Im going to buy a 50 gallon for a Rainbow Shark what should I house with the Rainbow Shark? maybe some Sajica Cichlid and some other fish?
Rainbow Shark
- Thread starter Orange
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I need somebody to tell me a good site with info on the Rainbow Shark or some tips from someone who has had some Rainbow Sharks before . Thank you
Can you give us a scientific name,(or even another common name) I have never heard of a "rainbow Shark" but common names can vary greatly by regoin too.
A rainbow shark is pretty much the same as a red tailed black shark, except all of the fins are red. I've never kept one, but do have a red tailed black shark, and from what I understand, their requirements are basically the same. In a 50 gallon tank, your shark is probably going to stay on the bottom the vast majority of the time. These sharks are territorial, so your best bet is not to have any other territorial bottom feeders. I've kept cories with mine and had no problems with this combination. You should not have any other fish that have the same type of body as your shark. This includes other rainbow/red tailed black/black sharks, chinese algae eaters, siamese algae eaters, and loaches. I have read of some people keeping clown or yoyo loaches with these fish and having no problems, but I would advise against it. The fish are peaceful when they're small, but when they get larger and feel secure in the aquarium, they can/will be very agressive to other fish. So it is important not to keep any fish that are delicate, as well. A large school of 10-15 barbs or danios would probably be good to keep with a rainbow shark, or a similar sized school of large tetras. Hope that helps 
Okay now I know what you are talking about. I have had an albino one of these sharks in one of my tanks before. I bought it to replace a red-tailed black shark. The very first thing I noticed about this shark was that it was far LESS aggressive than my red tailed black. They also jump more than the red tailed black shark.(and if you have never owed a Redtailed black they are notorious jumppers!) so keep that lid on tight, they also prefer to be in shoals, that way also most of their aggressiveness is taken out on their own kind rather than other fish.
Territorial is right! I had a rainbow shark in a 55 gallon tank, filled with a few schools of various tetras. Although the rainbow shark did not attempt to eat the tetras, he "claimed" about 40" of the the 48" tank as his territory, and kept the other fish secluded in about 8" of space.
I finally had to remove the fish to new quarters with some larger and less able to be pushed around fish.
I found the rainbow shark to be easy to keep, tolerant of water parameters. This is especially true of high temperatures.
Feeding was no problem, the fish ate all the usual fare.
The fish was interesting in way it rested at night; it found a place in the aquarium to stand almost vertically in the water.
My rainbow shark lived a long time too.
I hope you have success with yours as well.
Bill in WI
I finally had to remove the fish to new quarters with some larger and less able to be pushed around fish.
I found the rainbow shark to be easy to keep, tolerant of water parameters. This is especially true of high temperatures.
Feeding was no problem, the fish ate all the usual fare.
The fish was interesting in way it rested at night; it found a place in the aquarium to stand almost vertically in the water.
My rainbow shark lived a long time too.
I hope you have success with yours as well.
Bill in WI
I've heard differing opinions on whether a red tail is more aggressive than a rainbow shark. My RTBS is quite tame, but then again it is still a baby. I would suggest to keep them solitary. When they are young they do shoal, but the older they get the more territorial they get.
i have a rainbow Shark in my 55g with a convict cichlid, bluegill,and a fourlined cat and and pleco they can go with firemouths to and I've had one with a JD
I have a rainbow in with my puffers, along with some kuhlis and bristlenose. He claimed a cave, and other than kicking everyone else out, has no problems. There was a SAE in there--he hated it and was brutal. They should NOT be kept in groups, as they will become very aggressive as they mature. In a very large tank, it might work, but not in a 50.
Very hardy fish, very long lived, and lovely.
Very hardy fish, very long lived, and lovely.
They do not prefer to be in shoals at all, they are definate loners (though, as Orion Girl said, if you had a tank larger than a 55, you could probably keep 2 or 3). I mistakenly bought an albino rainbow shark to 'be buddies' with my regular rainbow shark (whom I'd had for about 2 months) and the regular one terrorized the albino, who ultimately ended up a floater (I know, I know, bad me... this was pre-AC days, I didn't do any research, and the lfs told me that the albino would be fine w/ the regular because the regular wouldn't see him as competition because he was a totally different color.)
I've only had 1 jumping issue... I had him in a rubbermaid bucket while changing the decor of my tank (from gravel to the decorations), and he jumped out -- I had no idea he'd even try it! He was fine though - and did jump quite a distance - almost 2 feet from the bucket!!!
That being said, I've kept all kind of fish with my rainbow shark, and have never had a problem. The only slight problem was when I had a school of neon tetras, the shark would chase them ... not try to eat them, but just chase them. He's currently housed with a pleco, 4 tiger barbs and 4 cories, and all is well.
Good luck!
~Tara