Nasty Fish

I had a bit of a problem with mine because I did a stupid thing a few years back and bought two for the same tank. Things weren't too bad until they got older and the larger one became even more aggressive. This is typical, from what I've read. Finally, I'd had enough and traded him in for a nice $ amount at my LFS. He was a beautiful fish though.

I still have the other, who is beautiful also and who was previously picked on mercilessly by the larger one. He's the king of the roost now, but no where near as bad as the lareger one was. He balances on the top of one of rocks like King of the Hill. He gets territorial sometimes, but other times he just ignores the other fish, which are all smaller than he is....with the exception of the pl*co. Ol Mr. P. leaves him alone and visa versa.

Does your shark have a place to hide out? They like a cave to hang out in. I have a big piece of (fake) bark turned upside down lengthwise and mine just loves it. It has holes where old branches would be so he can run in and out. When he's off chasing some of the little ones at meal time, they rest are munching behind his back or running in and out of his cave. Cracks me up.

This mild aggression is all very normal, from what I have read. A larger fish should keep him in line, but that's no good reason to buy a larger fish. If he is overly aggressive, you might want to reconsider returning him. Try giving him a place to hang out. Mine usually stays there except during meal time or when he thinks all the others need a reminder who's in charge.

King of the Tank


Shark Hideout

Red tails are some of the most aggressive sharks out there. It's not uncommon for them to be this way. A large tank, with many hiding places and no fish that are similar shaped helps out, but sometimes, they really do need to be pretty much the only fish in the tank.

pl*co--I think you have a rainbow shark, which is similar, but has red pelvic, pectoral, dorsal and caudal fins, while the red tail black sharks have a red caudal fin--the other fins are black, though it's not uncommon for the dorsal fin to have a white tip. The body of the rainbow tends to be grayish, with a shimmer of color. RTBS are very dark, usually close to black. Rainbows are much less aggreesive than the RTBS, though still not compatible with other sharks or similar shaped fish.

rtBs emphasis on the B for black. Thank you for the info O.G. I've seen pics of both and have seen their scientific names. Now I know the common name of both. RTBS on an Internet search had me thinking they were like diff kinds of platy's.... sunset, red wag, etc. Diff kinds of sharks, but bred for color like platy's, if that makes any sense.

FishinAZ, I was just reading about my rainbow shark on badmanstropicalfish site and there was a comment about aggression and security. Mainly, the more secure the fish feels, the less aggression it tends to show. In the case of the rainbow shark, plants and caves are the recommendation. At least two caves, one at one end of the tank and another cave at the other end. Perhaps this might help out your RTBS. As O.G. stated, "many hiding places". I guess another cave is my option, as Mr. Pl*co tends to rearrange the place if I try to keep plants that do not float.