red tail shark tank

[cb172635]

hey people, I wanted to start a red tailed shark tank. how many sharks should I keep together? what other fish can I throw in with it that it wont kill or wont kill it?

I want to put them in a 10 gallon with possibly a couple other types of fish according to the amount of redtails I have to put in.

what are some thoughts you guys have for me?

 

[cb172635]

another question I have is are they hardy? will they survive a well done fish-in cycle

 

[shark21]

Unfortunately a 10 gallon is way to small for one redtail shark! (And most fish) but a redtail require atleast a 50 gallon min. They only get to be about 4" but are very active! They also get very aggressive toward their own species the older and more mature they get...I would only keep one tops in a way bigger tank!

 

[cb172635]

Unfortunately a 10 gallon is way to small for one redtail shark! (And most fish) but a redtail require atleast a 50 gallon min. They only get to be about 4" but are very active! They also get very aggressive toward their own species the older and more mature they get...I would only keep one tops in a way bigger tank!

ive had one before but I heard they get I guess you could call it lonely and kill themselves if they don't have another of there own kind in the tank.. and thinking it was garbage threw him in the tank and came home from work the next day and he was dead for no apparent reason after the third day or so of having him? what are your thoughts on that?

 

[cb172635]

Unfortunately a 10 gallon is way to small for one redtail shark! (And most fish) but a redtail require atleast a 50 gallon min. They only get to be about 4" but are very active! They also get very aggressive toward their own species the older and more mature they get...I would only keep one tops in a way bigger tank!

and aso what about a 20 long for starters just until I get a chance to upgrade to and cycle the bigger tank

 

[shark21]

Sounds like you may have shocked him or the parameters may have been off....new fish get shocked easy if your parameters are off or you don't acclimate them properly...as far as them killing themselves off due to loneliness thats pretty far fetched....I have never heard of any fish that died do to being lonely?

 

[cb172635]

Sounds like you may have shocked him or the parameters may have been off....new fish get shocked easy if your parameters are off or you don't acclimate them properly...as far as them killing themselves off due to loneliness thats pretty far fetched....I have never heard of any fish that died do to being lonely?

neither have I. thanks for the info!

 

[shark21]

No prob. Good Luck...post pics if you end up getting one!

 

[GreenLily]

I wouldn't recommend putting more than one in a tank because as shark21 mentioned, they get very aggressive towards their own kind as they mature. Maybe you could have a 50 gallon with the shark as the centerpiece fish? They are lovely fish! You would want to put it with other fish that are comparable in size and temperament so that they can hold their own if the shark decides to bully.
I don't think I've heard of fish dying from loneliness, but they can get stressed out and that in turn compromises their health.. I don't think you will have a problem with a red tail shark being lonely, seeing as how they like to be alone.

 

[cb172635]

lol ok thanks greenlily

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[rhsoto94]

I agree with all the info above but I think the shark would do good in a 40g breeder since the footprint is bigger and gives more room to swim especially since they are more bottom dwellers. If you keep more then one the bigger one will bully the smaller one till death. Before I knew this I had two in my tank and one always stayed smaller and had a way lighter tail because of stress from bullying.

Good tank mates are tiger barbs, white skirt tetras or larger rainbows. Pretty much semi aggressive or larger peaceful fish worked for me.

 

[cb172635]

No prob. Good Luck...post pics if you end up getting one!

i ended up gettin him and throwing him in the baby 10 with a green tiger barb just for the moment! im going to move him to a 55 asap but hes small so hell be ok! btw what tempature do these guys like?

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[cb172635]

I agree with all the info above but I think the shark would do good in a 40g breeder since the footprint is bigger and gives more room to swim especially since they are more bottom dwellers. If you keep more then one the bigger one will bully the smaller one till death. Before I knew this I had two in my tank and one always stayed smaller and had a way lighter tail because of stress from bullying.

Good tank mates are tiger barbs, white skirt tetras or larger rainbows. Pretty much semi aggressive or larger peaceful fish worked for me.

thanks i got a green tiger barb for him to play with at the moment ?

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[bettaowner]

Red tail sharks base their aggression on color mainly. If a fish has similar color the shark will probably be aggressive. This is a very territorial species.

 

[cb172635]

I agree with all the info above but I think the shark would do good in a 40g breeder since the footprint is bigger and gives more room to swim especially since they are more bottom dwellers. If you keep more then one the bigger one will bully the smaller one till death. Before I knew this I had two in my tank and one always stayed smaller and had a way lighter tail because of stress from bullying.

Good tank mates are tiger barbs, white skirt tetras or larger rainbows. Pretty much semi aggressive or larger peaceful fish worked for me.

my red tail doesn't seem to be doing to great on the basis that he is not eating when I feed. a piece of food will float right by him and he wont even acknowledge it. he has great color and does not seem to be stressed at all as far as his behavior goes but he hasn't eaten anything since I got him. I tried 1mm pellets and flakes aswell! help if you can or have any input. thanks!!!

 

[PatrickL]

I have a red tail, tiger barbs, a couple cories, a pictus, and a few that dont figure in so much. The red tail ignores the cories, has occasional bouts with the pictus. The pictus and the red tail own opposing sides of the tank, and the cories pass between. But the redtail stays in the bottom, say, third of the tank 80% of the time, so I dont know if a tank of mainly them would do too well as mine seems territorial somewhat, and a tank of catfish/bottom feeders needs more to it, if only to me I suppose...

 

[cb172635]

when my shark gets full size will I be able to feed him small feeder fish?

 

[rhsoto94]

They only get 5" tops and there mouths don't get big enough to eat feeders. So highly doubt it.

 

[i3k]

I had a red tail shark for 7 years. I had it with a couple of fully grown silver dollars and a botia loach. Let me tell you something, this red tail shark gets extremely aggressive during feed time. It's body gets all erect and it would do the jerky movements around my silver dollars, chasing them around, and pinning them in corners. It also would head lock with the botia loach, but in red tail's defense, the botia was the aggressor. But besides the aggressiveness during feed time, the red tail is all about it's business and is pretty tame. It is a very active fish and will spend it's entire day swimming all over the aquarium and scavenging the bottom. This shark will never starve. It's belly will always be full

 

[Pamiam]

I hate to say this but you sound like you just buy fish on a whim without doing research on the fish.

I do not want sound nagging, but I am trying to inform you to make the best decisions.

My red tail shark is 7 inches, has plenty of hiding places, they will grow fast. They are omnivores and need frozen foods, not just flakes. He needs a minimum of 50 gallons. And as the other folks noted, he should be the only shark in the tank.

The tiger barb is a schooling fish, he will not do well by himself and they can grow to 3 inches. Again... needs much larger tank and friends of his own kind.

I use a 10 gallon for new fish for quarantine only and they only stay in there until they are perfectly healthy. A 10 gallon will not host many species of fish, as they are either schooling or grow larger.

Even my 3/4 inch bumble bee gobys are housed in a 20 gallon species only and I only have 3 of them in that tank. 3 fish in 20 gallon and they are healthy and happy.

As much as you want to buy a number fish, keep in mind adult size, compatibility and tank size.

Fish that do not live in schools do not require "friends". I have many single fish that prefer to be species only.

If fish are housed properly, feed correctly and given an environment that mimics their natural habitat they will live long and happy lives.