They are so cute aren’t they? Jet-black body and bright red tail. They are mostly vegetarians but they LOVE frozen brine shrimp. So how can they be a problem? I will tell you.
As they get older, which means after a year or so when they are over 3 inches long, they may get mean and territorial. Something triggers them to chase other fish and the Red-tail Shark is relentless. They are slashers, and they are fast. Mine seems to pick on fish that have his similar body shape, about 4 inches long and stream-lined.
Not every Red-tail acts like this but remember you are taking a chance with them. One answer is to keep them with small fish, under 2 inches, like Serpae Tetras, common guppies and platies. These smaller fish don’t seem to rouse the Shark’s aggression.
A different approach is to put the adult Shark with fish that won’t take his abuse, like some of the medium-sized Cichlids.
With Red-tail Sharks anything can happen, total peace or total war. Be prepared to move him out or back to the pet shop when he gets older.
My Red-tail Shark is no longer in this community tank, he is a bad boy. Or girl.
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