I purchased my first red tail shark back in 2016. It was a beautiful and unique-looking fish with a slender black body and reddish tail. The fish could move very quickly through my tank and could hold its own against my pet blue crayfish, which are known for being very aggressive creatures.
My red-tailed black shark quickly became one of my favorite fish in my fish tank before I had to give him away before a move. He was later replaced with another cool freshwater fish—a rainbow shark.
In this blog, we are going to talk about the red tail shark and the care of the red-tailed shark. They are amazing creatures.
About Red Tail Shark
Red-tail shark, or epalzeorhynchos bicolor, are originally from Thailand. However now, they are completely extinct in the region. They are now listed as “critically endangered,” but luckily, the aquarium trade has helped keep the fish populations higher. This is good news as these fish are some pretty impressive fish to keep in a freshwater fish tank under the right conditions.
Red-tail shark can be somewhat aggressive fish, very territorial, and will often chase other fish around the aquarium. But, they aren’t known for exactly killing other fish in aquariums. They will definitely bully other fish, though.
The red-tailed black shark can grow to be around five to six inches long. They can also live for ten years or even more, which is pretty amazing when you think about it.
A lot of people often wonder if red-tail black sharks are actually sharks, but they are not sharks, even though they do look like them.
Caring for Red-Tailed Shark
Healthy Water Conditions
Just like with other freshwater fish, make sure you cycle any fish tank before adding a fish such as the red tail shark. This step is critical to keep fish healthy and alive. Skipping this step or not cycling a fish tank properly can be catastrophic. If your fish tank is already set up and established, then you are ready.
You’ll also want to do 10 to 15-gallon water changes every two weeks or so. This keeps the water clean and healthy for your fish. Keep in mind, the amount of water changed and the frequency of water changes could greatly vary based on several different variables, like the number of fish, the size of the tank, etc.
Fish Tank Size
When keeping a red tail, it’s suggested that they are kept in a larger freshwater fish tank. 55-gallon fish tanks and on up will work well. I kept mine in a 20-gallon tank but gave him away to someone with a bigger tank. My old red-tailed black shark now lives in a 55-gallon fish tank. This size tank provides more room for the red tail shark that needs space to swim, grow, and live.
Feeding Red Tail Shark
Red-tailed black sharks primarily eat plants like algae, but will also eat animals such as crustaceans, worms, etc.
When feeding a red tail shark in your fish tank at home, it’s a good idea to use sinking algae pellets or fish flakes. These work great and are very convenient.
Tankmates
When considering tank mates, you have to be careful. Because again, these guys are very aggressive and territorial. When I had my red tail shark, I kept him with a blue crayfish, which are also very aggressive animals. However, they did great together.
If you would like to keep other fish in your aquarium with your red-tailed shark, some of the fish below might work well:
- Bala Shark
- Barbs
- Danios
- Angelfish
Recap
Red-tails are very pretty and unique fish. These guys are great additions to freshwater tanks but are aggressive and territorial. This is something that should always be taken into consideration when adding a red tail to a fish tank.
These fish, once extinct, are now making their way back from being endangered through their popularity in the aquarium hobby. If you’re looking for an easy-to-keep, unique fish, this might be your guy.
