Red Tailed Black Shark

Red Tailed Black Shark is a striking fish, with a silky- black body and a bright red tail. When they are younger they are quite undisruptive but as they get older and bigger they can get very grumpy. Its life span is of 6 years. Scientifically it is called Epalzeorhynchos bicolor or Labeo bicolor. It grows to the size of 6 inches or 15 cms. It is commonly also known as Red Tail Shark and Red Tailed Shark other than Red Tailed Black Shark. If you want to keep a Red Tailed Black Shark in your aquarium, then you may find the following account helpful.

It is found in Southeast Asia in the Me Nam Chao Playa basin to the Paknampo region in Central part of Thailand.

It eats flakes, spinach, vegetables, lettuce, algae, Tubifex, aquatic insects, insect larvae and crustaceans.

Breeding Red Tailed Black Shark is very intricate and also very infrequent in captivity. Breeding of Red Tailed Black Shark has been accomplished in peat filtered water with a pH of 6.8. Use faint light or no light. Spawning occurs in rocky caves and fry take 30 to 60 hours to hatch. After four days the fry swim freely. Feed them with small live foods. Change of colors occur from silvery to silvery brown, to brown and finally to black. After 7 to 10 weeks the red tail is developed.

Red Tailed Black Shark is an elongated fish that is somewhat laterally compressed. Its mouth faces downwards and has two pairs of barbels. Its body is mainly black and this black color gives remarkable contrast to its impressive bright red tail. If its specimens are kept in unsuitable conditions, they turn pale.

Tank for Red Tailed Black Shark should measure 91 cms or 31 inches having capacity to hold 132 liters or 35 gallons of water. Supply ample hiding places in its tank with roots, rocks, caves and wood. These species burrow, thus use sand substrate and fine gravel. Your tank should be well planted and have tough plants and soft lighting. The temperature in the tank should be 73-82 degree F or 23-28 degree C, pH should be 6-7.7 and hardness of water should be 5-18 dH.

You can keep Red Tailed Black Shark in a community tank but only one specimen in a tank because this species is very aggressive to its own and other looking alike species. This fish establishes a territory to defend aggressively. All other fish may receive aggressiveness from older Red Tailed Black Shark. It is compatible with Barbs, Danios, Loaches, Angelfish, Gouramis, Bala Shark, Eartheaters, Characins, hatchetfish and Acaras.

Give a lot of hiding places to your Red Tailed Black Shark and make it feel secure. Its natural habitat is clear and muddy rivers with wood and stones. So, try and imitate its natural habitat in your aquarium. Don’t allow its name mislead you as it is in no way related to true sharks.