Considering a Rainbow Shark

[elliott_001]

I am considering getting a single rainbow shark. I have heard they are agressive in groups under 6.

Although Ive seen a single rainbow in a tank with some silver dollar at a lfs, it seemed to be fairly aggressive towards them too. Ive also heard that they can have very different personalities, so some may be quite peaceful and others may not be so nice!?

I really want to have a single shark in my tank, i like the look of the rainbow shark and i figured a rainbow is about my only chance of having a shark, as the bala's and red tailed sharks get too big.

Any thoughts or suggestions? TIA

 

[Guest]

Red tail sharks are more aggressive than rainbow sharks but rainbow sharks get up to 6-7 inches long and red tails stay a few inches smaller. You could get either a rainbow or a red tailed shark in your tank i believe. I have a full grown rainbow shark and while he does defend his territory he is pretty peaceful. I have kept him with community fish and now he is with african cichlids. One of my favorite fish ever.

 

[elliott_001]

Yeah, i really like the look of them, and i just think a single rainbow would be cool. I thought red tails and balas were the biggest, nvm, i still want a rainbow. How long have you had your rainbow shark? It would be cool to watch one grow from a baby size!

 

[Guest]

I have had my rainbow since I started my tank in February of this year. That was about... 11 months ago!!!

 

[elliott_001]

And its full grown already?

 

[Guest]

what do you mean already? when i got him he was about 3-4" and id say he's somewhere around 6-7" now and he doesn't seem to have grown for the past 6 months... im pretty sure he's ful grown. If he gets any bigger i will need a bigger tank!!

 

[elliott_001]

I was just suprised! I would have thought they were slower growing. I was thinking you would have got it smaller, like 2" or something, thats the size i tend to see at the lfs.

 

[Guest]

mine grew pretty fast, they aren't slow growing like clown loaches... but if you get one make sure he has a nice cave because they like the shade and will claim a cave as their "territory".

 

[elliott_001]

Yeah, i'm definatley gonna get one, at least i can't see any reasons why i couldnt have one. I think im gonna make some alterations in my tank before i get one, i was gonna create more caves and stuff anyway.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Another thought. I have a fake hollow log in my tank with the rainbow shark, and that's his turf. Sometimes he'll move to the fake sewer pipes I have in both corners, but mostly stays in the hollow log. It's about 8-9 inches long, and 4 inches or so wide, with openings on both ends and one opening on one side in about the middle. Makes a great shark hideout.

 

[elliott_001]

Thats a good idea, i have seen pipes in tanks with rainbow sharks at the lfs, i guess they must like them. the only thing is they dont look very natural, i suppose it would be possible to glue some of my black sand substrate onto it before i put it in.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Here's 2 pics. The first 2 is my rainbow by the sewer pipe, and the third is the albino rainbow by the hollow log.

http://www.nw-wolf.com/fishsite/55G/rainbowlarge.jpg

http://www.nw-wolf.com/fishsite/55G/rainbow1.jpg

http://www.nw-wolf.com/fishsite/55G/albrainbowlarge.jpg

 

[elliott_001]

Very Nice!! I see, for some reason i thought you meant making one myself, but i will just buy one from the lfs. Im going to have to create lots of hiding places in my tank for the bottom dwellers. Your loach are looking good. I would like some different loaches together, like you have, but i dont really have the room.

How big is your regular rainbow shark now? Have you had it from when it was little (1.5 - 2")? I thought rainbows were intollerable of their own kind unless kept in groups larger than 6? Do your two fight at all?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

My rainbow is about 5 inches now, maybe just a bit over. The albino is about 4 1/2 inches.

As for the loaches, I'd go in sets of 3's. the yoyo's, striped (zebra), and skunk loaches stay relatively small. The dojo will get a bit bigger. My golden dojo was over 8 1/2 inches when he passed away.

My rainbows are very mellow tempered. Very rarely chase each other. And when they do, it's usually the rainbow that will chase the albino. The albino has never chased anything in the tank that I know of. The bala keeps to himself too, not bothering any other fish or sharks. But he will get much bigger. He's about 6 1/2 inches and still growing.

 

[elliott_001]

wow, thats pretty big! Was it old age? How quickly do the rainbows grow? If i purchase one now at about 2" maybe slightly bigger, how big would i expect it to grow within a year?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I believe it was old age, the skin was starting to look a bit wrinkly like old age. I had him for almost a year. He wasn't young when I got him either, not sure exactly how old it was when I got it, as it was almost 5 inches when I got him.

Rainbows do grow fairly quick in the first year, then tapers off. He was 2 1/2 inches when I got him, and is now just over 5 inches, 11 months later. The albino seems to be growing at a slower rate. Only had him 6 months.

Also, for rainbows, make sure you plug all excess holes, they are jumpers. When I got my 2 rainbows, 2 months later I woke up in the morning to a dried up albino in the middle of my floor. I waited a couple months, then decided to get another one. That's why he's smaller as well. But just seems to be growing slower than the rainbow.

 

[elliott_001]

Good, i look forward to watching mine grow into a nice sized fish! I have heard about them being jumpers, i dont have any holes in my aquarium hood, so it should be ok.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

If I got a new tank and had my choice of sharks, it would be a rainbow over a red tail and bala. Even though I love all my sharks. But as for my pride and joy, has to be my 2 fire eels. They are my reason for going bigger and bigger, lol.

 

[elliott_001]

I like the bala shark, i would have one if i had a big enough tank, but i think the rainbow looks more like a shark, the bala looks more like a fish, i think its the scales on the bala. Rainbows barbles look cool too, and i like their body shape more. Those fire eels, they always burrow into the sand dont they? Only showing their heads? They look pretty cool!

 

[Lonewolfblue]

As far as my bala, looks pretty close to a shark with the exception of the scales of course. Look at this pic...

http://www.nw-wolf.com/fishsite/55G/bala2.jpg

As for the eels, mine spend the daytime in their caves I made them, as I couldn't find anything big enough for them. When they are this big, they don't burrow much, at least mine don't. Might also be because I have majorly big caves for them too. Here's the 2 caves.

http://www.nw-wolf.com/fishsite/55G/eel1large.jpg

http://www.nw-wolf.com/fishsite/55G/eelandstripedlarge.jpg

Also, they eat out of your fingers too. They are so cool. I feed them after lights out at 9pm, with the room light on. They don't come out very often when the tank lights are on, but when off, even with the room lights on, they always come out.