The Red Tailed Black Shark adds an element of exoticness to any freshwater aquarium. The fish is exotic and entertaining, being very active. They are easy to keep as they have a calm temperament and aren’t too difficult to please.
Overview of the Red Tailed Black Shark
The Red Tailed Black Shark is native to Thailand and has various different names such as Red Tailed Labeo, Fire Tail, and Red Tail Shark Minnow. They are found in freshwater and floodplains in Thailand’s MeNam Chao Playa basin.
The fish is known for its exotic look with a fire red tail and a completely black body. Even though it is known as a shark, its face actually is like a carp. It doesn’t actually belong to the family of sharks but rather the Cyprinidae family.
It isn’t a fussy eater and can eat almost anything you feed it as it is an omnivore. It does require a lot of room in an aquarium as it is territorial. The fish can grow between 5 to 6 inches and lives for about 6 years.
Behavior
The Red Tailed Black Shark is a timid fish when it is young. You want to provide it with plenty of room to roam and hide when it wants to. However, as they grow they become more aggressive and very territorial. They are known to attack other fish that come into their territory. They won’t bite or attack the fish but will chase it until it is completely exhausted.
Tank
Keeping their behavior in mind, you want to make sure you keep the fish in a large tank. Tanks that are at least 55 gallons. You want to have places for it to hide and each of the fish needs about 1 meter in tank length. You should also try splitting the tank so their territories aren’t poached too much.
Conditions of the tank:
pH level: 6.8 – 7.5
The temperature required: 72 – 79 degrees Fahrenheit
The hardness of water: 5 – 15 dH
The water flow should be fast and keep the environment as natural for them as possible with gravel and pebbles.
