rainbow shark
- Thread starter bettagurl
- Start date
bettagurl said:1)what size tank does a rainbow shark need?
2)what species are they compatable with?
3)big do they get?I have heard anywhere from 6" to 1'.
thanks
1) 50g but i think that is a little high, i have seen them just fine in 30's
2) Depends all on the fish and its personality....some can live peacefully with corys! others have to be in a semi-aggressive tank
3) 6" maby 7"
rainbows need a pretty big tank due to their agressiveness, id say 55 gallons would be minimum if you plan on having tank mates, and never keep more than one in a tank. i had two in my 100 that was hardly stocked and the they both fought until one died.
I have a rainbow in each one of my 55's. They were both in the same one for a while, but the smaller rainbow was always being driven in the corner by the larger one. Once separated, they both started picking on other fish! One likes to pick on his Cherry Barb tank mates (I'm assuming because of the red tail on the barb). The other has taken to picking on the SAE's in "his" tank. I say "his" tank because it seems like both rainbows pretty much "own" the tank they are in. All in all they are one of my favorite fish. The picking on they do gets spread around a lot because I have groups of the fish they are picking on. I would consider their picking more of a nuisance and harassment than a true threat.
If you get a rainbow make sure your tank is very well covered.
If you get a rainbow make sure your tank is very well covered.
1. I would say 50G. I have my nearly full grown guy in a 4ft/50G tank and he is healthy and happy. He has 3 'caves' which he is almost constantly patrolling.
2. As said above it depends on personality but pretty much all faster moving uper level fish will get on with a Rainbow Shark. It's not so much the size but whether they spend a lot of time in the 'sharks' territory. My guy gets on great with 2 bristlenoses and a goby, but he tried to kill my Bolivian Ram and I would say he would hate cories.
3. My guy has sorta leveled out at 5", if he is growing he is growing very slowly. I'd take a guess and say max 7".
One way to limit aggression is put all the other fish in the tank first and leave the Rainbow Shark till very last. My guy is practically passive in with schooling Rainbowfish and displays some awesome personality.
This is Boris and I've had him for about 18 months. He's probably my only 'pet' fish.
2. As said above it depends on personality but pretty much all faster moving uper level fish will get on with a Rainbow Shark. It's not so much the size but whether they spend a lot of time in the 'sharks' territory. My guy gets on great with 2 bristlenoses and a goby, but he tried to kill my Bolivian Ram and I would say he would hate cories.
3. My guy has sorta leveled out at 5", if he is growing he is growing very slowly. I'd take a guess and say max 7".
One way to limit aggression is put all the other fish in the tank first and leave the Rainbow Shark till very last. My guy is practically passive in with schooling Rainbowfish and displays some awesome personality.
This is Boris and I've had him for about 18 months. He's probably my only 'pet' fish.
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I have four cories in the same tank with my shark and he acts like they don't even exist. It could be an isolated case of cory blindness though.
Dangerdoll
Global Moderator
Your friend should not have 2 in a 55 gallon tank. At 3", they will be fighting over space soon..... I'm not saying it may happen, I'm saying it will.