can rainbow sharks live with tetras?

[jujubee]

Right now I have 2 serpae tetras and a black fin tetra (i think thats what its called). Right now I have a 10 gallon tank, but over the summer i plan on starting a new larger (either 30 or 55 gallon) tank. I really like Rainbow sharks, but I am afraid it will attack the tetras. Do you think they could live together peacefully
?

 

[OrionGirl]

A rainbow shark will pick a territory--a cave, or anywhere it can hide in, and defend it from intruders (even small and harmless ones). They can be savage with conspecifics and similar shaped fish like other sharks and algae eaters. Tetras, though, would just be chased away from it's home, then left alone. They'd figure out to avoid that area--at least, mine always have. The kuhli loaches are the only fish that still intrude on the rainbow, and he chases them away.

 

[RioXingu]

OnionGirl has described rainbow shark behavior very well. Mine did the same thing.
This is also a very long lived fish, not surprising because it is a close relative of goldfish (carp).

My rainbow shark amazed me once. I had it temporarily housed in a 10 gallon tank, and one day the heater stuck on.
The temperature rose to over 90 degrees before I discovered the problem.
The rainbow was unaware that anything was wrong, and it lived to a ripe old age after that incident.

Bill in WI

 

[dwayne]

Here's my experience w/ rainbow sharks and tetras:

I have had a rainbow shark for almost 4 years now (he was my first purchase after my tank cycled w/ zebra danios)... he's impervious to ich (2 outbreaks), and heater malfunctions (tank went up to 85 and was like that for almost an entire day). I really like him, he's my favorite fish, his name is Darth Maul (hubby named him). He also spends most of his time in a cave, coming out for food and to 'stretch his fins' every so often during the day.

I got a school of 10 neon tetras about a month after we got Darth... and lost all of them to a disease that affects either just neons or tetras in general (can't remember the name)...

I then bought another school of 10 neons this past Thanksgiving. They were small ones - 3/4" long maybe? Over the course of a week they all disappeared, no body parts or bones to be found anywhere in the tank. At the time the only other inhabitants of the tank were Darth, a common pleco and a betta....

Then I bought a school of 8 cardinal tetras in February. I only have 2 left, and again, no body parts or bones to be found!!! The only culprit I can think of is Darth.

I had 3 serpae tetras about a year and a half ago, they lived for just over a year and then my tank got ich and they didn't make it. But Darth never seemed to bother them at all. And he didn't bother my (penguin? black and silver w/ a red glowing stripe) tetras, who also succumbed to the ich.

Good luck!!!!

~Tara

 

[TKOS]

Serpaes and black skirt or black fin tetras tend to be the tougher types of tetras. They can put up with and give soem abuse. So assuming there is plenty of room I don't see a problem. Weaker tetras like rummy nose, neons and even cardinals can get eaten by just about anything.

But definatly wait until the big tank is up and running before buying the shark. On the off chance things get stalled you don't want to be stuck with a potentially aggressive and large fish in a 10 gallon.

 

[jujubee]

yeah, i was definitely gonna wait until i got a bigger tank. I am just trying to plan out what fish are going to be in the bigger tank. I really want a rainbow shark so I am gonna try and work with fish that can live happily with the rainbow shark. Thanks for all of the information everyone, its much appreciated.

 

[johnhenr]

I have a medium sized rainbow shark in a well planted 20 gallon tank. I have had him probably about three years. I also have several black skirt tetras, several bloodfin tetras and several pristellas which have been with him for about 2 to 3 years. The shark generally leaves everybody alone, although he will occasionally chase the bloodfins around the tank. A sharp tap on the tank and he stops bothering them. They all seem to get along fairly well. The pristellas stay on the bottom of the tank, the bloodfin tetras school on the top of the tank and the black skirts are mid-level dwellers.