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Rainbow Shark: Care Guide, Feeding, Size and Tankmates

Rainbow Sharks, additionally recognized as RedFin Sharks or Ruby Sharks, are small tropical freshwater fish native to Thailand. If you’re searching to add some colour and mind-set to your aquarium this may additionally simply be the fish for you. In this article we will talk about how to care for them, dietary needs, tank mates/compatibility, breeding and a lot more.

Let’s begin with a rapid precis earlier than we pass on to talk about their look and compatibility with different fish.

Overview of Rainbow Shark

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The Rainbow Shark is a tropical freshwater cyprinid that is rather hard to keep. It would be appropriate for fish keepers who have a few years of the ride and are searching to increase their aquarium.
They are recognized for their territorial nature and brilliant shiny pink fins.

Originating from the heat rivers of Southeast Asia, they have been given the affectionate frequent title of Rainbow Shark, due to their upright dorsal fin which offers them the look of a shark.

You ought to count on your Rainbow Shark to develop up to 6 inches in size and have a lifespan of 5-8 years.

In phrases of the price you ought to be searching to spend no greater than $3 per fish, and they are conveniently reachable all yr round.

If you do intend to maintain Rainbow Sharks you need to make certain your aquarium has lots of hiding locations for them as this helps to decrease their territorial behaviour. They are regarded for their brilliant purple fins and being territorial.

Rainbow Sharks’ Appearance

The Rainbow Shark is a darkish grey fish with brilliant red/orange fins.

They have a long, flat belly with a pointed snout and an upright dorsal fin. It’s this fin which offers them the look of a shark.

The Rainbow Shark is a small fish which you must count on to develop up to around 6 inches when entirely matured.

It is now not feasible to perceive their gender while they are juveniles. You have to wait until they are sexually matured.

Once sexually matured ladies will have thicker bodies, and men will increase small black strains on the tail fin. Whilst men will be thinner, they will normally have brighter colourations.

A frequent range of the Rainbow Shark is the Albino Rainbow Shark.

Whilst the Albino Rainbow Shark keeps the red/orange fins, its body is white. It will develop to a comparable dimension as a regular Rainbow Shark and fits quite a few of their traits together with being territorial.

Typical Behavior

The Rainbow Shark is a territorial fish which can motive sure behavioural issues such as aggression and dominance.

This typically occurs as they mature. As juveniles, they are timid and will spend giant durations of their time hiding.

They are energetic swimmers and have a tendency to spend most of their time living at the backside of the tank. Due to them being bottom-dwellers, they are recognized as aquarium cleaners as they will devour the algae developing on the backside of the tank You ought to make certain your aquarium is lengthy and has lots of area for your Rainbow Shark to swim on the equal level.

Whilst they are peaceable with fish that dwell in greater water, they are acknowledged for hostilities with backside living fish, along with their very own kind.

Such conduct can consist of biting, chasing and head-and-tail butting.

You can try to minimize this conduct by making sure they are positioned in a giant aquarium, with a low fish to water ratio. You must additionally make sure they have plenty of hiding places, such as caves, tunnels and other hollowed décor.

Finally, at the same time as they aren’t famend for jumping, it isn’t unheard of. For this purpose you have to make positive your lid is nicely outfitted to stop them leaping out of your aquarium. Jumping usually happens when they are first positioned in the aquarium.

Habitat and Tank Requirements

As stated in the overview section, Rainbow Sharks are tropical freshwater fish that originates from Thailand.
They are lively swimmers so adults need to no longer be saved in aquariums smaller than 50 gallons. The aquarium has to additionally have lots of horizontal space. If the aquarium is too brief in size it will inspire them to emerge as greater territorial and aggressive.

If you sketch on preserving a couple of Rainbow Sharks then you need to use at least a six-foot-long, a hundred twenty-five gallon tank (however we don’t propose retaining greater than one Rainbow Shark per aquarium; greater on this later).

Due to the Rainbow Shark’s territorial nature, you must make certain your aquarium has a lot of hiding locations for them. Think caves, dealt with driftwood and rocks.

Dense vegetation and flowers additionally work. Plants can be used to maintain them distracted so it will minimize fighting and additionally assist forestall algae.

As for substrate, they are quality desirable to sand, as this is what is observed in their native Thai rivers. Be cautious if you intend to use gravel due to the fact the sharp edges can reduce them. If you do determine to use gravel make certain it’s very fine.

Finally, you ought to make certain your aquarium lid is equipped well, they are can jump!

Tank Conditions

You ought to hold it inside the comply with parameters: 75°F to 81°F, pH stage 6.5-7.5 and a water hardness of 5 to 1 DH.

With Rainbow Sharks you want to hold the pH stage stable. Sudden modifications in the pH stage can motive them to end up extra aggressive than usual.

Lighting ought to be saved at a medium level, and the water motion must be moderate.

Compatibility and Tankmates

Let me preface this part through declaring if you are searching for a calm neighbourhood fish, the Rainbow Shark would possibly no longer be the fish for you.
Like the Royal Gramma, Rainbow Sharks will no longer tolerate dwelling with its very own kind.

In the wild, they usually lead a solitary way of life and are very territorial. In an ordinary aquarium, there simply isn’t adequate house and the large Rainbow Shark will chase the smaller Rainbow Sharks relentlessly till it kills them.

This territorial nature develops with age, so if you get two juvenile Rainbow Sharks they ought to very nicely begin out getting along, however, their relationship will decline swiftly as they mature.

If you insist on maintaining extra than one Rainbow Shark observe these guidelines:

You need to maintain a crew of them (5 or more). This way the dominant Rainbow Shark has more than one fish to chase.
Never hold simply two Rainbow Sharks.
If you intend to introduce extra than one Rainbow Shark make certain every has at least a meter of separated territory.
Diet and Feeding Requirements
As referred to at some stage in the overview, Rainbow Sharks are Omnivores which potential they devour each flora and meat.
Whilst they will get alongside with many different freshwater fish species, they are very territorial and this can be overwhelming for extra shy species, such as Marbled hatchet fish and Otocinclus catfish.

As stated in the aquarium and habitat area above, they like to take possession of a location of the aquarium; typically the small caves and rocks.

We sympathize with any fish that stumbles upon a Rainbow Shark’s territory! They will be extraordinarily aggressive and chase the intruders away.

Due to their aggression, you want to be cautious when selecting tank mates.

As a universal rule, they aren’t aggressive in the direction of species that don’t seem like Rainbow Sharks. As the Rainbow Shark dwells at the backside of the aquarium, keep away from different bottom-dwelling fish such as cichlids and catfish. You need to additionally keep away from any comparable searching fish, i.e. Red Tail Sharks and Bala Sharks.

When choosing tank mates, seem for these fish that dwell in the centre and higher degrees of the aquarium.

You also prefer to choose fish that can shield themselves and have a calm however sturdy personality. Species such as Gouramis, Barbs, Danios and Rainbowfish are all like-minded with Rainbow Sharks.

Finally, a little compatibility trick you can use is: make positive the Rainbow Shark is the remaining fish positioned in your aquarium. This will stop it making an attempt to declare the complete aquarium as its very own and have to limit territory problems.

Keeping Rainbow Sharks with different Rainbow Shark

As a prevalent rule, it’s encouraged that you solely maintain one Rainbow Shark in an aquarium at any time. Red Tail Sharks ought to additionally be delivered to this rule.
Like the Royal Gramma, Rainbow Sharks will no longer tolerate dwelling with its very own kind.

In the wild, they normally lead a solitary way of life and are very territorial. In a regular aquarium, there simply isn’t adequate house and the large Rainbow Shark will chase the smaller Rainbow Sharks relentlessly till it kills them.

This territorial nature develops with age, so if you get two juvenile Rainbow Sharks they should very properly begin out getting along, however, their relationship will decline swiftly as they mature.

If you insist on maintaining greater than one Rainbow Shark observe these guidelines:

You ought to preserve a crew of them (5 or more). This way the dominant Rainbow Shark has a couple of fish to chase.
Never hold simply two Rainbow Sharks.
If you intend to introduce extra than one Rainbow Shark make positive everyone has at least a meter of separated territory.

Diet and Feeding Requirements

As noted at some point of the overview, Rainbow Sharks are Omnivores which potential they devour each flower and meat. In the wild, they usually eat decaying plants, algae, insect larvae and small chunks of meat they discover in the river such as Zooplankton.

They aren’t fussy eaters and will eat most things; offering it sinks to the backside of the tank!

This is suitable information if you layout to maintain Rainbow Sharks in aquariums. They will consume flake food, frozen food, pellets, greens and stay meals with no complaints.

You must purpose to maintain their food regimen assorted and feed them a range of meals sources, comparable to what they would devour in the wild. For instance: algae (tablets or wafers), insect larvae, crustaceans (frozen or live) and zooplankton. To hold their weight loss program various you can additionally provide them masses of greens such as spinach, lettuce, zucchini and peas; this will hold their immune gadget strong.

If you favour making positive their red/orange shade is a shiny shade, everyday foods of stay and frozen meat have to be given to them; frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp will be fine.

This is even greater necessary for juvenile Rainbow Sharks. If you choose your juveniles to develop giant with vivid colours, make positive their weight loss plan is different and by no means overly restricted. Lack of version can motive a stunted boom and negative colour expression.

As for their feeding regime, you must purpose to unfold their meals out over 2-3 classes a day. The whole size of feeding time must be around 5 minutes.

If meals are left after this time, you are feeding them to tons and it will have an effect on your nitrogen cycle.

Rainbow Shark Breeding

In the wild, Rainbow Shark’s have a tendency to mate in the course of October to November, which is when they additionally attain their sexual maturity. However, the specific month can be impacted by means of altering seasons and relies upon on the size of the day and temperature.

Note: You can count on that if the fish is much less than four inches in length, they aren’t sexually mature yet.

Rainbow Sharks reproduce thru egg-laying. The woman will lay eggs and the male will then fertilize them with the aid of spraying the eggs with his milt. From right here the eggs will hatch inside the week.

Unfortunately, though, breeding Rainbow Sharks in an aquarium is extraordinarily difficult and we are but to hear of any success stories.

Again, this is greater than possibly due to the fact of their aggressive and territorial nature in restricted settings.

The majority of Rainbow Sharks you discover reachable for buy will be bred in industrial farms primarily based in Southeast Asia.

Is the Rainbow Shark Right For Your Aquarium? (Abstract)

The Rainbow Shark would make a splendid addition to your neighbourhood supplying they aren’t stored with the same, or comparable searching fish.

Whilst they are recognised for being territorial, offering you provide them with appropriate aquarium surroundings and healthy them with the terrific tank mate(s), you shouldn’t have too many issues with them.

They are a lovely fish and an energetic swimmer, so will supply you with enjoyment when staring at them in an aquarium.

They are right eaters and will consume a range of meals varieties together with pellets, flakes and frozen meat.

If you are planning to maintain Rainbow Sharks, you must additionally make certain that you’ve acquired some fishkeeping journey already, as these fish normally aren’t for beginners.

Do you preserve Rainbow Sharks? Let us comprehend in the remarks area below…