I have a brackish tank with mollies and swordtails and glasscats. I have a redtailed shark in my freshwater tank. I have read conflicting info about whether the shark should stay in the freshwater tank or be moved to the brackish tank as he gets older. Anybody know the correct answer?
BTW, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hey Michelle!

Freshwater all the way for the red-tailed shark! Be warned that as the red-tail shark grows, they get more aggressive and their temperment can change suddenly. I had one for over a year in a community tank without any kind of problem, then one morning he started killing the other fish!!!

Thanks for the info!
I have noticed him chasing the little tetras lately. What did you do with yours when he started killing others?

At first I tried putting him in other tanks that I had....but none of them worked out! Either he beat up his tankmates or they kicked his fins. No middle ground. I put him in a tank by himself but because of various things going on I ended up selling him back to the LFS ....he was a beautiful fish but real hard to place in a community tank. If you could get fish that were tough enough to stand up to him, but not so much that they beat him up that would be good, but I sure don't know of too many fish that would fit the bill!
Now, I have heard, and I sure don't know if this is true or not, but I have heard that if you keep one red-tailed shark with a group of clown loaches, the loaches will keep the shark in line. Like I said, I don't know if this is true or not......

OK, thanks for the advice! I may see about adding some clown loaches. The shark is a beautiful fish; one of my favorites to watch when I'm watching everybody in the aquarium!

I had a red tailed shark as a child. We had tank full of goldies, a pleco of some sort and the shark. It was a freshwater tank. We never added salt to it even for medicinal purposes.

The shark lived for years, he grew rather large.

He would chase the goldies if they came near his cave, but other than that he left them alone. No killing sprees for him.

The pleco would slap him around, if he got bossy. The pleco was the tank boss apparently.

That's my only experiance with a red tailed shark.

They are a neat fish. Do you have a picture of your shark?

Jessica

I don't have a picture of him now, but I can take one. Forty more posts and I can post pictures myself!

mines only around 4 months old, and grown quite quick, he's im my community tank along with 2 corys, a clown loch and a plec.... he used to chase the plec around when they where around the same size, but the plec is a little bigger than him now and they occasionally have a little chase but nothing harmfull, the plec seems to be the one who puts him back in line.... they just defend their own little spaces all day and nothing harmfull has come of yet

(here he is) with a rosy tetra in the way.

i also have another in my 4 ft community tank but hes only been in there for a few weeks.

oh and they are both freshwater.... sorry

We bought my mother in law a red tailed shark for her freshwater community tank. At first he was the shy one but now every fish that would go in his cave or go near his cave he would jump at them. Now he is the king of the tank.


Oh and he got big too. We bought him at 2 inches and now he is about 6 to 7 inches.

wow, I didn't know they got to be 6 to 7 inches!