Rainbow Sharks

[Erynn]

Do any of you guys out there have a Rainbow Shark? I just wanted to say how great I think they are! I have had mine for close to two years....and he is SO cool. He mostly hides in caves around my tank but when he comes out he is so beautiful and just looks so healthy! He lives right now with 3 or 4 Mountain Minnows that have grown HUGE and one Moonlight Gourami which has also gotten big.

Anyway, just wanted to know if anyone else has experience with these guys!

 

[Ben]

classic fish

i have one of these as well, hes about 3-4 inch now, hes so gorgeous,just looks so proud. i had some pakistanni loaches in a few months ago and instead of chasing them away he actually seemed to welcome the company, allowing them to route all around him in seach of food, flicking him with their tale. an all round brilliant fish which gets many complements from guests

 

[wetmanNY]

These shark-minnows can be jealous of their own kind. I had a "chaser" who wouldn't leave the (closely-related) Siamese Algae-Eaters alone.

Years ago I had three, well-matched in size, in a 30 gallon with plenty of bogwood and corkbark "hollow logs" and stone caves. Fine. As long as they were three. Then one died, and the remaining two considered each other enemies.

What a handsome fish. In its best form, the fins can be really scarlet. Why a snappy-looking gray and red fish with a black "bridle" now has to be called a "Rainbow" Shark is beyond me.

 

[jerky1280]

I have one of the aforementioned "Rainbow Sharks." I've heard it's a color variation on the red-tailed shark. Anyway, he is definently my favorite fish, even though I've only had him a month or so. He is jet-black with bright red fins; an absolutely gorgeous fish!

 

[Scooter]

I have one as well that's about 5.5" long. He's one belligerent hombre too, which is why he's getting ready to get the hook. I've already had to move him once. The second move will be permanent.

 

[Ryan8971]

The only problem I've had with these fish (I've got one right now) is feeding. Damn they're hard to feed. I swear a few months ago one of mine died because he never ever ate... He would just spit the food out of his mouth. You could actually see how skinny he was getting on his back, very sad. But, the one I have now is healthy. He still does not eat as much as I want him to... When I do feed, I have to crush the flakes up and spread them out in the water instead of on top because he can't get flakes from the surface. This alows him to get some flakes easier. He might eat maybe, 3-4 little peices and that's it. It could be he scared of the other fish (They are pretty fast to snag the food).

Besides this, they are great, peaceful fish.

 

[bettaman]

Peaceful? Hardly. My rainbow would literally ram the other fish with his nose trying to get them out of his way. I had to move all the other bottom dwelling fish out of the tank!!

 

[Ben]

feeding

with regards feeding, i often see mine sifting through the sand on the bottom of the tank, taking it into his mouth then spitting it out when all the food has been gotten out of it.he also grazes on the algae in the tank as well and is never afraid to help himself to the cat fish granules i put in.he keeps himself nice and plump!

 

[wetmanNY]

jerky180, they told you wrong when they said that this one (Epalzeorhyncos frenatus) is a "color variation of the Red-Tailed Black Shark-- which is Epalzeorhyncos bicolor. Though fish don't come in "colorways" like wallpaper, there can be some variations in color in a species as you pass from one end of its range to another. But this isn't one of them.