How to care Black Red Tail Shark care in your tropical fish aquarium?
Black red tail shark is a popular fish of the Cyprinidae family. Unusual coloring, the shape of the body resembling a shark, interesting behavior, all this made the red tail shark a very common fish. However, in each barrel of honey, there is a fly in the ointment. She also has a two-color … What? Let’s talk about this further.
INHABITATION IN NATURE
Fish red tail shark dwells in the basin of the Chao Phraya river in Thailand, where it was discovered in 1936. However, after the rapid catch and industrial pollution of the area, he was referred to the extinct in 1966. However, recently a small natural population was discovered, and the species is referred to as endangered.
According to unconfirmed reports, it lives in rivers and streams, and during the rainy season migrates to flooded fields and forests. As it is believed because of the violation of the possibility of migration, the red tail shark was on the verge of extinction.
But, despite this, the bicolor is spread in captivity and is massively bred all over the world.
DESCRIPTION
For everyone who once kept a red tail shark, it is clear why he is so popular.
He has a velvety black body with a bright red tail. The body is shaped like a shark, even called red tail shark. This combination, plus a lot of fish activity, makes it very noticeable even in large aquariums. There is a red tail albino, a fish that lacks a pigment and has a white body, but red fins and eyes. From its colored fellow, it differs only in color, behavior, and content is identical.
In this case, it is a fairly large fish, reaching a length of 15 cm on average, but it can also be 18-20 cm. The lifespan of a two-color red tail is of the order of 5-6 years, although there are reports of a much longer life span, about 10 years.
FEEDING
In nature, it mainly feeds on plant food but also has worms, larvae, and other insects. Aquarium red tail shark eats food with the content of plant fiber – flakes, granules, tablets. The benefit now is not a problem, it is possible to give widespread tablets for Ancistrus or feed with high fiber content.
In addition, you can give pieces of squash, cucumber, salad and other vegetables. As for animal feed, the two-color red tail eats them with pleasure and any. But still, the basis of his diet should be plant food. But the algae he eats reluctantly, especially when an adult and certainly does not eat a black beard.
COMPATIBILITY WITH OTHER FISH
This is where the problems that we mentioned at the beginning of the article began. Despite the fact that the two-color Labeo is widely distributed and often sold as a fish suitable for a common aquarium – it’s not so … This does not mean that it should be kept alone, but the fact that neighbors need to be selected with caution is for sure. While he is small, he will avoid conflicts, but the sexually mature becomes aggressive and territorial, especially to the similar in color fishes. Labeo drives other fish and gets very much to many.
What kind of fish should I avoid?
First of all, you can not keep a pair of Labeo, even if there is a lot of space when they meet they will fight. You can not keep similar in color or body shape, they even attacked the sword-bearers. Fish living on the bottom will also suffer since the Labeo feeds mainly in the bottom layers. Ancistrus still live more or less because of its hard armor, and small and defenseless motley catfish will have a hard time.
And who will get along with the Labeo? Haran and carp, fast and small fish. For example, Sumatran and mossy barbs, Congo, Turns, fire barbs, and zebrafish. All these fish have too much speed so that the label could catch up with them, and they live in the upper and middle layers.
Apparently in nature red tail shark lives alone, meeting with relatives only during spawning. His character only spoils with time, and it is highly discouraged to keep even a pair of fish in one aquarium. In most cases, it is better to keep one.
CONTENTS IN THE AQUARIUM
Since bi-color is a fairly large fish, and even territorial, it requires a spacious and voluminous aquarium for its content, with a volume of 200 liters. The less space and the more neighbors, the more aggressive it will be.
The aquarium needs to be covered, as the aquarium fish red tail shark jumps and can die. In the content of two-color is simple, for him the space and a large number of plants on which he eats are important. Plants with a full diet, it does not hurt, except that only from hunger.
Like all inhabitants of rivers, it likes fresh and clean water, so filtration and substitution are mandatory. As parameters, it adapts well, but the optimal ones are temperature 22-26ะก, PH 6.8-7.5, the medium hardness of water.
SEXUAL DIFFERENCES
Virtually undefined. Sexually mature females have a fuller and more rounded abdomen, but this is where the differences end. And it is impossible to distinguish a young female from a male from a male.
REPRODUCTION
To dilute a red tail in an amateur aquarium is extremely difficult. As a rule, it is bred either on farms in South-East Asia or local professionals. The fact is that when breeding, gonadotropic hormones are used to stimulate spawning, and the slightest error in dosage leads to the death of fish.
Tags: aquarium fish care, Black Red Tail Shark, Breeding, feeding, Red tail shark, Red tail shark care, Red tail shark nature
Leave a Reply