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Hi!
I'm leaving for the lfs in about 45 minutes, and I'm interested in getting a Red Tailed Black Shark (Epalzeorhynchos bicolor).

The thing is, I have a community tank with enough space for it. I've read about the RTS but the information is somewhat contradictory.
In some places it says that it is suitable for community tanks, and in others, life FP, it says it isn't.
Can anyone with experience with RTS please tell me if they are ok for community tanks with smaller fish?
I'd really really appreciate it.
Thanks!

As long as the other fish in your tank are similar in size to the shark you should be fine,as the shark may harrass smaller fish as it gets larger and matures. Just make sure you have some type of rock,caves, driftwood etc. for the shark to establish a territory and also that your tank is large enough to accomidate the fish. Also remember it is usually reccommended to only have 1 red tail shark in a tank as they become intolerent of their own species as they mature.

1. Make sure you have hideouts.
2. Make sure none of your other fish look like one (black body, orange tail)
3. In my opinion I would get a small shark then it knows everything in the tank is the boss of him. You get an old one from the LFS and it will most likely be moody, due to someone else bringing it back.

4. Never get another shark for that tank, some people get away with it but 9 out of 10 times it goes really wrong.



5. Keep him well feed and happy and he will not bug as much if he is.

6. Don't have it in a tank smaller then 40 gallons or you will have trouble.....


Hope this helps a bit and good luck.


Angel Eel


Last edited by angeleel at 13-Aug-2005 12:53

Thanks for the help!
I'll think I'll have to pass on the shark for now. My tank is 38gals, but it has a few danios in it, and if the fish is so territorial and agressive towards smaller fish, I guess they could be attacked.
Thanks again

I think you'd be fine getting one. The 2 gallons don't really matter . Those sharks are usually only aggressive towards fish that look like them or inhabit their strata of the tank. Danios are also fast enough to get out of the sharks' way.

I do like the way you think though . A lot of people, when presented with the possibility that things might not go their way, make excuses and get the fish anyway. Then they get upset when it doesn't work out.

---

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lucho

They require several conditions community with a peacefull tank, areas/caves they can call their own, also a well planted tank . As they get older they can be rather aggresive or should I say very possive of their area. I had four in my 5ft tank and each had its own area.

Keith

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I think you would be fine.
Danios are fast enough and tough enough to be just fine with the shark. I have a rainbow in my community tank
and aside from the occassional chase, he is rarely aggressive.


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With respect to the vexed question of Red Tailed Black Sharks and their compatibility with [1] each other, and [2] other fish, the answers can be derived from first principles by researching a few basic facts about the species.

Firstly, the species is one whose individuals become markedly territorial as sexual maturity approaches. While not as bad as Melanochromis chipokae or Nandopsis Cichlids, Red Tailed Black Sharks can be pretty rough with each other. Second, they have excellent eyesight, and so fishes that bear a resemblance to them will also suffer from unwelcome attention as the Red Tailed Black Sharks grow.

The usual advice offered (as in here) is that one Red Tailed Black Shark should be kept in an aquarium with compatible fishes. 'Compatible' in this instance means fishes that bear little physical resemblance to the Red Tailed Black Shark, and thus will be unlikely to incite a territorial response arising from appearance, fishes that do not compete with the Red Tailed Black Shark for 'real estate' (which means that their compatibility with loaches and catfishes will usually mitigate against such a species pairing), fishes that occupy a different water level (e.g., surface dwellers or upper midwater dwellers), fishes that are too agile and fast for the Red Tailed Black Shark to molest (Giant Danios fit well into this category) and fishes that are simply too large for the Red Tailed Black Shark to act aggressively toward (e.g., Tinfoil Barbs). However, as the Red Tailed Black Shark reaches 7 inches in length when cared for properly, combining it with large companions means a large aquarium!

The worst scenario is two Red Tailed Black Sharks in the same aquarium. The stronger fish will inevitably pester the weaker one until it dies. If one is interested in breeding the species (a major challenge even for experienced aquarists, I hasten to add!) then it is possible, with due care and attention, to keep several together. Note that I highlighted that last little bit deliberately - careless housing of multiple Red Tailed Black Sharks in the same aquarium is likely to result in disaster!

As the species is a territorial cave-lover, an aquarium housing the species should be furnished with a surplus of caves. If the Red Tailed Black Shark is the only resident bottom dweller, then one cave will be sufficient: if there are other bottom dwellers present, then provide enough caves to give each bottom dweller one cave, plus some extras to allow the fishes a choice of 'real estate'. Position these carefully - the trick here is to break up 'lines of sight' between the caves, so that a Red Tailed Black Shark isn't constantly staring across the water seething with silent rage at a competitor in a cave nearby. Judicious planting to break up 'lines of sight', plus the use of other furnishings will go a long way toward ensuring a reasonably compatible existence between the inmates!

This, of course, becomes ten times more important if one is trying to house several of these fishes with a view to trying one's hand at breeding. Since there are no reliable external characteristics allowing the aquarist to determine the gender of the fish, obtaining a male/female pair usually means buying several and housing them together. In this case, numbers make a difference: larger numbers mean that when aggression does occur, it will, hopefully, be spread relatively evenly across the population, with no single fish being excessively harassed. To achieve a reasonably harmonious balance, one should be looking at something like 12 of these fishes as a good sized group that will result in an even distribution of territorial activity. These should then be given a very large aquarium! For 12 of these fishes, one is looking at an 8 foot long aquarium as a baseline setup, and preferably bigger! Personally, if I were embarking upon this project, I'd wait until I had the space, the cash and the strength of floor to accommodate a 12 foot aquarium! This would then be furnished with at least two caves per fish, to minimise battles over 'real estate', and again, judicious planting using robust plants such as Giant Vallisneria, big Cryptocoryne species and thickets of Java Ferns on bogwood would be the order of the day. Even then, I would expect there to be a certain level of fractiousness, particularly as the fishes became older and larger, and would prepare in advance to intervene if stand-offs crossed the line from sabre-rattling to full-scale internecine warfare. All of which will be familiar to keepers of large, robust territorial Cichlids.

Yes, it is possible for those who know what they are doing, and who know at the outset what to expect, to keep multiple Red Tailed Black Sharks in the same aquarium. Just don't expect them to get along in small quarters or inadequately/improperly furnished aquaria without fatalities occurring. I'm back to that old chestnut of mine again: a few days spent carefully planning the setup before a penny is spent avoids much heartache further down the line. Remember that 7 inches of fish in a bad mood can inflict a fair amount of damage if it wants to, and that planning ahead means setting up an environment that means it'll be in a bad mood as infrequently as possible. Which also means paying attention to such matters as feeding: just dropping some food in and letting them all come out and see each other, with the ensuing bickering, is a bad idea. Feeding time for a setup of this kind involves you, the aquarist, preparing individual morsels and placing them strategically in order to minimise fractious encounters. If you're not prepared to go to such trouble, then this project is not for you!

Similar caveats apply to other Epalzeorhynchus species, along with the Labeo species (remember, the Red Tailed Black Shark was originally placed in the Genus Labeo) and the Black Shark, Morulius chrysophekadion. In the case of this latter species, however, which grows to 20 inches, constructing an aquarium capable of housing several of them compatibly is strictly an operation for a public aquarium facility, research facility or an incredibly wealthy aquarist with a spare aircraft hangar to house the resulting huge aquarium!

Unless you can put 12 of them in a big aquarium as cited above (or an indoor pond of, say, 1,000 gallons capacity minimum), stick to one Red Tailed Black Shark per aquarium. That's my considered advice.


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