10 Tank's fish and tanks

[10 Tanks]

Hello. Still researching the best fish to keep with Rainbow Sharks. Apparently, you can have them in with more peaceful fish. Now, those peaceful fish can be Plecos, Corydoras and other types of fish that keep mostly to the bottom of the tank. You can also have Tetras and Rasboras. Barbs are also good tank mates. You need a larger tank for Sharks, at least 50 gallons. Our government tank is 55 gallons and we have provided some caves and other hiding places for the Sharks. The point is, give the Sharks some room and you and your fish should be good.

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[Colin_T]

Rainbow sharks are territorial when mature and will act aggressively towards other fishes that live near the bottom or that eat algae. If the fish are only 3 inches long, they are still not full sized and may not be sexually mature, this would explain their peaceful behaviour now. They should have been 4-5 inches long after 12 months and lack of food might be the cause of the small size.

Male rainbow sharks have a black edge to the anal fin, females just have red anal fins. Female rainbow sharks are more peaceful than males.

I had a rainbow shark in a 4x2x2ft tank with filament, ruby and striped barbs, rainbowfish, some whiptail catfish that lived in one corner by some driftwood, and a group of Botia lohachata that lived under the undergravel filter plates. They came out the uplift tube when food was put in the tank and went back down after eating. They all got along pretty well together because there was plenty of food (including algae and driftwood), lots of hiding places and loads of plants. There wasn't really any fish living in the same area as the shark so it didn't have to fight for food or habitat.

Most fish that don't live near the bottom and grow to 2 or more inches long should be ok with a rainbow shark.

 

[GaryE]

When these relatives of barbs mature, many individuals become quite nasty. We love the dorsal and call them sharks for it, but really they are bottom fish that hold and defend territories. They do their damage at night, which is when they cruise the tank most. I've seen them, and the related red tailed "sharks" suddenly wallop sleeping tankmates, especially those who also orient to the bottom. They're generally considered fish that should never share their territory (the bottom of the tank). Fish in the upper reaches of the tank will be attacked by mature "sharks" , but the barbs are slower swimmers and the surface fish get away.

The mature fish gets a double bad reputation because they sneak attack at night. It's one thing to have a fish that hates to share its territory - that's common. But the fact you don't often see them in action, and only find the "mysterious" results after gives them a cheap shot artist reputation. They're just fish that need very specific set ups, and to be left alone in their caves hating everything that moves, or doesn't.

Yours are small for their age, which is probably a good thing. When the hormones hit they become questionable tankmates.

 

[10 Tanks]

Thanks for the information. It's much appreciated!

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[10 Tanks]

More Tuesday observations and information. More on our Rainbow Sharks. Originally from the freshwater bodies of countries like Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The size ranges from four to six inches and they can live up to 6 years. So, we have two that are about three inches and one that's roughly two and half inches in length. So, they've got just a bit of growing to do to reach an average length of four inches. We have an aggressive water change routine, so the water will stay clean and aerated. Our filter system is small, but our water change routine makes up a less than robust filter. We're also feeding a good variety of flakes. After seeing the three in the tank for the last several months or so, it's my belief that we have three females. More coming information on these fish!

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[10 Tanks]

Sorry. Tuesday again. This is great! I'm picking up quite a few things about Rainbow Sharks and they're not even my fish. I'm keeping them for a government office. So, apparently, thinking the Rainbow Sharks are all females may have been a bit premature. Further reading says that they need to be larger before they can properly be sexed. So, we'll wait. With the proper care, these fish will be ready to breed. We'll keep doing what we're doing.

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[10 Tanks]

Something more for Tuesday. It just occurred to me that we might research some of the other fish that we're keeping and pass on that information to the forum. We've kind of done this with the Platy fish we keep, but really haven't gotten into depth on some of the others we have. We could start doing this as soon as tomorrow. So, we'll give this a try until we or everyone tires of this sort of thing or run out of species. We haven't done well lately with some of our comments, so we can keep those to an absolute minimum. I have thought some of the information was of a little value, though. Let's give it a go!

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[10 Tanks]

Tuesday P.M. post. Thought the next fish to talk about would be the Scissor Tail or 3-lined Rasbora. I picked up a few of these fish at the local fish some time ago. Didn't realize at the time that they are some of the elite swimmers in the aquarium world and need open tanks in order to show off their swimming ability. I put them in a very heavily planted 75 gallon tank. While the 75 is a great tank for them, there's a thick growth of Dwarf Water Lettuce, Anubias and Java Fern that have been growing for some time. Needless the say, the Rasboras show themselves only on feeding days and swim around in the more open areas around the tank, which there aren't many.

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[10 Tanks]

Wednesday morning. Sitting in the dining room with a second cup of coffee and thinking about the Scissor Tail Rasboras we have in a 75 gallon, heavily planted tank. I suppose the tail of this fish resembles a pair of scissors, so their name fits them. We have these fish in near neutral water. The last time we tested it, the pH was roughly 6.8, so just a bit acidic. But, just about perfect for these fish. Their tank is in the basement, so the temperature is about right for them too. In the Summer, the basement temperature is about 75 degrees. These fish we have are young, just over an inch and very slender, so they're good swimmers. They're supposed to get large, like close to six inches and live for several years. We'll keep ours in near nitrogen free tank water and feed them a good flaked food with some Spirlulina mixed into the flakes for a source of fiber and additional nutrients. We won't see fry for some time, but eventually with the care we give all the fish, they'll increase in number. More on these fish a bit later.

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[10 Tanks]

Wednesday, mid morning. Just finished the water changes on a 100 and 55 gallon tank. All those water changes do several things to benefit my fish. Near pure water conditions for one. No filters are really necessary, because the water is renewed and aerated every few days. There's never a build up of nitrogen from the fish waste. That toxin will never build up in such an aggressive water change routine. All those water changes maintain high nutrient levels and the fish and plants depend on for sustained, good health. So, be the one in 10 thousand tank keepers who take the time to remove and replace most of the tank water every few days. You'll be rewarded with a long lived fish!

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[10 Tanks]

Today, I'm talking about Scissor Tail Rasboras. So far in my research, I'm confused as to the adult size of these fish. Some say near 4 inches and others say longer than that. Anyway, the fish is slim and a silvery color with some black and white stripes on the tail. Some say these's some yellow in the mix too, but I don't see this in the fish I have. Tank mates can be varied. I have my Rasboras in with Guppies and Platies. Everything is nice and peaceful. You can also keep Corydoras, Tetras, Danios and other Rasboras. The water doesn't need to be perfect as far as the pH. I don't fret over the water chemistry, I just make sure most of the tank water is removed and replaced every few days. This will guarantee a steady water chemistry and this is way more important than a particular chemistry. This hobby has one, simple requirement for success. Just change out a lot of water and do it regularly. Regularly means every few days. Don't go more than a week without changing out most of the tank water. Your fish will be much healthier. NO WATER CHANGE SLACKERS!

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[10 Tanks]

Wednesday late A.M. post. I almost left out what type of plants to have in your Scissor Tail Rasbora tank. Let's start with some Java Fern. A slow grower, but you can just drop the plant on the bottom of the tank and place a small rock over it to weigh it down in the water. The plant roots will grow into the bottom material. I like Anacharis. It's a nice floating plant and has so many leaves working to take in nutrients from the water. A real fast grower. Anubias is another good one. Again, just place it on the bottom of the tank with a decent sized rock to weigh it down. This plant will do the same thing as the Java Fern. Another really good plant is the Dwarf Water Lettuce, it's another fast grower and the roots will filter a lot of tank water. These will get you started.

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[10 Tanks]

Hello again. This fish research thing is getting to be an obsession! But, a good one. We're keeping so many different species of fish, it's hard to decide on which one to talk about next. I'm thinking Giant Danios next. So, we'll get on with the research of this aquarium fish right away. We have quite a few in a 55 gallon tank. Lost a couple, because they jumped out of the tank. And, believe me, this tank was covered. But, apparently not well enough. We've taken care of this problem, however. I don't think we'll have anything else like this happen.

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[Colin_T]

Scissortail rasboras can reach 6 inches and jump so make sure their tank is well covered. There is also a red scissortail rasbora that has a red and black tail.

 

[10 Tanks]

Scissortail rasboras can reach 6 inches and jump so make sure their tank is well covered. There is also a red scissortail rasbora that has a red and black tail.

Hello. Interesting. Have been getting conflicting information on the size from my readings. I'm changing the setup on this particular tank. I put in a large terrarium filter and dropped the water level about 6 inches on this 75 gallon tank. The water Lettuce grows so much better if it's not right up next to the light. The tank is very heavily planted with the Water Lettuce and the Rasboras have moved to a little less planted area of the tank in one corner. They'll dart out into a small, open area during feeding time. The Water Lettuce has extremely long and very fine roots and the Rasboras seem to like to dart around the roots. Not the best environment for these fish, but I couldn't resist the price, very inexpensive.

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