RedTail Shark & Swordtails

Riso-chan

Riso-chan

The Blue Girl
Jan 17, 2005
322
0
0
40
Florida, USA
My recent addition of a redtail shark to my 55g has been an overall pleasant experience so far, though I noticed today he/she is getting more territorial around the caves. However I have 7 swordtails and I can't keep every one of them. I don't want to have many females this time because of the fry numbers getting high.

1.Would it be safe to keep two males by any chance? It's either that or just one pair m/f.
2. My redtail is of unknown sex currently, how do I sex it? I also noticed its belly area looked a little full, not quite sure what that means, unless its cuase I accidentily overfed this morning.
 
Usually keeping 2 of those guys, regardless of the sex won't work out. I wouldn't even risk it, the bigger/older they get the more aggressive they get so even if it works out for a while it would probably be short term. (maybe he is so full looking from eating whatever fry he can get his mouth on :rolleyes: )
 
My friend had 2 redtailed sharks, now he has one with one eye. His tank is really weird. His bichir defends the cave like their is no tomorrow though. I'd say stick with one and even then it may attack your other fish eventually.
 
Is it just me thinking the first question is about swords? Sorry this isn't helpful but I was also wondering how it acted towards your kuhlis?
 
If its Swordtails that you are asking about, you should be ok with just males, they will just push each other around but not like a pair of red tails. I had a red tail with my SAE and he chased him all over the tank. I got rid of the shark and kept the SAE, he is now about 4 years old.
But if you wanted to keep your females Swordtails, I would just go ahead and sell them or take them to your local fish store. These guys sell pretty fast and do really well for most pet stores. Or you can always get a whiskey barrel and try keeping them outside, since you are listed in living in florida. You might be ok keeping them out there. Or a third option, you can do what I did, give them to friends and get your friends hooked into fish.
 
I kept myself subsidised for a while using by breeding swordtails, until the fish shop got sick of taking them. They breed so friggin quickly.

It is possible to keep two males, my aunties have a little tank with males that don't mess with eachother. Really depends on your tank. Best bet if you do keep males is to keep a large enough breeding trap handy so you can separate them if you do get some aggression. I kept a pair of females in the one tank for a fair while without punches.

Re the red tail, from Mongabay (http://www.mongabay.com/fish/cyprinds.htm#Epalzeorhynchus%20bicolor)
SEX: The female is less colorful and larger. The male is slimmer and has an elongated dorsal fin.

Which means bugger all chance of sexing it unless you have a similar-aged fish to compare it to :)

Males tend to look more streamlined. I have an 8 year old female one. Its easier to tell as they get older because the females chunk up a bit.

PS: I have the 8 yr old shark and a 2 year old massive SAE in the same tank. Once they established their territory they stay out of eachother's way. FYI the SAE is the butch, the shark is the bee-arch.. :)
Best of luck.
 
Last edited:
geek said:
I kept myself subsidised for a while using by breeding swordtails, until the fish shop got sick of taking them. They breed so friggin quickly.

It is possible to keep two males, my aunties have a little tank with males that don't mess with eachother. Really depends on your tank. Best bet if you do keep males is to keep a large enough breeding trap handy so you can separate them if you do get some aggression. I kept a pair of females in the one tank for a fair while without punches.

Re the red tail, from Mongabay (http://www.mongabay.com/fish/cyprinds.htm#Epalzeorhynchus%20bicolor)
SEX: The female is less colorful and larger. The male is slimmer and has an elongated dorsal fin.

Which means bugger all chance of sexing it unless you have a similar-aged fish to compare it to :)

Males tend to look more streamlined. I have an 8 year old female one. Its easier to tell as they get older because the females chunk up a bit.

PS: I have the 8 yr old shark and a 2 year old massive SAE in the same tank. Once they established their territory they stay out of eachother's way. FYI the SAE is the butch, the shark is the bee-arch.. :)
Best of luck.
Click to expand...


I just checked that link... they say red tail sharks only get to 6"? I thought those guys got pretty big... same around 16? am i wrong?
 
No, I have read in several sources that confirm this fish is maxed out at 6-7 inches. To answer an earlier question about the relations between the kuhlis and the redtail, they get along well. In fact, this morning I saw them digging in his cave this morning while he was in there with them. His belly went back down too, so I guess he just ate alot yesterday. I'm beginning to think it's a male from the bright coloration. Only time will tell I guess... I think I'll probably stick to keeping two male swords.
One thing I noticed today too was that two of my white clouds seem to be missing. I don't know what happened to them, if they died on there own from something I didn't spot quickly enough, or if the redtail had something to do with it. Thanx for the info guys. ~Angela
 
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