# Red Tailed black shark



## mkblitz (Oct 12, 2011)

anyone keep these or have experience? I got 3 when they went on sale at big al's north york.. they seem to be adjusting well, swimming around, not aggressive, but they don't seem attuned to our feeding routine. 

All the tetras go to the top at feeding time (flakes) but they don't actively go after it. I see they do suck on the leaves and driftwood in the tank (algae eating?) but other than that not regulars at dinner time. Is there something else they prefer? Are they eating the algae or just playing around?

Any tips or things to look out for in this species would be appreciated


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## rossco838 (Aug 6, 2011)

I have 2 they seem to be more of the cleaners..constantly sucking on the various decorations and drift wood..ours are not active during feeding either.

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## Chromey (Sep 25, 2010)

Ive had a Female for 3 years now.

Bigal strikes again. They should never have sold you more then one.

They will fight when they mature, Only 1 will live, No matter how many you have.

Temperament: The red tailed black shark can be an aggressive fish. This fish often fights or harasses other red tail sharks. It is highly recommened to house only one of this species unless you have a very large tank. The red-tailed-shark should not be kept with extremely docile or peaceful fish. The red tail shark is a territorial fish that will chase other fish away from their territory or become aggressive during feeding. Some fish-keepers have had great luck with their red tail shark, so it all depends on the individual fish.

Source:
http://www.tropical-fish-success.com/red-tail-shark.html


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## rossco838 (Aug 6, 2011)

Mine are in seperate tanks. But aggressive I'm sorry but my full grown red tail is the most docile fish in the tank. This is in a 140 gallon mind you. How do you sex them I have never seen nothing about this? 

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## mkblitz (Oct 12, 2011)

Yeah I read the aggressive bit. So far they dont' scrap much though I have seen it once. Hopefully I got docile ones. I was really scratching my head as BA had listed them as community fish....

Thanks for letting me know about their feeding habits. However they don't seem to like the black algae on my driftwood. Sigh.


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## Chromey (Sep 25, 2010)

Pale to white underside is a female.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

They are only agressive towards themselves and similar looking species. Fish like SAE, flying fox, rainbow shark, roseline shark and the likes as mercilessly harassed. They will pick on cories, although not as bad as the other fish mentioned above. You'll still need 3 or more to spread the aggression. Clown loaches, if they are a schoal are an exception. One easy indication of problem is when your other fish jumps out of the tank. This is because they are a fast moving fish, also a wanderer, a scourager and they grow pretty fast. So unless you own a pond or a 6 ft tank, it's rare to have a tank that is really big enough for a full grown red tail shark. Even a 4 ft tank is not big enough because of it's wandering and exploring nature. There really is no hiding place from a red tail shark.
At a young age they will fight with tetras, but will eventually ignore them when they grow bigger. They will bug a pleco at first but learn to ignore them eventually.
As for food, they'll eat flakes if they are really that hungry, but most of the time, mine just scourage every inch of the tank. Not really sure what he's looking for, maybe worms or algae. But as long as it is not slim and long, it's a good indication it's doing well.

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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

Here is a very good article on freshwater sharks in general and in particular the Red-tailed Black Shark (Epalzeorhynchos bicolor).

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co...._term=Freshwater_shark_alert&utm_content=html

--
Paul


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## bigfishy (Jun 19, 2009)

Also!!!!!

they are critically endangered in the wild 



get them before they become extinct


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## chriscro (Dec 3, 2010)

not only are they aggressive as their mature, but they will target just about anything smaller then them.

as for their feeding they don't eat much, they are scavengers and prefer veg and a bit of flakes. don't worry they grow and plump out 90% of the time.


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## mkblitz (Oct 12, 2011)

Thanks for the info guys. I'll have to keep a close eye on them.


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