LA
Red-tail sharks darken to a rich black over dark gravel. Their tail gets
bright red.
LA
Very similar rainbow shark -- in size, shape, and temperament.
LA
Albino rainbow shark.
Origins: Originally from
Thailand, most red-tail
sharks come from Far Eastern fish farms these days.
The larger ones cost more than the smaller ones (as we all know).
The smaller ones are also more fragile.
LA
Albino red-tail sharks. Improvement?
LA
Albino red-tail sharks like to argue just like the "normals."
Name Origin: The
“shark” in their name comes from their high dorsal fin that makes them
look like a saltwater shark. Of
course, they’re not. Many
cyprinids (minnows) with high dorsal fins earn the more sellable name
“shark.”
Shark sounds so much more desirable than minnow.
LA
Rainbow shark. Same shape. Same attitude. Different color.
LA
Three-inch rainbow shark.
Blue, white-finned rainbow shark. New this year (to us 2004).
Improvement? You decide.
LA
Pic
Blue, white-finned rainbow shark.
Look-a-Likes: When
small, red-tail sharks resemble the “rainbow shark.”
This slate grey fish with orange fins very closely resembles the
darker bodied red-tails. Same info applies to both species. We
still puzzle over the
“rainbow” appellation.
Water Conditions: Red-tail sharks adjust to nearly any water conditions.
They will fit into most community tanks.
LA
Pic
Red-tail sharks mix with most other f ish.
Appeal: Most people like
red-tail sharks because they look like sharks.
Others like them because of their dramatic colors.
Red-tails also get along fine with other fishes.
They’re easy to keep and rarely stop patrolling the waters of
their aquaria.
Jumpers: Nearly all
sharks jump. Red-tail sharks will
not disappoint you. They will
bail from uncovered tanks – especially if spooked, such as when you turn
on their lights.
LA
Bunch of red-tail sharks hanging together.
Semi-Schoolers: If you
keep two red-tail sharks together, they will argue constantly.
They will not pine away when kept as singles.
If you want more than one, keep several so no single fish gets
picked on.
LA
Theoretically a male red-tail shark but how ya gonna know? Red
background camouflage?
Breeding: Forget
spawning. You will not likely
spawn your red-tail sharks without the spawning hormone extracted from carp pituitary
glands and access to
very large aquaria or ponds.
Foods: Red-tail
sharks
eagerly eat whatever you feed them. They
also graze the algae on the sides of your aquaria.
However, don’t expect them to clean your aquaria sides like a plecostomus. They need foods
with algae in them. Spirulina
foods help bring out their colors. Red-tails also love live foods and frozen foods.
Color foods will also make them turn darker and bring out their
bright red tails.
LA
Hard to see red-tail black sharks over black gravel.
Gravel: Red-tail sharks also
color up best when kept over dark gravels.
However, keeping them over black gravel or in front of a black
background makes them nearly invisible.
LA
Red-tail sharks mix well with most community tank residents.
Great Tank Mates: Red-tail
sharks fit well in most community tanks.
They mix well with nearly all typical fishes.
However, some specimens have been known to pick on slow-moving
goldfishes. Do not mix them
with large, rough cichlids. The
faster sharks will avoid the hungry cichlids for awhile (but not forever).
We’ve kept a few larger ones with mid-size African cichlids for a while. We don’t
recommend the practice.
Protective Plants: Some
aquarists consider red-tail sharks a shy fish.
Add some grassy plants such as vallisneria or sagittarius
to make them feel more at home. Even
plastic plants help.
Disease: Not
particularly disease susceptible, red-tails show ich spots quite easily.
Most ich cures used at full strength will weaken or kill red-tails.
Use any ich cure at half strength if you keep red-tail sharks in your
tank.
LA
Still a red-tail shark. Hard to believe.
Matt
Matt
Photo
Note: These last two pictures were provided by Matt MacPherson,
They show the colors of red-tail sharks much better than mine. LA
Filtration:
Red-tail sharks like clean water. You
cannot over-filter their water. Do
not overfeed. Add snails to
clean up the excess. LA.
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© 2004
LA Productions
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