Red tail shark

Mar 16, 2009
3
0
0
#1
I have had my red tail shark for about a week now and I noticed that his tail has gone from bright red to a faded pinkish color,his body has gone from a dark black to a dark gray and he keeps rubbing his sides against the gravel (ground). I was wondering if anyone new what was wrong.*GOLDFISH*
 

Alkiazer

Medium Fish
Sep 27, 2008
73
0
0
ABQ
www.oniclangaming.com
#3
Lol I just posted part of this for someone else =P

Red tailed sharks can sometimes take up to a month or two in a tank ( with the right conditions ) before really becoming colorful and even more time to completely fill in. a happy healthy RTBS will be completely black ( excluding females that tend to have grey underbellys ), jet black so to say except for their blood red tail fin and the white tips that form on the other fins. In order for a RTBS or any FW shark in its family like a rainbow or a albino red tail to become happy enough to gain its full color it must be housed in a tank no smaller than 50g, it must be kept with compatible fish mates here is an excellent guide Freshwater Fish Compatibility Chart: Avoid Incompatible Species, the water parameters must keep steady, any ammonia levels will stress out your shark and cause it to lighten color, it must be fed appropriately( sharks like sinking pellet food only over time will they accept fish flakes ) if you follow these guidelines anyone that has a fw shark will have a brilliantly collored, exciting centerpiece for their community tank.

If i were to guess why yours is loosing color it may be unhappy with the tanksize, tankmates, or could just need some time to adjust.

A happy redtail will always be deep black and have a blood red tail regardless of lighting or time of day. its color depends on its happiness.the biggest thing i can say is make sure to have compatible tank mates, for the RTBS is very aggressive to certain species, the rubbing on the gravel and decor is called "flashing" and is a behavior of a very angry shark but could also be something serious like ick, get your water test and watch for small dots about the size of salt grains, dead giveaway of ick. hope this helped.
 

Last edited:

jo3olous

Large Fish
Aug 6, 2008
909
1
0
Philadelphia, PA
#4
Lol I just posted part of this for someone else =P

Red tailed sharks can sometimes take up to a month or two in a tank ( with the right conditions ) before really becoming colorful and even more time to completely fill in. a happy healthy RTBS will be completely black ( excluding females that tend to have grey underbellys ), jet black so to say except for their blood red tail fin and the white tips that form on the other fins. In order for a RTBS or any FW shark in its family like a rainbow or a albino red tail to become happy enough to gain its full color it must be housed in a tank no smaller than 50g, it must be kept with compatible fish mates here is an excellent guide Freshwater Fish Compatibility Chart: Avoid Incompatible Species, the water parameters must keep steady, any ammonia levels will stress out your shark and cause it to lighten color, it must be fed appropriately( sharks like sinking pellet food only over time will they accept fish flakes ) if you follow these guidelines anyone that has a fw shark will have a brilliantly collored, exciting centerpiece for their community tank.

If i were to guess why yours is loosing color it may be unhappy with the tanksize, tankmates, or could just need some time to adjust.

A happy redtail will always be deep black and have a blood red tail regardless of lighting or time of day. its color depends on its happiness.the biggest thing i can say is make sure to have compatible tank mates, for the RTBS is very aggressive to certain species, the rubbing on the gravel and decor is called "flashing" and is a behavior of a very angry shark but could also be something serious like ick, get your water test and watch for small dots about the size of salt grains, dead giveaway of ick. hope this helped.
*thumbsup2
 

Mar 16, 2009
3
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0
#5
well I am a noob and do not no much about keeping a fish tank, I have one small pleco,two kissing grouramis,two silver dollars, one dojo loach, one rtbs and two "harmless" chilids. Could you please explain to me what to do to to find my water parameters, right now my tank is 73 degrees f. I have a 29 gallon tank and I have had it for 3 weeks.

Thanks,
Linky
 

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simplyfish

Medium Fish
Feb 18, 2008
89
0
0
#6
If I were to take a guess, I'd say that the ammonia in the tank is probably high. This comes about in new tanks from the fish doing their natural business in the water!

Try a little research on Cycling tanks and that should probably show what you would need to do to create the right environment for your fish.

If your tank has been runnng for anything less than 2-3 months I would guess thats going to be your problem, if your tank had been running longer then maybe it could be a specific problem in the tank, my shark is a patroller and is constantly swimming round and through just about everything in the tank, do you have a set up where he is able to do this?

Only an alternative suggestion - it probably is a problem with the cycling, take a look in the beginners section there is a lot there on it.

good luck...
 

homebunnyj

Superstar Fish
Jul 13, 2005
1,299
4
0
Western NC
#8
To get your water parameters, you take a sample to the LFS and ask to have it tested for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Have them write the numbers down.

As soon as you can, buy test kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Get the kind with the test tube and the drops. Don't buy those 5-in-1 strips.

If I were you I'd do a 50% water change now. You could take a 'before' sample and an 'after' to get tested just so you can see how the water change helps, if you like.