb it? I will also have minimal sand depth so I don’t really see this happening
Do you have a preference for a soil? And would you recommend multiple additive soils, perhaps adding clay, floredepot, osmocote? Everyone seems to have different results with all the different kinds of soils (ADA, EcoComplete, Flourite, MiracleGro, etc.)
Thanks again!
The anaerobic gas can be a problem, but in my experience, the danger is highly overstated. However, just to be on the safe side, I always introduce Malaysian trumpet snails into my planted aquariums and they keep the substrate nicely churned up. As for fish, there are very few who would actually do enough to churn up the substrate, outside of some of the larger cichlids.
When it comes to soils, I’ve had good luck with EcoComplete, but I only use that in my showcase tanks. When it comes to the basic ones, I normally use play sand, which still works surprisingly well for many plants (though they take longer to root). I find as long as your fertilizing, adding CO2, and keeping on top of the tank maintenance, the plants will do well.
Great! Thank you very much for your comments.
Long story!!
About 2 months ago, I inherited a freshwater tank and fish after the death of the owner. In a very unideal situation, I had to quickly set up the tank and add the fish several days later. It is a 29 gallon with too many fish (including 3 sharks!). At first the RTBS was chasing the 2 Rainbow sharks but eventually it decided to hide in it’s log instead.
Amazingly, the tank water conditions are not too bad; the worse problem being a slightly high nitrate level. But I never had high levels of nitrites and pH is in the ideal range. I was able to save some of the old water when the tank was emptied so maybe that helped. I realized my well water is a bit high in nitrates so I have been doing water changes with either purchased bottled water or city water which I then treat for chlorine/chloramine. Now, the nitrate level is in the safe range.
It soon became clear to me that I needed to separate the sharks. So I obtained a 40 gallon that had also been owned by the same person. It has only been up and running for 5 days now and I am getting an ideal pH, no nitrites, and very low nitrates. It came with an undergravel filter and I purchased a Tetra Whisper 40-60 gallon hang on the back filter. I have no idea if this works, but I added the “good” bacteria that one can purchase.
I plan on eventually moving the 6 Tiger Barbs, the Clown loach (yes, I realize it will eventually outgrow the tank but as I mentioned, this was not an ideal fish transfer) and the RTBS to the 40 gallon.
In the last 3 days, however, I have noticed randomly spaced and sized whitish splotches on the RTBS. To me, it does not look like Ich. It is not on it’s fins. Color looks good on the rest of the fish but it does seem to be laying sideways in the log more than I have seen in the past. So should I just go ahead and move the shark to the new tank before the Barbs and treat it for a bacterial infection? The rest of the fish in the original tank look great. Although 1 Rainbow shark has gotten larger faster than the other and is now chasing the smaller one. But I will deal with that next!
Do the white spots almost seem to have fine hair on them? Or is it purely discoloured?
Also, are you cycling the new tank and do you know what that is (apologies if you do, but I deal with a lot of skill levels on here). If you’re somewhat unfamiliar with cycling, I have an article hereL https://aquariumtidings.com/aquarium-cycling-the-complete-guide-to-cycling-a-fish-tank/. Feel free to ask any questions.
Also, the undergravel is a major pain to operate and to clean. I would stick with just the tetra whisper if I were you, and maybe add a sponge filter for extra biological filtration. Live plants also help to keep the water in pristine condition, so you may want to consider adding some easy, low maintenance plants.
Thank you Robert! And no worries about asking my skill level! I had tanks when I was in high school (early 80s!!) so I am re-learning everything!
So yes, I do know what cycling is but I’m not sure how to ascertain if the new tank is actually cycling. I used the gravel plus a very small amount of the water from the tank but the gravel sat in buckets for about 2 weeks until I actually got the tank up and running. I am using tetra 5-way test strips and this evening, I had 0 nitrites and somewhere between 0-20 ppm nitrates.
And I read a bunch of both pros and cons on the undergravel filter and decided to go with it so it is aleady in the tank. So hopefully it does not become too much of a pain! I did read that regular gravel vacuuming (I already do that to my 29 gallon tank) is helpful in keeping too much junk from collecting.
I had to chase the RTBS out of his hidey log tonight but he swims around and goes right back into it so it was difficult to get a good look at him. The spots look more like abrasions to me than discoloration. It was impossible to see if they looked hairy at all.
Can one put a few live plants in an aquarium and keep them in pots? The gravel in both tanks is a larger neutral color size gravel. It reminds me of pea gravel and does not seem like it would be good for planting.
Unless a source of waste is being added to the empty tank (i.e. fish food, decaying piece of fish), then it won’t be cycling. Something needs to be breaking down in the tank to feed and let the bacteria multiply.
And from your description, it sounds more like abrasions than illness. It can happen with aggressive or injuries, but you need to watch him carefully for an signs of bloating, or white cotton candy like strands on its skin.
And finally, pots are perfectly fine to use for plants in an aquarium. In fact, they actually work better with certain substrates. But pea gravel actually works very well for any type of planted aquatic plant, although you may want to add some root tabs depending on the plant you choose.
Thanks again!
Ok, that’s what I thought that I needed to add something to the tank to decay. I’m on it!
Can one treat bloat if I do see it in the RTBS? He’s really a cool fish so I’m crossing my fingers he doesn’t become anymore stressed while the new tank cycles.
And glad to hear I can do potted plants and/or plant in the pea gravel. Now I have an excuse to visit the cool aquarium store that is about an hour from me. 😁
Bloat is notoriously difficult to treat. Once symptoms start to show, the organ damage is usually irreversible. But you can always try a good antibiotic food and always try to isolate the fish so it doesn’t spread.
Exactly how large of a tank would you need for multiple red tail sharks to coexist? Would a 125 gallon work?
I’ve seen it work in 100 gallons before, but it should be heavily plants, with lots of ornaments to break up the line-of-sight for the fish.
Hi, Our RTS doesn’t seem to be doing well. We were away on vacation and I had fed him one of the food blocks. The package says to do a 20% water change after using them so I changed out some of the water when we got back. I also vacuumed the gravel a little. The only other fish in the tank is an algae eater. He now seems to be harassing the shark and chasing him. This behaviour is completely the opposite of before our vacation when the RTS used to do the daily harassing and chasing. The RTS is now swimming near the top of the tank and is obviously stressed (on his side a lot, trying to jump out, greyish in colour, etc).
I used water conditioner (is it possible to use too much?) while doing the water change. I have tested the water and the PH, ammonia and nitrite levels seem normal. The temperature is the same as usual.
I’m not sure what to do to help the shark get better…. I don’t want to stress him further. Any suggestions or do we just wait and see if he makes it?
Thanks in advance!
Those fish food blocks often cause major problems with aquarium water. And many of store bought tests won’t show elevated levels of ammonia and nitrites. I would focus on doing small daily water changes and offer some live or frozen foods to the shark. Do about 10-15% water changes for a week and hopefully by then the shark starts feeling better.
Just wondering, does your care guide for the red tail shark also apply to rainbow sharks? This is just a hypothetical question, I don’t actually own a rainbow shark.
They’re fairly similar, but I’m hoping to do a care guide on rainbow sharks in the near future.
I added a red tail shark to my aquarium about 3 years ago alone with my platys and angel fish which didn’t work. Now I have him with tetras and they are good and yes he chases them. I feed them flakes and freeze dried shrimp. I would love another shark such as a bala. They are currently in a 36 gallon tank. It’s only 6 total.