Red Tail SHark problem?

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werilyagr

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Sep 25, 2010
Messages
2
Hey, I'm new to owning an aquarium, just wanted to get one for the apartment. I only have one fish right now and its an Red Tail Shark. Just one problem is that he/she isn't black, more so grey and the tail isnt all that red at all. I was also wandering what temperature the tank should be (I heard many different temperatures and some not even close to others), what I should be feeding it (live or dried, vegetarian or shrimp/worms, etc.), what other fish would be good to have in the tank with these guys, and any other information that would help keep this guy healthy.

My tank is a small 10 gallon tank but he/she is the only fish in there. Nothing special just 5 plastic plants and a Pirate ship for hiding. white pebbles. It also has a hood with 2 lights. Right now I'm feeding him shrimp pellets with a few dried bloodworms as a treat. I have also put pieces of lettuce about the size of a dime in the bottom of the tank a few times because I saw that they need vegetation in their diet.
 
red tail shark will get to be about 5-6inches and need a larger tank, maybe a 30g breeder might be the minimum, maybe re-home it and get a new fish? or just upgrade it, its going to be too big for the 10g soon

have you heard of the nitrogen cycle aka fishless cycle? if not, i suggest reading up on it, the best way to explain a tank that has not been cycled is living in a dump

heres the link

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/fishless-cycling-for-dummies-103339.html

dont buy any fish until you have completed it

buy a API freshwater master test kit

Walmart.com: Freshwater Master Test Kit: Fish

walmart has the cheapest one you can buy anywhere, it costs a total of 20$, in any LFS you would be paying 30$+

look for a pure ammonia bottle that has no surfactants and additives, the one i bought is from ACE hardware store and its called Janitorial Strength Ammo

for your water conditioner, you would want SeaChem Prime

doing this is a good start to this hobby, so please read read and keep reading, it takes 3weeks + to finish a full cycle, so you have tons of time to choose on what kind of fish you would like to have in whatever size your tank is, there is no need to boil water before adding it to the tank

so i hope this helps =]
 
some times some are not as dark as others. also could it be a rainbow shark instead? is the tank cycled? what like of lettuce did you put in the common iceburger has little to no nutrition value.
 
@Maxima423 Thanks, I have been reading up on the actual fish itself every since I got it, but I was following the information the pet store gave me and it said nothing about the nitrogen cycle (ok all it said was that the fish lives with the nitrogen cycle). So I read the link you gave me and I'm going to try and make things work out.

@mgamer20o0 yeah it was only iceberg because that all I had and it doesn't look like he/she is eating any pellet but the fish has been alive for a week so it must be eating something.

So now the fish is a pale grey and it's tail is pretty much white. could the light have an affect on his colouring?
 
Your shark is under great stress. They lose color when they are sick or very stressed out. The red tail sharks can do good in temps. ranging from 75 degrees to warmer 82 degrees. I suggest checking your water for ammonia/nitrates/nitrites. The pale color is definitely a sign of stress/sickness.

And as someone else has mentioned, a 10gal is not appropriate for this fish.
 
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