Rainbow Shark, Red-Fin Shark,
Compatibility
Hi! My name's holly!
I recently bought a shark (I'm not sure what type of shark it is) with red fins
(ALL the fins are red) and a red body. I thought it was a red fin shark but I'm
not to sure...I was wondering if you could tell me what it is. So when I
got it, it did nothing but hide in a little cave of wood that I have in my tank
and it wouldn't eat. I got worried so I bought a red-fin shark (I am sure this
one IS a red-fid shark) to try to make him come out and eat and maybe be a bit
more active. I think it has worked but I'm not to sure. I can see it eating
now...should I still be worried? If so what can I do and was adding another
red-fin into the tank a good idea? If it makes any difference I have a
community tank and I have:
1 x clown loach
1 x snail
2 x neon tetra
2 x white cloud
2 x big sucker fish
3 x tiger barbs
5 x platies
(and the 2 I'm asking about)
<Hello Holly. The fish you bought are Epalzeorhynchos frenatum, also known as
the Rainbow Shark. This is an aggressive, territorial omnivore from Southeast
Asia. Feeds primarily on green algae and tiny invertebrates in the wild, but in
captivity does well on algae, algae wafers, small live foods such as brine
shrimp, etc. These fish tend to be pretty belligerent towards one another, so
adding two specimens isn't a great idea unless you have a really big tank. So if
possible, re-home that fish. Yes, they mostly hide in caves, except when out
feeding or chasing rivals. Dissimilar fish are generally ignored. For some
reason you aren't keeping your schooling fish in schools. Neons, clown loaches,
minnows and barbs all should be in groups of at least 6. With clown loaches, you
can get by with fewer, but they're shy. By the way, Clown loaches get big: up to
30 cm. "Big sucker fish" can mean anything, but I'm assuming those are either
catfish (Pterygoplichthys spp, which grow to 30-60 cm) or "sucking loaches"
(Gyrinocheilus aymonieri, to 30 cm, and incredibly nasty and aggressive when
mature). Both need giant aquaria (300 liters +). There's plenty more info on
"sharks" here -- http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/minnowshks.htm .
Cheers, Neale>
Black Ghost Knife w/ Rainbow Shark? <& Banded Pencil?> -
05/01/07
Good afternoon!
<Christina>
I apologize if you have answered this question before but I have looked
through numerous Internet sites including reading most of your FAQs on
BGK compatibility without finding much of an answer for my specific
concern.
Let me start off by saying that I fully realize that within a couple of
years, I will need to purchase a MUCH larger set up and am already
planning for it, I just do not have the floors to handle it at this
time. For now, I have recently set up a 30 gallon aquarium, have let it
cycle, and purchased 2 "diamond" tetras, one honey dwarf gourami, and a
4-5" BGK. My hopes/plan was to incorporate my 10 gallon fish that have a
great need for a larger tank (one 4" angelfish, one 4" Banded Leporinus
and one 4" Rainbow Shark).
<Yikes... this Pencilfish species can be very "nippy"... the FW minnow
shark possibly as well>
I started with placing the Rainbow Shark into the 30 gallon that for the
past 24 hours has housed the gourami, tetras and the BGK. The shark
immediately went into the large ship ornament that housed the ghost
Knifefish.
<A typical behaviour... hiding>
Both fish started swimming around one another nipping. I removed the
shark and placed him back in the 10 gallon until I am able to get advice
on the situation.
<Maybe another such "ship" or tube...>
There are two other ornaments including a tube in the tank that the fish
can swim into to hide. Will the Black Ghost Knifefish and the Rainbow
Shark be OK together (even in a MUCH larger tank such as 75 gallons or
125 gallons?
<Likely so, yes>
Is there a better way to introduce them? Should I first place the angel
and Leporinus in the 30 gallon?
<I would not place the Leporinus here>
Thanks for any advice you can provide.
~Christina
<There is a good chance that the Shark may get along if introduced
slowly (as in a floating colander for a few days, the lights off), but
not the large pencil. Bob Fenner>
Rainbow Shark Nutrition - 02/17/2007
Just wondering if it's normal behavior for a rainbow shark to not eat
flake food or frozen bloodworms...
<Not really, they should eat most anything.>
He just seems to be eating algae and my plants...
<Well, if he's keeping himself fat and happy, I wouldn't be too
worried. Maybe try offering him some algae flakes or other "green" foods,
like Ocean Nutrition's "Formula Two" flakes or frozen foods? If he seems
inclined to nibble algae, this might be a good food to try.>
I thought it was an omnivore and would enjoy the flakes and bloodworms?
<Yeah, he should. It's possible that he's got some sort of nutritional
deficiency that is making the algae more desirable to him.... Who
knows! Again, if he's keeping himself fat and happy, you've nothing to
worry about. Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
Rainbow Sharks, comp. with dwarf Cichlids sel. 02/17/07
Hi, I have a single rainbow shark living in a 23g, he's (definitely a
male) currently living with two dwarf gouramis and a Sailfin Molly, the
gouramis and the sailfin molly will be moved out within the next few days,
as I finally managed to fix their tank, and set it up and plant it. Anyway
I've been trying to find a new tank mate for Kelvin my shark, there are
plans in place to move him into either a 4 foot or 3 foot tank when he gets
bigger but so far he's all of 5cm long. So I'm after a single fish with
personality and was interested in cichlids, but I can't find any conclusive
info on the net about any dwarf cichlids that'll live in a 23g and live with
a rainbow shark. Any help'd be appreciated.
<Mmm... should be of the more "feisty" variety... not the real small
Apistogrammas, Nannacaras... Maybe something like the Bolivian Ram...>
Oh and the tanks currently got a couple of caves and some plastic plants,
I'm going to break up some pots to add more caves and add a few more
decorations/caves from the pet store in there too.
<Sounds good>
Thanks
Emma
<Do take a look see on the mega-site Fishbase.org using the search term
"dwarf cichlid"... and then a cursive look/see on the Net, your Stockists re
what they can get from this sub-set. Bob Fenner>
Re: Rainbow Sharks 12/17/06
Hello again :)
My rainbow is doing fine as usual, and I'm back with another question.
I really love this fish and I'd like to have more than one.
<Mmmm>
I have heard that it is possible to keep more than one in a tank, six being a
good number.
<... not really a good idea... can be "expeditiously" crowded... for shipping,
retail... but almost always will establish a pecking order... with an alpha,
sub-alpha individual/s attacking the subordinate individuals... with much
tension for all else>
I currently have a 20 gallon that I'm cycling. I've been keeping my shark in a 5
gallon with a couple of kuhli loaches, therefore he has not been in the 20
before, and has not established any territorial claims within it. If I were to
get more than one rainbow, I'd put them in the 20 at the same time so they all
have equal opportunity to establish a territory.
<A good technique>
Is this a big enough tank?
<No...>
If I provided adequate hiding spots, would I be able to house 2-3 rainbows in
this, or would it be impossible to stop them from fighting?
<Very likely the last>
Would I have to have 6? (I don't believe I have the room for 6 rainbows,
personally)
Is this a feasible possibility, or should I not bother due to a guaranteed
aggression?
<I would seek out other species... barbs, danios... and stick with one minnow
shark here... Too much, way too much likelihood of troubles/aggression
otherwise>
Let me know what I should do :) If I can only keep one per tank, looks like I'll
be starting multiple community tanks!
Thank you very much,
-Michelle
<Thank you! Bob Fenner>
Tricolor/Red finned Sharks 11/21/06
Hello there, it's Michelle again!
<<Hello, Michelle. It’s Tom again, as well.>>
I wanted to let you know that the red fin is doing marvelous, and I've gotten
myself a pair of weather loaches, and a Kuhli loach. (I hope to get more in a
couple of weeks!)
<<Sounds great.>>
I did have a pictus and of course the bala, but sadly something VERY horrible
happened.
<<Uh oh…>>
I was sold a faulty tank- it had a chip under the encasing at the base corner of
the tank. Overnight, the tank spread out from under the casing (which was
literally impossible to see) and it exploded. The bala and the pictus died. :( I
was luckily able to save a few fish.
<<Sorry to hear about your Shark and Catfish, Michelle, though I’m glad not all
were lost.>>
Anyway, I wanted to inform that my fish are currently in a 5-gallon Q-tank...
they WERE in my 10 gallon Q-tank, but that proved to be a disaster. I'm very
ashamed to have them in such a small tank, but it is VERY temporary- I'm cycling
a 20 gallon as we speak and they only have to stay in the 5-gallon for a little
under two weeks. I make frequent water changes (once every 5 days) and give them
extra aeration and filtration.
<<Excellent and, there’s no need to apologize for anything. I know that you know
that this isn’t ideal but you don’t have a lot of options right now, do you?>>
I wanted to know, because I hadn't had the chance to ask before, would clown
loaches and red fins interact well? My rainbow has been a great roommate with my
loaches- both weather and the Kuhli. Now, I understand that the weather loach
prefers cold water, but the temperature is steady at 79, and they’re known to
function excellently within a broad range such as 72 to 84 degrees.
<<Michelle, Clown Loaches (Botia macracantha) are “funny” about how they
interact with other fish. I say this because they can get along quite well with
everyone in the tank or they can turn out to be pretty nasty, particularly with
smaller fish. As adults, provided you can get them to that stage, they don’t
exhibit the almost playful type of behavior that they display as juveniles.
Specifically, they’ve been known to act in a somewhat aggressive fashion at
night attacking other tank mates. As to your specific question, I would say yes,
at least early on. There may be some jockeying for territory but a larger tank
would help a great deal in that regard. Both grow moderately large so I don’t
think you’ll see one or the other being “dominant”. Provided your Rainbow Shark
doesn’t mistake the Loach(es) for something they’re not, I think they could make
a decent combination.>>
Am I making good decisions on tank mates? All of these fish will grow to be
large (I intend to get a much bigger tank than the 20 of course, that's my
starter tank). Will the rainbow accept them with age?
<<As I suggested, I might be apt to have concerns later in their lives more so
than early on.>>
If not, I'd be more than happy to get him his own tank with a few tiger barbs.
I've grown quite fond of him!
<<Either way, Michelle, I don’t think you’d be going wrong.>>
Please write back and let me know your thoughts. :)
Thank you for your time,
-Michelle
<<Happy to share it with you. Best of luck. Tom>>
Red-Finned Shark sys. 6/19/2006
Hi there,
<<Hello.>>
I have been given this address by a friend; I need some advice on keeping
certain kinds of fish.
Up until now, I have been told by all the pet shop owners/managers that keeping
a shark (red finned or red tail) along with my other fish like angels and swords
will be just fine, but this shark is actually ripping the tails of all my fish.
<<They can be aggressive.>>
What to do????
<<Return the shark, or acquire another large system. Lisa.>>
Faizel Hoosen
Re: Red-Finned Shark sys. 6/20/2006
Thank you very much,
<<You’re welcome.>>
I think I have too many fish in my three foot tank. What about swordfish?? Are
they aggressive as well? My male swordfish is also attacking my angel fish.
<<Umm, I’m assuming you mean swordtails? If you are overstocked like you say,
aggression of all kinds will present itself.>>
Thanks for the advice on my issues.
<<Glad to help. Lisa.>>
Faizel Hoosen
Was Goldfish disease enquiry, now tropical/Betta health, comp.
4/12/06
Hi,
<Hello>
I'm Karthik. I'd contacted you about that skin flukes/Trichodina problem that my
goldfish were suffering from for quite a few months. I lost one
Oranda due to dropsy. I treated all the rest with a dose of Potassium
Permanganate and then dismantled the entire aquarium, cleaned everything
thoroughly and then re-established the aquarium and allowed the empty, re-setup
aquarium to stand for a fortnight to allow the beneficial bacterial
colonies to develop. I then added my fish back into the tank and now they seem
to have got rid of their problem and their behaviour patterns are all
normal now. I thank you sincerely for all the assistance you had given me during
that time. I'll feel free to contact you in case I need your
assistance at any point of time.
<Okay>
I wanted to know one more thing- I have another aquarium (tropical fish). I have
a school of neon tetras, 4 Bala sharks and a rainbow shark.
<The Neons will be consumed here>
I also have 5 bettas- a red crowntail, a blue halfmoon tail, a royal blue
veiltail, a dark red scissor tail and a Cambodian female betta which I house in
separate (obviously), spacious jars. They're all doing extremely well.
However, when I add any of these 5 bettas to my tropical tank, they sort of
become dull and their fins start tearing in various places after 2-3
days. There are lots of hiding places, and plants like the Cabomba, Amazon
sword, etc. and the current due to the filter isn't very strong either. If
I put them back into their jars, they become normal again and their fins grow
back. I've checked the tank- there are no pH, ammonia, nitrite and
nitrate level surges. the temperature is maintained at 24C The water quality is
quite good because the other inmates of the tank are doing pretty well
and I can assure you that none of these other inmates harm the betta.
<Perhaps not overtly>
I'm puzzled about this sudden change of behaviour from these bettas. Could you
tell me what could be the reason for this?
Expecting your reply soon,
Thanking you,
Karthik
<Likely "stress" from being in the presence of the sharks, particularly the
Redfin... plus having so much space to swim about in... is wearing on
little-used fins. Bob Fenner>
Re: Goldfish disease enquiry ... minnow shark, betta comp.
4/12/06
> Hi,
<Karthik>
Thanks for the information. Now I would like to clarify a few things here.
Firstly, both the Bala sharks and the rainbow shark are about 1 to 1 and a
half inches long. They're still very young. Are you sure the presence of the
rainbow shark affects the behaviour of the betta?
<Absolutely. More so though, as you hint, with increasing size>
As far as I can see, the rainbow is pretty peaceful and he's happy grazing the
leaves of the various plants in the tank and nibbling at everything he can find
including
the gravel and in fact, that's all he seems to be doing all day.
<You will see, learn in time... please see WWM re "Minnow Sharks"... beh.,
comp... I am in the process of sorting, writing review pieces for principal
species...>
The bettas and the rainbow shark are supposed to be compatible species anyway.
<Not often, no>
And how come these bettas don't feel uncomfortable if I leave them alone in a
large tank with just the rainbow shark? I've tried that before).
<Not long term>
You'd mentioned that the neons would become a meal of these sharks in your
previous reply to me. I've been careful to choose balas of the appropriate
size considering the fact that Neons are existing in my aquarium. They're doing
well. I know that neons are from the Amazon and balas are from
Thailand but would you recommend this combination?
<No... the Balas get too big (35 cm.) are too rambunctious, like very different
water quality...>
After all, neons reach a maximum size of 2-3 inches
<... rarely more than half this>
but Balas grow up to 12-13 inches or so I've heard. I've also heard that the
rainbow shark gets extremely aggressive as it grows older. Is this true?
<Often, yes>
I've never had a rainbow shark before. I've had almost all varieties of goldfish
over a decade (ever since I was 8, now I'm 19) but I'm trying to expand my
knowledge in other tropical fish now- hence the above questions.
Expecting your reply soon,
Thanking you,
Karthik
<Welcome. BobF>
Goldfish and "shark" uncertainty 3/15/06
Greetings
I am the proud owner of one 4in Lionhead FG, one 2in Fancy G, one celestial
eye FG, one 1 1/2 in unknown GF (it has no dorsal fin, humped tail, small pom
poms on its face, red and white. can u tell me the common name?)
<Not from the proffered info.>
and one 1in black moor. I also have added a 1 1/2 in rainbow shark, yes this is
probably bad.
My question is this: I have been having terrible issues with bacterial
bloom since I have added the celestial eye and rainbow shark.
<This minnow is too "mean" to keep with fancy goldfish. Remove it.>
It is obvious that this tank has become quite overpopulated (29 gal)
<Is too over-populated with just two of the goldfish>
and must be the culprit. All chemical levels are in check. What can I do to
rid the bacterial blooms?
<Less fish, feeding, more filtration, circulation, more frequent partial water
changes, live plants...>
I have tried 2 different types of coagulating agents and this hasn't helped at
all.
<These "clarifying agents" are not a good idea>
No progress here. Do I need a stronger filter? It is for a 20-40gal. I am
reluctant to separate these fish because they are currently rather small for
now, with the exception of the lionhead, and I don't have the sufficient funds
to get another tank right now. What is my best option?
<To read... on WWM re goldfish systems:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm
and the linked files above>
Also, I was fooled into getting my rainbow shark. Why do all pet store
employees give stupid advice?
<Mmm, not all... a counter... Why is it that folks are so eager to blindly
accept such input? There is no "certifying" agency for such workers...>
My fault for relying on them anyway. So this fish is supposedly very
aggressive, yet I have had him for 2 weeks and he/she swims with the other fish
in a friendly manner and causes no problems thus far. Should I separate him
anyway under suspicion?
<Yes. Will eventually become abusive>
I realize now that I really need research more BEFORE I buy fish, if I had, I
wouldn't be bothering you, I'm sorry.
<Ahhh!>
Thanks for listening
Christy Bowen
<Thank you for writing, sharing. Bob Fenner>
Albino Sharks too skinny... beh., systems 2/1/06
I have a 15 gal tank with 4 Albino Sharks,
<Too small for these testy minnows>
2 Otos and 1 Chinese Algae Eater. One of the sharks looks very healthy, not fat
but good sized. The other 3 look skinny, very skinny.
<Typical... the one winner is bullying the others>
I had a 5th shark in the tank that looked very good with the other 4 skinny.
After I removed the normal looking one, 1 of the 4 skinny sharks then fattened
up to look normal.
Will one Albino Shark bully the others and eat more of the food thereby keeping
them skinny?
<Ah, yes!>
That looks to be the case. If this is the case, is there any solution other than
1 shark per tank?
<Mmm, a larger tank... at least sixty gallons. You can/could try to add "decor",
plants to reduce visual stimulation... but this is only a short term solution...
Bob Fenner>
Thanks,
David McGinnis
Red Finned Shark (Rainbow Shark?) 12/5/05
Hi,
I have a 29 gallon planted aquarium with various different types of plants (Giant
Vallisneria, Elodea (Anacharis), Amazon Sword,
Banana Plant, Some Plant that has very fine needle like leaves and is a floater) with CO2 injection and strong lighting. My fish stock is:
6 Gold Barbs
6 Cherry Barbs
6 White Skirt Tetras
1 Red Finned (I think Rainbow) Shark
My water parameters are:
Ammonia: 0.0
Nitrite: 0.0
Nitrate < 10
ph 7.2
Alkalinity: 140
<Great!>
I do a 20% water change every 2 weeks to keep the tank in top shape. Anyways my question is what type of food does my red finned shark eat. I have yet to see this shark eat and I've tried sinking
Spirulina and regular tropical flakes both types of food get ignored by the shark and usually end up being feasted on by my gold barbs (remind me of my goldfish's eating habits). I've read that they eat algae but I've never had any visible algae in this tank. Do you know of any way to get this shark to eat? He seems to hide in a cave structure all day and only comes out when another fish intrudes on his territory. Thanks for any help.
Robert
<Assuming your fish is a Labeo erythrurus (Google the name for pics), s/he sounds like it's acting like a typical Labeo erythrurus. Some do like to hide all day. They are omnivorous. As far as veggies, you might try sinking algae pellets, peeled garden peas (pop the skin off and they'll sink), cucumber slices, non-iceberg lettuce, etc. Remove leftovers after about 12 hours to avoid rotting bits. You can also try these at night -- your fish may be shy and might come out to eat at dark. Frozen bloodworms and or brine shrimp also are good choices for picky eaters. Best of luck with him. Keep us posted. Catherine>
Rainbow Shark woes
Hi! What a great web site! I'll keep this short... over the past 2 weeks I
have been fighting Ich.
It was 3 clown loaches that I bought that I did not quarantine that got
sick. I have been a hobbyist ever since I was a kid and I have NEVER had
Ich. I treated the 20 gallon tank with Nox-Ich, elevated the temp to
82
F and the spots only became worse. I researched web sites and did the
aquarium salt treatment 1 tsp/gallon leaving the water for 5 days. I
have now lost 10 smaller fish including the loaches. I was sorry to see
them go but my main concern is my 4 year old 6" Rainbow shark. I
noticed yesterday that he is breathing fast through his mouth (he never
does that) and his scales along his belly appear raised and he appears
bloated. His color also has changed, instead of being dark black; he is
now a grey color. I don't think it's dropsy because I've seen that
before. I did a 50% water change but he still appears to be stressed.
Please help because I will be so upset if I lose him. My filtration is
an Aquaclear 300. Thanks, Liz
<<Dear Liz, do you test your water? I recommend you get it tested for
ammonia (should be zero), nitrites (should be zero) and nitrates (as low as
possible, between 20-60ppm on average). If nitrates are too high, you need to do
a bunch of waterchanges to bring it down. Half the battle is good water quality.
The clown loaches are problematic when it comes to ich. They are extremely
susceptible. I will assume you removed your carbon from your filter, and it's
good that you raised the tank temp to 82 degrees. Keep it stable, though...keep
a thermometer in the tank, cuz if your heater is malfunctioning and the temp
fluctuates, it could make things worse. Also, the salt treatment takes time to
work well, and Time is something you don't have when treating aggressive ich
cases. Salt can take up to a couple of weeks to actually be effective. Get the
temp up another notch, to 84F, add a respectable ich med, like Quick Cure or
Super Ich Cure, and make sure you have adequate circulation. Also, cross your
fingers. I hope it's not too late to save your fishy. Keep treating until the
spots disappear, even if the medication indicates a two day treatment. Read and
follow the instructions for dosage levels. When the spots are gone, do a 50%
water change, paying strict attention to the water temperature, and replace your
carbon. -Gwen>>
Rainbow Shark Cannot Swim Well
This morning when I woke up I turned on my aquarium light and discovered my
rainbow shark at the top of the tank, she absolutely cannot stay down. She is
very much a favorite of mine and I'm very worried about losing her. Can you
please help me?
>> Some fish that are not normally surface feeders will occasionally swallow air
bubbles when they go for food. Usually this lasts for up to three or four days,
before they swim normally again. Nothing you can really do but wait at this
time.
Good Luck, Oliver
Re: rainbow shark cannot swim well
Oliver, thank you for your help, I am really grateful. She is still not
doing well, but at least now I have an idea of what might be wrong. Thanks
>> I hope she will get better, there are also some infections that cause
this kind of symptoms, but I think that it is more likely that your fish's
problem will pass.
Good Luck, Oliver
Re: rainbow shark cannot swim well
thank you again for your help, she did end up dying but at least I tried. Maybe
she had one of those infections or something, I don't know. I'm pretty new to
all of this. You don't think the other fish I have will be at risk do you?
thanks again, Angy
>> Not likely. Often internal infections like this kill only one fish. If you
get another fish with this problem let us know! Thanks, Oliver
Albino Shark
Hi, I am amateur fish owner. I have an albino rainbow shark. This fish
likes to swim along the edges of the tank and is usually pretty mellow. All
of the sudden he's hiding a lot. I check my water every other day and the
quality is good. What could this behavior be? Thank you.
<Not unusual for this minnow-shark species to be or become more reclusive.
This is likely "nothing" to be concerned about. Just do make sure it is
feeding (sinking pellets and wafers, cooked squash...). Bob Fenner>
