Finding fish to keep with Red Tail Sharks can be a challenge. Here are some fish that have worked for us. Always have a back up plan in case the combo doesn't work for you. Check out these videos to learn more! Syncrossus berdmorei (Cool Loach): kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qtmXerKSybabZJ8.html Geophagus steindachneri: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r8yGq5CFtKnHj4E.html Oscars (make sure they aren't big enough to eat a small red tail shark): kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n7N3mLF1mOCphJ8.html Severums: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rtSFfa5-zdjDnok.html

This is my longest living fish at this time. My red tail shark has survived from my first tank that I had no idea what I was doing to now living life in my 75 gallon. I enjoy that you bring information to fish that no one else wants to give credit to.

Had mine for 7 years and counting. Not aggressive at all if you give them lots hiding spaces and driftwood.Mine is in a 120 gallon tank. The only time they show aggression is at feeding time as they love food and are always grazing. Good informative video.

Great video. Clear, concise, intelligently communicated and informative. Keep them coming! I like the red tail shark but it's not a favorite of mine.

The hobby really needs more videos like this. Was going to buy one for my 40 breeder but when I saw how big it gets there is no way. That's good for me and it's good for the fish.

My sharky has a nice dark coconut cave to take refuge under where he loves to coop up for almost the whole day. If he fancies a change, he can do an Air BnB in the neighbouring submarine. If Mr Gourami is currently inhabiting the sub, he better get out. I have 3 angel fishies who he doesn't bother at all.

This video really help! I was at my local pet store and of course there was no information about any of the fish. I thought it looked cool, and they small. I figured I should go home and research the fish so I could take care of it properly (and if they were salt water fish I just wouldn’t get them). Glad I made the smart choice! I wasn’t looking for a big fish at all, then I see your fish! Holy Smokes! That is not very small at all! Thanks random pet store, soooo much help.

Really good information. I think this information is invaluable for new hobbyist as the attractiveness of the fish is a lure however the overall environment as it relates to hierarchy and safety of community fish is important.

Great information Jason, thanks for sharing! I agree 75g or larger is needed for this fish!

I jave a red tail shark, a rainbow shark (black not albino) and a flying fox all in a 65 gallon tank together with a couple bluegill and 4 cory cats. They have all been together in this tank for 3 years now. I think because the sharks have been together since they were babies...and theres amp!e hiding places for them all is why they have never shown any aggression. Very beautiful fish. Both are about 5 of 6 inches..vety robust, fins are healthy with no splits or chunks missing. The ocassional chase, but otherwise harmony. Thank you for your informative video, and for taking the time to educate others about this species! Namaste My Friend, and Happy Fish keeping!

It's more like Petco will tell you they like pairs. According to them everything wants pairs.

A timely post, for me. Very informative, and thanks! Interesting especially that you mention the Buenos Aires Tetra. I was sold a couple who were immediately the tank bullies to just about anything except a couple plecos. One in particular seemed a bit...crazy and I worried as some smaller fish started to turn up missing. The Danios seemed to have held their own though. This mayhem seemed to end when I brought in a couple small red tail shark. Now they chase each other around but in the 65 gallon planted have lots of places to be alone. I am a bit dismayed to hear that the shark, one 2 inches and the other 3, will grow effectively too large for this tank in the future. I wish the fish shops did a better job telling people all the pros and cons of the fish they sell.

What you have going on here is my ideal tank. Also, thank you for introducing me to the sponge filtration system.

This made me go get one again never got one that size in all my years of having them but I have one in a 55 gallon with a Chinese algae eater moving soon and buying a 150 then going to add more fish

That’s a nice looking tank. Dark matching the fish.

Spot on about the aggression developing with age. Every one I've had has eventually become the most feared fish in the tank, even with African Cichlids.

One of the very first fish I ever purchased when I was 13 years old... always been one of my favorite fish.

Similar body shapes attract a very strong territorial response from Red tail sharks, and slow moving fish will usually always do badly in the same tank with fast swimming fish. Having said that, I do keep mine in a very peaceful community tank with great success, and have done for many years.

Great info thanks! This is one of my favorite fish. 😊

my female red tail is absolutely amazing. i have her with 5 tiger barbs, 5 synodontis multipunctatus catfish, and 8 corydoras in a 55 gallon. everyone does absolutely perfect

You’ve convinced me good sir! I’ll be adding one to my 120!

great video on red tail sharks! I have one with 5 angels and 6 denisoni barbs, they get along very well, shark occasionally chases the barbs around, but denisoni barbs don't seem to be bothered that much. I keep my tank with no substrate, helps to keep the tank much cleaner and healthier and I also believe it reduces the shark's teritorial tendencies

Good info. I like the way you present the info.

This is literally how I want my fish tank love that all black. Theme

My female, Barkley (yes her name is Barkley LOL) is pretty chilled. I got her when she was little, as advised by my local aquarium, the lady there told me that if they grow up together they can be okay in a community tank. My tank is 200L (Australian measurement) Barkley isn't aggressive towards the smaller fish in my tank, that I have seen, including the guppies and Cories. She keeps to herself. She wouldn't be much smaller than your guy in the video She also loves to explore everything! I changed the theme of the tank a few weeks ago, and she got into every new ornament to investigate. In and out, two or three times. She has her favorite log that she likes to hide in a lot, she's kind of half between hiding and exploring. My other biggest fish in the tank are 2 male Bristlenose catfish and a pretty chilled Bolivian Ram. I hope she doesn't eventually get aggressive, because I love her so much.

Hi I just found your group. I just talked to my fish shop about swapping my red tail shark. I have always kept them but this one killed one of my silver sharks and really damaged the other. You have given me a couple of new ideas to try to keep him. I've had him for at least 2 years so he is fully grown. I have subscribed to your group so thanks for the advice.

Excellent advice thank you xxx

Nice man that red tail shark is huge

Thats an awesome tank man. Great tank!!!

I call my sharky Dennis the Menace. He sometimes chases my other fish, but my tank is heavily scaped so there are plenty of places for everyone to hide. He mostly stays under the driftwood.

Thanks very much for mentioning African cichlids because i considering getting 1 red fin for my 125g african cichlid tank.

OMG that guy is huge! I had mine for 5 years and it wasn't even close to that big!! Wow that's awesome!

Thanks bud 🤜🏻🤛🏻

I'm always fascinated by black fish. I think it's because although black furred animals are pretty common, when we think of "natural" things, we think of bright colored flowers, birds, fish, so black seems a little unusual.

Stunning fish. Good advice 👍😀

i have had many different resurgences of my 33 gallon tank in which i never go without a red tail shark. you can hold a red tail successfully within a smaller tank as long as you follow a tight tank mate composition. i often go w a school of 3-5 danio bc ik they will always be able to outswim the 1 red tail. i also go with various platys but imo the best one for the RTS is the mickey mouse platys at any pet store. they are hardy and stick together which prevents 1v1 bullying

My current Red Tail is exiled to my BNP grow out tank. He is plump and about six inches. He has his own large hollow hide that he frequents, in and out, in his swim patterns all day. He rarely bothers to look toward the BNPs, but when he does they scatter and seek refuge in their hides, plants, rocks, etc. He has not killed any. Loves blood worms, and throws a fit if he is asked to eat black worms, shrimp, etc. Intelligent fish, that recognizes me and that I feed him.

I've got one almost up to 6" now in with some Tinfoil Barbs, some Botia Modesta, a Featherfin Squeaker and a Panther Crab. Even though some of the barbs are twice the RTS size it's still the boss. I will also parrot what others have said about same species and fish that look similar. When I added the RTS, it had a "twin", which it harassed to death within 3 months. It also most frequently chases the botia modesta, but no where near as violently as it chased the other RTS.

I just got 1 for my 29g community tank with a school of 6 serpae tetras and a yellow electric cichlid. I had 3 guppies in there but the serpaes would bully them and and nip at their fins! So I took the guppies out and put them in their own tank and now I have a semi aggressive tank. I know the yellow cichlid and the shark will need more space but their both babies (about 1 inch) and thats why im planning on getting a 55-75g tank in a year or so :)

I keep red tail with lots of other fish I have been doing this for a long time . Roughly 10 years I have 5 in a 125 gallon. The rule with these fish in my opinion is either one or five or more. Temper displacement is key I have also had full grown red tails in with other small peaceful tropicals and have had zero issue. The fact of this fish and its temperament is that they are truly only aggressive with there own species. They will chase smaller fish for only a short time and I have never once seen one actually attack the other fish or have I found fish with injuries pointing to a red tail shark. They are not bad fish and they make wonderful additions to any community or semi aggressive tank. Great video !

great research about this fish.hope everyone should do its research before buying their fish. this is heads up info about this fish....

beautifull specimen my big red tail was also 6 inches but he passed away at the age of 7 yrs very sad. but these fish don't deserve the hate they're amazing

Just bought mine, cool so far

love their look

I have mine in a 50 with all kinds of peaceful fish like glass catfish, 4 kinds of danios, gouramis, and loaches, however it did kill my weather loach (which was bigger than it) and was merciless to tiger barbs. I think the key is to have them in a very densely planted tank

i’ve owned two and never had an aggressive one.

I have a beautiful blue convict cichlid with my red tail, the red tail is perfect for territorial fish he will not attack back but he will also not back down like a smaller fish would and now it’s at the point where the convict has to get use to it

I've had plenty of red tails over the years, I've always been told (and can confirm) the redder the tail, the more of a bully they can be. Keep them in a very large- 125G or better tank with lots of hides and keep them fed. My largest to date was 9.75'', had a super red tail and dominated that tank. It's still a great fish but keep fish of the same sizes and temperament so they can hold their own against a RTS.

I’ve got a rainbow in with my 3 juvenile red belly piranha and 12 tiger barbs they get along well for the moment

Ive got one that bullies Central American Cichlids. Your spot on with that size. That's when mine "snapped" and started bullying.

They are mainly aggressive towards other Epalzeorhynchos bicolor and/or similar-looking fish (Crossocheilus siamensis - for example).

Really nice collection!

I had a large red tail in a 25 gallon with cloud tetra, neon tetra, another small black tetra (name escapes me) clown loach. The thing had a alot of personality and definitely ran the tank, but it wasn't mean, it would chase a fish that got in front of it for about 2 seconds then wouldn't bother it, just like it was saying get outta my way lol. It would patrol the tank.

Great informational video, thank you for sharing, left a like.

I have a goldfish tank and added the red tail shark because my wife wanted him, he’s small very young and the goldfish are a little larger (about 3 inches) and I keep the temp on the higher side for goldfish and the RTS has been thriving. His tail is deep red and was white in the tank I got him from, he even does good with the pleco... hopefully it stays this way long enough because I don’t want a bigger thank at the moment.

My RTBS has been kept with: Swordtails (multiple species) Corydoras (multiple species) Amazon shrimp Borneo loaches Clown pleco Rubberlip pleco Bristlenose pleco Gold white clouds Odessa barbs Tiger barbs Melon barbs Glofish skirt tetra rescues SAE (actual SAE) And a few others. The only ones she ever had issues with was the SAEs that were female and were big. Exactly her body shape. I've seen mine protect fry from the parents and many other amazing things. If you have a good school size, community fish are fine. These fish also demand to have a hide of some kind. A cave or cover they can sleep in. Mine is mostly nocturnal.

It’s better to get one younger shark (1-2 inches) and put them in a tank with a few larger, fast fish like Gourami or Rainbows. As they grow, the shark won’t try to be dominant with the other fish. Larger, older red tails (3-5 inches) will immediately try to take over a community tank.

Good info mate.

I have 7 of those in a 50 gal, they get along just fine. Since they have lots of small tankmates .

crazy the size they actually can get too

My red tail loves his wooden decor because It allows him to hide inside. I used to have angels and black skirt tetras in with him but he’s killed or made the fish commit suicide by jumping out of the tank... so he won himself his own tank and I bought a second tank to save my last angel... it’s funny because before buying him I asked the sales people at the pet store if these specific species of fish could thrive in a tank together and they were very confident that they could, but I’ve learned other wise and my shark is going to live on his own. Otherwise I still love him very cool to watch and beautiful fish to own!

Beautiful tank

I have a red tail shark with Barb's and such in a 58. He is definitely the boss of the tank

I kept a tank many years ago and had platys and a beautiful clown loach with tetras too. Pet shop told me this fish would be fine with my fish... Within 2 days all my fish were not just dead but gone ...I was so upset because I'd put this predatory fish in with them! I took it back to the shop and told them what had happened and they said no it can't be this fish. I knew better since it was the only fish left in the tank. The experience put me off keeping aquariums but I do keep goldfish and comets in a pond these days 😃

They're beautiful and I'm getting some when my axolotl dies

I have a baby red tail shark and it’s temper is actually mild. So mild in fact I have it right now in with a glow fish. It’s a beautiful fish.

I have two red tail sharks in a 55gal, one is aggressive and the other is not. The big one chased some of my fish.

I have had one for years in a 60 gallon with two angel fish and a couple other random fish, no problems 🤞

Went to the LFS to buy some torpedo barbs for my 180g. Saw they had a 5 inch red tail and bought him on the spot. He is not aggressive at the moment but he is still getting settled.

Red tail shark cleans my tank of algae better than any other fish.

I have two red tail shark but luckily they are peaceful and they both just dance rubbing their body to each other and they wont fight.its better to keep them in fast moving water to reduce its aggression

I heard they are in cyprinid fish family which includes carp , koi, goldfish

So I bought 3 of these 2 males 1 female they are paired with a Betta 2 pleccos and 20 guppy and 20 neon tetra do you believe these are going to cause issues in the near future ?

I've had my red tail shark in a tank with angelfish all young from the store. The shark spends most of it's time skirting across surfaces, or going in and out of hiding. I haven't seen any aggression issues with it yet. The only aggression I have seen was the angelfish after laying some eggs. I got lucky I guess.

I had one and he wouldn't back down from a fight. Very tough and territorial with their food. I kept him with african cichlids and a red devil.

Always liked this fish, had some small ones in the past but they like to jump. Got one about 3"-4", has a cave to hide in and that is all he did 1st 10 days, my experience this one does not like other orange/black fish (Tiger bard, Red Panda) all other fish in tank does not bother.

I've read that this fish is nearly extinct in the wild. So I would think that purchasing them (the fish in your lfs are 100% captive bred) is helping to ensure the survival of the species by supporting the breeders.

I have had mine in a 29 gallon with 10 tetras and I have had no issue other than during feeding time

Interesting.

I’m new to fish keeping and planning on getting a red tail and I like having one pet so it fine to keep a red tail in a tank by itself and does that mean the tank can be smaller

I've got a Red Tail Shark with a few Cory cats, and a Electric Blue acara. I mean he's pretty big and so far he's been doing fine.

I love mine. Im new to it tho. I currently i have it with my 10 gallon tiger barb tank but i just upgraded. Hes still rsally wittle and will be moved to his new tank when its done cycling ^_^

I keep them with cichlids in my 55 gallon

I know this is really old thread but i got one with gold fish and a cichlid and giant bottom feeder

My red tail doesn’t actively chase or bother my other fish but he definitely puts the others in their place if they try to take his favorite hiding spot. One good thing is red tails don’t nip, they just use their bodies to kind of push the others out of the way.

I have a 6-6.5 inch red tail shark with other sharks but he’s not as chunky as the one you have there and since the others are almost as big as he is, my camera doesn’t do much justice on his size. Mine has lost a little bit of weight with age. I have 2 redtail sharks, and 6 rainbow sharks in a 135 gallon. They have been living together with plenty of hiding spots for the last several years with the oldest one that I mentioned above being 6 years old

I had one and he was a bully as well. I ended up putting him in a 75 with two Convict cichlids and the male convict tried to chase him around but he was way too quick so it worked out pretty well.

This is just from my personal experience, so take what I say with a grain of salt, because obviously my experience will be different. But I have a 55gal tank filled with a bunch of small fish like tetra, but I also have some medium sized fish. I haven’t had any issues with my tank ever. My shark only will dark out of his hiding spots to spook the nearby fish, but doesn’t pursuit in a chase. I’ve seen some pretty bad shark fights in my day, so I don’t find my current sharks behavior to be problematic. But also from my past experience, I think it just comes down to your tank setup really.

Nice fish. I subscribed to your channel 👍🏽. How old is your shark and how long did it take to get that big ?

Do you think its better to feed the fish( redtail shark and loaches) once or twice a day? In the morning or in the afternoon? THANKS FOR YOUR GREAT CONTRIBUTION FOR THIS FANTASTIC HOBBY!

I just have one in a 55 gallon with about 13 mollys buts hes just a baby, what should i do?

I’m sorry I can’t watch the full video For reasons. But I have one question what type of fish can they necessarily be around because I heard that they kill fish sometimes?

I remember when I got my red tailed shark back in the day, loved that fish. Especially when they are happy and healthy, they go really really vibrant in colour.

Since my cory is by himself because I got given him for free is not as active but he still active and plays around sometimes the rainbow shark does not bother him, I think the cory and the Chinese algae eater are friends they are usually next to eachother.

Do you happen to know how long it took for this fish to reach this size? I have one about 3.5 inches which has plenty of room in my 30 gallon with no aggression issues. Curious how quick they grow/how long I may have until it starts to grow to beast size like yours and need to upgrade...thanks!

I have two red tailed sharks. Mine can get pretty aggressive and chase the other fish. I haven't seen them actually bite or harm anyone else. Most of the time they are pretty laid back.

I just got one I have a 20 gallon community tank with a blue gourami and 3 cherry barbs 3 red nose minnows and a emerald Cory dora and gold mystery snail lots of room still and I’m thinking of getting a 40 gallon for the gourami n red tail and then add an angle fish but they are all happy with each other my male cherry barb was chasing the red tail shark and the shark didn’t want to play and they were fighting but I made them stop and now they don’t fight but my tank is really nice to look at I wanna make my own KZfaq videos and show y’all

I miss my two red tail . Had them in a 125g they both had one side of the tank . Lol

Tank size all depends on “how you set it up”. Your tank here is extremely overcrowded - too many fish and not enough room to move, so the Shark is going to be aggressive. They get irritated when overcrowded. You could make it a lot more open removing some of the wood and putting some towards one side and leaving an open space either in the middle or off to one side. I had a Redtail Shark, Gourami, Giant Danio, Tiger Barbs x2, Rainbow Shark, and a few other fish, all in a 10 gal tank when I was first starting out back in about 1983 and they lived communally for a long time, until I traded some away. They were all small fish at the time but were happy and healthy.

My ‘ted bundy’ shark now has his own tank