Help Red Tail Shark problem....

[NJNewbie]

Guys fairly new to the hobby...have a 65 gallon tank that I currently have 1 red tail shark, 4 tiger barbs, 4 roseline sharks and 5 cory cats....everything has been fine for a couple of weeks(4 weeks)...now all of a sudden my red Tail shark has started being really aggressive towars the tiger barbs....he chases them all around and won't let them anywhere in the tank they just hide near the top of the tank in a corner....and today i see one is barely alive floating stuck to the filter intake...I moved him away and he started swimming for a minute and then sank right back and stuck to my filter intake tube....

Help what do i do?????

 

[FishFanatic88]

Red tail sharks can become very aggressive and territorial. I am surprised he chases the barbs. i would also predict that he will begin to chase and kill the cories and the roseline shraks also. They generally become aggressive if there are not enough hiding spots. If you do have enough hiding spots i would recommend rehomeing him with other aggressive fish, or bring it back to your lfs. if you like the color and shape of it then i would recomend replacing it with a rainbow shark bacause they are much more peacful.

 

[NJNewbie]

Red tail sharks can become very aggressive and territorial. I am surprised he chases the barbs. i would also predict that he will begin to chase and kill the cories and the roseline shraks also. They generally become aggressive if there are not enough hiding spots. If you do have enough hiding spots i would recommend rehomeing him with other aggressive fish, or bring it back to your lfs. if you like the color and shape of it then i would recomend replacing it with a rainbow shark bacause they are much more peacful.

Well I have three peices of fake coral with caves in the tank so I think there is plenty of hiding spots...I thought tiger barbs were suspossed to get along with the red tail shark. For 4 weeks everything was fine. The tiger barbs chased each other around and that was the only aggression.... and now this.... the red tail shark is my 2 year old son's favorite fish, i can't return him.....can I take the barbs out and replace with some sort of other fish as tank mates????

 

[FishFanatic88]

Well I have three peices of fake coral with caves in the tank so I think there is plenty of hiding spots...I thought tiger barbs were suspossed to get along with the red tail shark. For 4 weeks everything was fine. The tiger barbs chased each other around and that was the only aggression.... and now this.... the red tail shark is my 2 year old son's favorite fish, i can't return him.....can I take the barbs out and replace with some sort of other fish as tank mates????

Fish show their true aggression when they get used to the tank, and their tank mates. this is clearly what happened in your situation. Clearly the shark does not like the tiger barbs, so i would recomend replaceing them with a pair of german blue rams. the rams should be able to with stand the aggression from the shark.

 

[FishFanatic88]

Well I have three peices of fake coral with caves in the tank so I think there is plenty of hiding spots...I thought tiger barbs were suspossed to get along with the red tail shark. For 4 weeks everything was fine. The tiger barbs chased each other around and that was the only aggression.... and now this.... the red tail shark is my 2 year old son's favorite fish, i can't return him.....can I take the barbs out and replace with some sort of other fish as tank mates????

You can also try some buenos aires tetras because they are one of the bigger types of tetras and they are semi aggressive so they too should be able to put up with the shark.

 

[jcolon]

There is no problem... At least not with your RTS... It's behaving like they're known for. My RTS relentlessly chases my TB's and black ruby barbs ... Mostly just after feeding. You can try reaaranging the decor and add some plants to create more territories if you can.

Any new fish you put in are subject to the same treatment... However, I think your Denison Barbs are ok. My RTS doesn't so much as look
At my Denisons.

 

[FishFanatic88]

There is no problem... At least not with your RTS... It's behaving like they're known for. My RTS relentlessly chases my TB's and black ruby barbs ... Mostly just after feeding. You can try reaaranging the decor and add some plants to create more territories if you can.

Any new fish you put in are subject to the same treatment... However, I think your Denison Barbs are ok. My RTS doesn't so much as look
At my Denisons.

Since he/she does not want to get rid of his/her RTS and it has already killed one TB i was suggesting fish that could withstand the RTS agression.

 

[mikeISright]

Try rearranging the tank when you add the new fish to take his mind off of what he views as "imposters" also i havent found barba hard to keep with really anything so maybe it is because they have a similar color?

 

[jcolon]

Since he/she does not want to get rid of his/her RTS and it has already killed one TB i was suggesting fish that could withstand the RTS agression.

Actually ... LOL ... from reading other threads / posts and on other forums as
well ... there's probably not many LFS available fish that can withstand an RTS's aggression ... which I can attest to. I've read / heard of aggressive cichlids swimming for cover when an RTS went ballistic.

 

[FishFanatic88]

Actually ... LOL ... from reading other threads / posts and on other forums as
well ... there's probably not many LFS available fish that can withstand an RTS's aggression ... which I can attest to. I've read / heard of aggressive cichlids swimming for cover when an RTS went ballistic.

Wow, i did not know they were that bad. I had one once, but it jumped out of my tank and i found it petrified i just thought that the rams and buenos aires tetras would be able to withstand the RTS because from my experience the rams can hold there own, i actually have one that relentlessly chases an earth eater, and the buenos aires tetras are also pretty aggressive. But i guess the RTS is a force unmatched by common fish lol. Thanks for the info!

 

[jcolon]

Wow, i did not know they were that bad. I had one once, but it jumped out of my tank and i found it petrified i just thought that the rams and buenos aires tetras would be able to withstand the RTS because from my experience the rams can hold there own, i actually have one that relentlessly chases an earth eater, and the buenos aires tetras are also pretty aggressive. But i guess the RTS is a force unmatched by common fish lol. Thanks for the info!

Yep.. Red-tails and rainbow sharks... They look so peaceful as juveniles in LFS tanks, but as they mature, it like flipping a territorially agressive light switch.
I laugh when I read they are only aggressive with similar looking fish ... IMO... any fish is fair game!