Aggressive Red-Tailed Shark
Andrew Lee
They're still fairly small. I introduced them to my 35 gallon community tank
(no hospital/quarantine tank yet). For the rest of the night and most of
today, my little (2.5") Red-Tailed Shark's been after them (particularily the
one with the bigger tail). Here's my setup:
35-gallon (36" x 15" x 15")
UGF (3 airstones) and external filter
Temp: 81 dF
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
2 - 4" Swordtails (both male)
2 - 2" Female Fancy Guppies
6 - 2" Black Tetras
2 - 4" Melan. Corycats (I have been unable to positively identify
these guys)
1 - 2.5" Red Tailed Shark
2 - 2" (including large tails) Male Guppies
I can understand the shark trying to tell the new guys what's what but
it's beginning to worry me. The shark also intermittentaly chases the tetras,
swordtails, and female guppies. The larger of the two males Guppies (with
very large tail) is beginning to look like he's tail's being ripped.
Will the shark calm down? If not, is there anything I can do?
TIA
Gints
Probably not. I own a red-finned shark, the mild mannered relative
of the red tail. The best I could do was create an 8"x4"x4" rock cave
and cover the ends with bushy plants (The only plastic plants in my tank
are empoyed for this purpose). I used "Stone Henge Pillars for the front face.
At least the shark prefers to stay in the cave during the day, coming out
only to chase fish too close. You're on your own for night time, as mine
shredded three red-colored fish before I figured out these fish have
no place in a tank with a shark.
NICKK3
>>
>Try catching him and isolating him in a net kept just under the surface
>for an evening. This may calm him down. You also might try introducing a
>bigger peaceful fish, like a silver dollar, in the hope of intimidating
>him.
I hate to be a bearer of bad news.....but I was given one by a friend
moving across country. It was so agressive, all of my tetras simple hid in
the plants all the time - the tank looked empty except for the red tail
sharke... it was only about 1 1/2" long!
So I gave it to a friend with a 75 Gal and 3-4" angels, a 3" Tri-Color
Shark and similar fish. It behaved for a few weeks and now chases the
Tri-color and sometimes even the Angel fish around his tank.... They're
just nasty.. Good Luck!
BTW.... I tryed the net idea and even kept it confined in a "Breeder"
enclosure for days....That didn't help at all.
Nick
Ron Enderland
> Will the shark calm down? If not, is there anything I can do?
>
> TIA
Try catching him and isolating him in a net kept just under the surface
for an evening. This may calm him down. You also might try introducing a
bigger peaceful fish, like a silver dollar, in the hope of intimidating
him.
Of course, if it's truly hopeless, you may need to give him a new home.
I once sent a chronically fin nipping leporinus to the promised land!
RNE
A. McGowan
He has been moved from tank to tank without any problem. Maybe age slows
them down as he is not nearly as aggressive as he used to be. Now he
spends most of his time hiding in a cave like area of the tank. He is
now existing peacefully with large blue and pink gouramis and some tetras
which have only been in the tank k for a few monthAlso a large pleco.
Old age slows everything down??
--------
Tony Mcgowan Tony.M...@lambton.on.ca
Lambton College Sarnia Ontario Canada
Rudolph Valentino
>
> I have a 2 inch plus red tail shark which is about 4 years old at least.
>
> He has been moved from tank to tank without any problem. Maybe age slows
> them down as he is not nearly as aggressive as he used to be.
I'm not trying to put you down, but are you sure you have a red-tailed shark?
It should be at least a foot long by now!
--
Rudolph Valentino
<f.o.s.a.> Adam
AFAC Ratsa snobs, Bobby, and Erica
Darren Scott Cobb
Andrew Lee <wil...@yorku.ca> wrote:
> I have a little problem. Yesterday, I bought two Male Fancy Guppies.
> They're still fairly small. I introduced them to my 35 gallon community tank
>(no hospital/quarantine tank yet). For the rest of the night and most of
>today, my little (2.5") Red-Tailed Shark's been after them (particularily the
>one with the bigger tail). Here's my setup:
>
> 35-gallon (36" x 15" x 15")
> UGF (3 airstones) and external filter
> Temp: 81 dF
> Ammonia: 0ppm
> Nitrite: 0ppm
> 2 - 4" Swordtails (both male)
> 2 - 2" Female Fancy Guppies
> 6 - 2" Black Tetras
> 2 - 4" Melan. Corycats (I have been unable to positively identify
> these guys)
> 1 - 2.5" Red Tailed Shark
> 2 - 2" (including large tails) Male Guppies
>
> I can understand the shark trying to tell the new guys what's what but
>it's beginning to worry me. The shark also intermittentaly chases the tetras,
>swordtails, and female guppies. The larger of the two males Guppies (with
>very large tail) is beginning to look like he's tail's being ripped.
>
In my experience, red-tailed sharks coexist much better with fish from
their part of the globe: barbs, loaches, etc. Their behavior is just
much more similar. I've had no problems keeping them with tin-foil and
tiger barbs, or with clown loaches and botias. I would simply call a few
of your local dealers and ask if you could trade him in or give him to
them.
[=-----------------------Darren S. Cobb----------------------=]
| . ( , |
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| ) __ ( ( /. \/~{ ( ` |
| ( }<_;> ) ) `\_)_<____/\_{ ) |
| | V \\ | |
[dascobb@indiana.edu___http://ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu/~dascobb/]
Andrew Lee
>Try catching him and isolating him in a net kept just under the surface
>for an evening. This may calm him down. You also might try introducing a
>bigger peaceful fish, like a silver dollar, in the hope of intimidating
>him.
There are two Melan corycats that are much larger (slightly longer and MUCH
wider) than the RTS. He seems to have calmed down but he is in the middle of
a growth spurt so I'm hoping he's just reacting to that.
>Of course, if it's truly hopeless, you may need to give him a new home.
I'm saving up for a 100+ gallon to turn into a vivarium (aquarium +
terrarium). When I get it, he'll be the first one in.
>I once sent a chronically fin nipping leporinus to the promised land!
You killed a fish for simply reacting by instinct?!
Stef
My name is Stef, and i got the same problem with my red-tail. They
told me at the fish shop that this type of fish is compatible with
species that can swim fast. The red-tail don't seem to bite the other
fishs but he stess them!!!!!!!!
I got mainly barb and tetra fish and they seem to survive with the
shark!!
Hope it can be usefull to you!!!
Stef
Chris Lienert
> Will the shark calm down? If not, is there anything I can do?
>
> TIA
Hi
I've got a Rainbow Shark (L. Erythyurus) which is very closely
related to the Red-tailed Black Shark. It can be aggressive from time
to time (especially when its defending its food) but also sharing the
ground is a rather large Bristle nose Catfish (Ancistrus Cirrhus,
closely related to H. Plestcostmus) and a Peppered Cory (C. Paleatus).
Any time the shark bothers any of the other fish, it is scared into
submission, though it still very occasionally chases the tetras I have
occupying the space above.
You may not have enough hiding places for your shark as this is
usually a cause for such aggression. I suggest you get one of either
the A. Cirrhus or the H. Plestcostmus as these guys will fight back if
attacked. The calming effect of my A. Cirrhus is astounding.
Introducing a new fish, may not work, though, as most new fish need
some time to adjust...
Cliener
Brian Choo
> I have a little problem. Yesterday, I bought two Male Fancy Guppies.
> They're still fairly small. I introduced them to my 35 gallon
community tank
> (no hospital/quarantine tank yet). For the rest of the night and most of
> today, my little (2.5") Red-Tailed Shark's been after them (particularily the
> one with the bigger tail). Here's my setup:
I can understand the shark trying to tell the new guys what's what but
> it's beginning to worry me. The shark also intermittentaly chases the
tetras,
> swordtails, and female guppies. The larger of the two males Guppies (with
> very large tail) is beginning to look like he's tail's being ripped.
>
> Will the shark calm down? If not, is there anything I can do?
>
> TIA
My usual solution for bullies in my marine tank is to stick a mirror on
the side of the tank. The bully will usually target its relection giving
the victims some breathing space. After a few days/ 1 week I remove the
mirror and see how things work out. If after several attempts with the
mirror, the bully STILL harasses other fish I usually remove it.
Good luck
Brian
Lord of the Fork People
red-tailed sharks and rainbow sharks are sold as "community" fish they
are quite aggressive, especially if they establish a territory that
other fish continually swim around. And it will only get more
aggressive as it gets larger. Sorry.
Liisa Sarakontu
> I have a 2 inch plus red tail shark which is about 4 years old at least.
> He has been moved from tank to tank without any problem. Maybe age slows
> them down as he is not nearly as aggressive as he used to be.
I'm not trying to put you down, but are you sure you have a red-tailed
shark? It should be at least a foot long by now!
Rudolph, you are mixing red-tailed shark (Epelazeorhynchus bicolor, an
aggressive cyprinid from Asia) with red-tailed catfish (Phractocephalus
hemiliopterus, a huge catfish from South America). Red-tailed sharks
don't get bigger than 12 cm, or 5", while red-tailed cats grow up to
5'.
You were kind of right, anyway. A well-kept 4 year old redtail should
be well over 2" long (but a well-kept red-tailed cat of the same age
should be at least 3 feet long.)
Liisa Sarakontu
shane m
> Will the shark calm down? If not, is there anything I can do?
I have a community tank w/ 2 small (@2") red tails. One is apparently
dominant and the other submissive. The only aggressive behavior I
have ever seen the dominant red tail make is towards the other red
tail. The submissive redtail (which by the way does not have as
brilliant a tail) only flees the dominant and never bothers any of the
other fish.
In the tank I also have an African knifefish, some tiger barbs,
several different tetras (some of which have a reddish hue -
especially the sarpae tetras), glassfish, a cat of some sort, a couple
balas and a pleco. I have several plants, a couple of stumps (one of
which is hollow and provides a place of retreat), and several cave
areas.
Despite what others have posted here, I've never seen the dominant
redtail take up hiding in cave area or in a stump. When he's not
harassing the other red tail he's as peaceful as can be. Perhaps he
will become more of a problem as he grows up more???
The Carrithers
>A. McGowan wrote:
>>
>> I have a 2 inch plus red tail shark which is about 4 years old at least.
>>
>> He has been moved from tank to tank without any problem. Maybe age slows
>> them down as he is not nearly as aggressive as he used to be.
>I'm not trying to put you down, but are you sure you have a red-tailed shark?
>It should be at least a foot long by now!
>--
> Rudolph Valentino
> <f.o.s.a.> Adam
> AFAC Ratsa snobs, Bobby, and Erica
Could you be referring to a red-tailed catfish?
Now they get pretty big!
M@
Olympia, Washington USA
Andy LaCombe
>
> I have a 2 inch plus red tail shark which is about 4 years old at least.
>
> He has been moved from tank to tank without any problem. Maybe age slows
> spends most of his time hiding in a cave like area of the tank. He is
> now existing peacefully with large blue and pink gouramis and some tetras
> which have only been in the tank k for a few monthAlso a large pleco.
> Old age slows everything down??
>
when there are less than three. If there are three or more, they are not
as bad.
Good Luck!
--
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| Andy LaCombe | andy.l...@sdrc.com |
| Staff Technologist | |
| Structural Dyanamic Research Corporation | |
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Randy
sold to me) is two years and 2 1/2 inches. It has a black body with the
fins and tail red. Isn't that a red tailed shark?
Rudolph Valentino wrote:
>
> A. McGowan wrote:
> >
> > I have a 2 inch plus red tail shark which is about 4 years old at least.
> >
> > He has been moved from tank to tank without any problem. Maybe age slows
> > them down as he is not nearly as aggressive as he used to be.
>
Scott Bramhall
sharks are less aggressive than the red-tailed in general. My rainbow
shark is about a year and a half old, and about three and a half inches
long. He would usually be a calm and peaceful community member, but
every now and then he'd take off and chase any other fish in the bottom third
of the tank; that was HIS territory. The only fish he really fought with was
a large male red wag platy, of all things. They fought tooth and nail until
I removed the platy and gave him to a friend. Now the shark spends most
of his time in a hollow log and I haven't seen him act aggressively at all in
months. Unfortunately I've come into this discussion late, so I don't know
what the original poster's problem was, but I would say that if you really
like the shark and he's fighting with a particular other fish, try removing
the other fish and see if the shark calms down. If the shark is being a
general pain in the butt and chasing everything in the tank, get rid of the
shark.
Good Luck!
Rob Manning
My .02: I'm new to both fishkeeping and the 'net. However,what worked for me
was to buy a red-tailed shark that was half as large as my other fish. The
tiger barbs, black tetra, and mollies (black and dalmation) ignore the shark,
and it ignores them. At least for the last 6 months--who knows what will
happen as they grow.
Andrew Lee
In article <3180F9...@larry.spacestar.com>,
That's not a bad suggestion. My shark was the smallest in the tank until I
started feeding him sinking algae wafers two weeks ago. He's been growing
incredibly ever since. He's larger than the two male guppies (which are
smaller than the older females) and is catching up the other fish.
I've re-arranged my decorations to give the shark more than ample hiding spots
but he still nips at the male guppies. He's now taking CHUNKS of one of the
male guppy's tail. I've given up and decided to get a 10gallon tank for the
four guppies (two females and two males).
Thanks anyhow.
Chris Lienert
The Carrithers wrote:
> >I'm not trying to put you down, but are you sure you have a red-tailed shark?
> >It should be at least a foot long by now!
> Now they get pretty big!
(Heavily Edited)
Red tailed Sharks (Labeo Bicolor I think) grow only to about 6"...
Cliener
Steve Denham
Chris Lienert <st96...@echidna.cowan.edu.au> wrote:
>(Heavily Edited)
>Cliener
Uh, not to disagree or anything, but my friend has red tail shark
about 5 years old thats as of last week exactly 12".
Liisa Sarakontu
Uh, not to disagree or anything, but my friend has red tail shark
about 5 years old thats as of last week exactly 12".
Hey, are you SURE it is a red-tailed shark and nothing else? It is
mentioned in many of my books, and the maximum length is always said
to be around 5 inches. I haven't ever seen one longer than that 5".
So it is really a redtail? Glossy black or at least very dark gray
body, bright red tail, small white dots at the outer rims of the
biggest fins (sometimes absent)? Very similar-looking black shark,
Morulius chrysophekadion will grow up to 60 cm (24"), but it doesn't
have any red in the tail.
Liisa Sarakontu