Red-Tailed Shark Coloring

[-ED]

I just added a RT black shark to my tank this week and I wanted to post a
question about his coloring....The fish appears grey with black fins, save
the red tail fin. The body lenght is close to 1.5 inches...I was curious to
find out if it will develope into the 'jet' black body I've read about; or
will this grey-color remain, or is it an indication of his/her mood...

Thanks for the help...-ED

[netDenizen]

-ED wrote:
> I just added a RT black shark to my tank this week and I wanted to post a
> question about his coloring....The fish appears grey with black fins, save
> the red tail fin. The body lenght is close to 1.5 inches...I was curious to
> find out if it will develope into the 'jet' black body I've read about; or
> will this grey-color remain, or is it an indication of his/her mood...
>
> Thanks for the help...-ED
>
>

I don't know about the colour, but it will probably become a big, mean
son-of-a-b. My brother had one for 7 years plus and it was the boss of
the tank - not a nice fish, actually.

[Frank]

ED wrote,
>I was curious to
>find out if it will develope into the 'jet' black body I've read about; or
>will this grey-color remain, or is it an indication of his/her mood...

I guess you can call it 'mood', but it's really called stress. As soon
as it settles in, it will become 'jet' black with a blood red top fin
and tail. They tend to get a little aggressive as they grow, but not so
bad if there are kept in a small group of 2 or 3...

>or is it an indication of his/her ...

While it's 'gray' - look midway on it's body - see a black dot, or two
black dots? Wonder if these dot differences has any thing to do with
sex (?) ................... Frank

[-ED]

"Frank" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> ED wrote,
> >I was curious to
> >find out if it will develope into the 'jet' black body I've read about;
or
> >will this grey-color remain, or is it an indication of his/her mood...
>
> I guess you can call it 'mood', but it's really called stress. As soon
> as it settles in, it will become 'jet' black with a blood red top fin
> and tail. They tend to get a little aggressive as they grow, but not so
> bad if there are kept in a small group of 2 or 3...
>
> >or is it an indication of his/her ...
Yeah..I call it stress/mood..That would have posed a question as to how long
it would become comfortable; of which would have opened a series of
variables..;-)
>
> While it's 'gray' - look midway on it's body - see a black dot, or two
> black dots? Wonder if these dot differences has any thing to do with
> sex (?) ................... Frank
>
One dot..about 1/4" behind the eye. It is a lone-shark =/ no pun
intended...He/She's the only shark I purchased for the tank. The vendor told
me it was a scavenger/algae eater...I wanted the spotted cories..all they
had were the albinos...I thought about it, and picked out the RT shark. It
has the white tip atop of its dorsel. Thanks ever so much...........-ED

[Trevor Stenson]

In article >,
netDenizen > wrote:

> -ED wrote:
> > I just added a RT black shark to my tank this week and I wanted to post a
> > question about his coloring....The fish appears grey with black fins, save
> > the red tail fin. The body lenght is close to 1.5 inches...I was curious to
> > find out if it will develope into the 'jet' black body I've read about; or
> > will this grey-color remain, or is it an indication of his/her mood...
> >
> > Thanks for the help...-ED
> >
> >
>
> I don't know about the colour, but it will probably become a big, mean
> son-of-a-b. My brother had one for 7 years plus and it was the boss of
> the tank - not a nice fish, actually.

My Rainbow shark turns a lighter shade of pale black when stressed.
(ie, major water change, "tankscaping", etc.). But even when it is
healthy and happy I wouldn't call it jet black. For them a touch of
grey-kind of suits them anyway, and it's alright.

I had, as a youth a Red-Tailed Black Shark, and at one time a Rainbow
Shark. The RTBS had a black body.

For whatever reason, my RTBS was not aggressive at all - and this was in
a 10 gallon community tank mind you. He lived for years and was not a
problem fish. The two rainbows I've had seemed more aggressive.

I currently have a Rainbow Shark in a 20+ gallon tank.

I think the trick with both sharks is to give them a nice cave they can
call their own, don't over-crowd with lots of middle to or top-to-bottom
dwellers (although mine have seemed to like a the company of at least
one other bottom dweller), have lots of plant cover for the other fish
and most of all find the right balance of tank-mates that won't p@ss it
off.

For instance, my Rainbow shark is not threatened by my Pleco or my
Swordtails.

[yes I know (thanks to the group) that the Pleco will have to be moved
at some point when out grows the tank]

The RS pays those other fish little attention. As for my Betta, well he
is a top dweller, and I have plenty of plant coverage including floating
Hornwort so he stays out the sharks way. They did spar off a lot when
they were about the same size as were determining who would be the alpha
fish.

Now that the shark is much bigger he's the heavy weight champ. He
wasn't compatible at all with neon tetras. I found that out the hard
way.

Cheers,

TS

--
Trevor Stenson

http://members.shaw.ca/kitschy/Digs.html
http://members.shaw.ca/kitschy/Blog/Blog.html

[Flash Wilson]

On Sun, 07 May 2006 05:38:25 GMT, Trevor Stenson > wrote:
>I had, as a youth a Red-Tailed Black Shark, and at one time a Rainbow
>Shark. The RTBS had a black body.

Mine had a black body too - very dark.

>For whatever reason, my RTBS was not aggressive at all - and this was in
>a 10 gallon community tank mind you. He lived for years and was not a
>problem fish. The two rainbows I've had seemed more aggressive.

Mine was a "rescue" from someone who kept it in a small tank with
a large pleco, two angels, and various tetras. It was tiny when I
got it even though he'd had it for years. Because of its small size
I initially put it in my tetra tank but it was rather nippy, so I
moved it to the larger cichlid tank where it held its own and finally
began to grow. It's dead now (no idea what caused it) - don't think
it had much of a life in that tiny tank I adopted it from.

But it definitely had character and spirit. Aggressiveness, probably
not, but it's a lot tougher than it looks!

--
Flash Wilson - Web Design & Mastery - 0870 401 4061 / 07939 579090
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Work: www.wdam.co.uk Personal: www.gorge.org

[-ED]

Trevor Stenson wrote:
> In article >,
> netDenizen > wrote:
>
>> -ED wrote:
>>> I just added a RT black shark to my tank this week and I wanted to post a
>>> question about his coloring....The fish appears grey with black fins, save
>>> the red tail fin. The body lenght is close to 1.5 inches...I was curious to
>>> find out if it will develope into the 'jet' black body I've read about; or
>>> will this grey-color remain, or is it an indication of his/her mood...
>>>
>>> Thanks for the help...-ED
>>>
>>>
>> I don't know about the colour, but it will probably become a big, mean
>> son-of-a-b. My brother had one for 7 years plus and it was the boss of
>> the tank - not a nice fish, actually.
>
> My Rainbow shark turns a lighter shade of pale black when stressed.
> (ie, major water change, "tankscaping", etc.). But even when it is
> healthy and happy I wouldn't call it jet black. For them a touch of
> grey-kind of suits them anyway, and it's alright.
>
> I had, as a youth a Red-Tailed Black Shark, and at one time a Rainbow
> Shark. The RTBS had a black body.
>
> For whatever reason, my RTBS was not aggressive at all - and this was in
> a 10 gallon community tank mind you. He lived for years and was not a
> problem fish. The two rainbows I've had seemed more aggressive.
>
> I currently have a Rainbow Shark in a 20+ gallon tank.
>
> I think the trick with both sharks is to give them a nice cave they can
> call their own, don't over-crowd with lots of middle to or top-to-bottom
> dwellers (although mine have seemed to like a the company of at least
> one other bottom dweller), have lots of plant cover for the other fish
> and most of all find the right balance of tank-mates that won't p@ss it
> off.
>
> For instance, my Rainbow shark is not threatened by my Pleco or my
> Swordtails.
>
> [yes I know (thanks to the group) that the Pleco will have to be moved
> at some point when out grows the tank]
>
> The RS pays those other fish little attention. As for my Betta, well he
> is a top dweller, and I have plenty of plant coverage including floating
> Hornwort so he stays out the sharks way. They did spar off a lot when
> they were about the same size as were determining who would be the alpha
> fish.
>
> Now that the shark is much bigger he's the heavy weight champ. He
> wasn't compatible at all with neon tetras. I found that out the hard
> way.
>
> Cheers,
>
> TS
>
Well, should I concern myself with the Danios I've put in there. At
present, 10 Zebras are in there.
Thanks.........-ED

[NetMax]

"Trevor Stenson" > wrote in message
news:kitschy-234F4E.23382506052006@shawnews...
> In article >,
> netDenizen > wrote:
>
>> -ED wrote:
>> > I just added a RT black shark to my tank this week and I wanted to
>> > post a
>> > question about his coloring....The fish appears grey with black
>> > fins, save
>> > the red tail fin. The body lenght is close to 1.5 inches...I was
>> > curious to
>> > find out if it will develope into the 'jet' black body I've read
>> > about; or
>> > will this grey-color remain, or is it an indication of his/her
>> > mood...
>> >
>> > Thanks for the help...-ED
>> >
>> >
>>
>> I don't know about the colour, but it will probably become a big, mean
>> son-of-a-b. My brother had one for 7 years plus and it was the boss of
>> the tank - not a nice fish, actually.
>
> My Rainbow shark turns a lighter shade of pale black when stressed.
> (ie, major water change, "tankscaping", etc.). But even when it is
> healthy and happy I wouldn't call it jet black. For them a touch of
> grey-kind of suits them anyway, and it's alright.
>
> I had, as a youth a Red-Tailed Black Shark, and at one time a Rainbow
> Shark. The RTBS had a black body.
>
> For whatever reason, my RTBS was not aggressive at all - and this was
> in
> a 10 gallon community tank mind you. He lived for years and was not a
> problem fish. The two rainbows I've had seemed more aggressive.
>
> I currently have a Rainbow Shark in a 20+ gallon tank.
>
> I think the trick with both sharks is to give them a nice cave they can
> call their own, don't over-crowd with lots of middle to or
> top-to-bottom
> dwellers (although mine have seemed to like a the company of at least
> one other bottom dweller), have lots of plant cover for the other fish
> and most of all find the right balance of tank-mates that won't p@ss it
> off.
>
> For instance, my Rainbow shark is not threatened by my Pleco or my
> Swordtails.
>
> [yes I know (thanks to the group) that the Pleco will have to be moved
> at some point when out grows the tank]
>
> The RS pays those other fish little attention. As for my Betta, well
> he
> is a top dweller, and I have plenty of plant coverage including
> floating
> Hornwort so he stays out the sharks way. They did spar off a lot when
> they were about the same size as were determining who would be the
> alpha
> fish.
>
> Now that the shark is much bigger he's the heavy weight champ. He
> wasn't compatible at all with neon tetras. I found that out the hard
> way.
>
> Cheers,
>
> TS
>
> --
> Trevor Stenson


My observations have been very similar. In temperament, I find the RS
(Rainbow Shark, red dorsal and red caudal fin) more of a community fish
than the RTBS, but once acclimated, RTBS body is more jet black than the
RS (though both darken with age and comfort level). Very beautiful fish
as adults if they can be kept with the right tank mates.
--
www.NetMax.tk

[-ED]

NetMax wrote:
> "Trevor Stenson" > wrote in message
> news:kitschy-234F4E.23382506052006@shawnews...
>
>> In article >,
>> netDenizen > wrote:
>>
>>
>>> -ED wrote:
>>>
>>>> I just added a RT black shark to my tank this week and I wanted to
>>>> post a
>>>> question about his coloring....The fish appears grey with black
>>>> fins, save
>>>> the red tail fin. The body lenght is close to 1.5 inches...I was
>>>> curious to
>>>> find out if it will develope into the 'jet' black body I've read
>>>> about; or
>>>> will this grey-color remain, or is it an indication of his/her
>>>> mood...
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for the help...-ED
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>> I don't know about the colour, but it will probably become a big, mean
>>> son-of-a-b. My brother had one for 7 years plus and it was the boss of
>>> the tank - not a nice fish, actually.
>>>
>> My Rainbow shark turns a lighter shade of pale black when stressed.
>> (ie, major water change, "tankscaping", etc.). But even when it is
>> healthy and happy I wouldn't call it jet black. For them a touch of
>> grey-kind of suits them anyway, and it's alright.
>>
>> I had, as a youth a Red-Tailed Black Shark, and at one time a Rainbow
>> Shark. The RTBS had a black body.
>>
>> For whatever reason, my RTBS was not aggressive at all - and this was
>> in
>> a 10 gallon community tank mind you. He lived for years and was not a
>> problem fish. The two rainbows I've had seemed more aggressive.
>>
>> I currently have a Rainbow Shark in a 20+ gallon tank.
>>
>> I think the trick with both sharks is to give them a nice cave they can
>> call their own, don't over-crowd with lots of middle to or
>> top-to-bottom
>> dwellers (although mine have seemed to like a the company of at least
>> one other bottom dweller), have lots of plant cover for the other fish
>> and most of all find the right balance of tank-mates that won't p@ss it
>> off.
>>
>> For instance, my Rainbow shark is not threatened by my Pleco or my
>> Swordtails.
>>
>> [yes I know (thanks to the group) that the Pleco will have to be moved
>> at some point when out grows the tank]
>>
>> The RS pays those other fish little attention. As for my Betta, well
>> he
>> is a top dweller, and I have plenty of plant coverage including
>> floating
>> Hornwort so he stays out the sharks way. They did spar off a lot when
>> they were about the same size as were determining who would be the
>> alpha
>> fish.
>>
>> Now that the shark is much bigger he's the heavy weight champ. He
>> wasn't compatible at all with neon tetras. I found that out the hard
>> way.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> TS
>>
>> --
>> Trevor Stenson
>>
>
>
> My observations have been very similar. In temperament, I find the RS
> (Rainbow Shark, red dorsal and red caudal fin) more of a community fish
> than the RTBS, but once acclimated, RTBS body is more jet black than the
> RS (though both darken with age and comfort level). Very beautiful fish
> as adults if they can be kept with the right tank mates.
>
Thanks again...The tank, as of now, has alot of swimming room given the
plant styles and placements (its not crammed with foliage)..the
philadendrum droops in areas to provide cover as well as serving as a
dinner plate to prevent most of the food from getting lost on the
bottom. The RTBS took to the tank immediately, combing over the various
surfaces..it didn't bother hiding out when first introduced. It took
off straight for the long driftwood and began combing it up and down.
As far as I can tell, its quite comfortable..it had a small stand-off
with the male betta...no big deal..he went one way..betta the other.
Thanks again....-ED

[Mister Gardener]

On Sun, 07 May 2006 14:36:17 GMT, -ED > wrote:

>Trevor Stenson wrote:
>> In article >,
>> netDenizen > wrote:
>>
>>> -ED wrote:
>>>> I just added a RT black shark to my tank this week and I wanted to post a
>>>> question about his coloring....The fish appears grey with black fins, save
>>>> the red tail fin. The body lenght is close to 1.5 inches...I was curious to
>>>> find out if it will develope into the 'jet' black body I've read about; or
>>>> will this grey-color remain, or is it an indication of his/her mood...
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for the help...-ED
>>>>
>>>>
>>> I don't know about the colour, but it will probably become a big, mean
>>> son-of-a-b. My brother had one for 7 years plus and it was the boss of
>>> the tank - not a nice fish, actually.
>>
>> My Rainbow shark turns a lighter shade of pale black when stressed.
>> (ie, major water change, "tankscaping", etc.). But even when it is
>> healthy and happy I wouldn't call it jet black. For them a touch of
>> grey-kind of suits them anyway, and it's alright.
>>
>> I had, as a youth a Red-Tailed Black Shark, and at one time a Rainbow
>> Shark. The RTBS had a black body.
>>
>> For whatever reason, my RTBS was not aggressive at all - and this was in
>> a 10 gallon community tank mind you. He lived for years and was not a
>> problem fish. The two rainbows I've had seemed more aggressive.
>>
>> I currently have a Rainbow Shark in a 20+ gallon tank.
>>
>> I think the trick with both sharks is to give them a nice cave they can
>> call their own, don't over-crowd with lots of middle to or top-to-bottom
>> dwellers (although mine have seemed to like a the company of at least
>> one other bottom dweller), have lots of plant cover for the other fish
>> and most of all find the right balance of tank-mates that won't p@ss it
>> off.
>>
>> For instance, my Rainbow shark is not threatened by my Pleco or my
>> Swordtails.
>>
>> [yes I know (thanks to the group) that the Pleco will have to be moved
>> at some point when out grows the tank]
>>
>> The RS pays those other fish little attention. As for my Betta, well he
>> is a top dweller, and I have plenty of plant coverage including floating
>> Hornwort so he stays out the sharks way. They did spar off a lot when
>> they were about the same size as were determining who would be the alpha
>> fish.
>>
>> Now that the shark is much bigger he's the heavy weight champ. He
>> wasn't compatible at all with neon tetras. I found that out the hard
>> way.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> TS
>>
>Well, should I concern myself with the Danios I've put in there. At
>present, 10 Zebras are in there.
>Thanks.........-ED

I once read a description of zebra danios as "constantly moving about
the tank yet never appearing restless or nervous." And yes, that's
what they do. Plenty of action, never disruptive. They must love your
big tank. Zebras were one of the first egglayers that I spawned, I
have a special place in my heart for them.

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[Frank]

-ED - wrote,
>That would have posed a question as to how long
>it would become comfortable.......

A day or two tops, if your water parameters are to it's liking.

>He/She's the only shark I purchased for the tank....

I would get at least one more - get one that has two dots on its side -
beleave me, it makes them much more happy and they won't show near the
aggression.

>The vendor told
>me it was a scavenger/algae eater...
>I wanted the spotted cories..all they
>had were the albinos....

Don't know what size tank you have, but I would get one cory per 5
gals. for the clean-up crew. The RTBS, as it gets larger, will eat
where ever it wants, not just off the bottom. Mine would take their
food from my fingers most of the time............... Frank

[Frank]

-ED - wrote,
>should I concern myself with the Danios I've put in there...

They will be fine untill the RTBS is large enough to take them in one
bite. I had an 8" RTBS in a 180 gal. (2' x 2' x 6'). Since I was
breeding them, I fed White Clouds to this tank. The RTBS could easy
take a 1.5" White Cloud in a split second from across the tank. They
are a lot faster than you could ever think a Danio or White Cloud could
be. Funny thing though, it was around 5" before it took it's first
Cardenal Tetra. Had to move him to the 180 gal. tank the following day
as he went through a half dozen before I figured out it was him - the
Cardenals were his tankmates from day one................. Frank

[-ED]

On Mon, 08 May 2006 00:57:04 -0500, Frank > wrote:

> -ED - wrote,
>> should I concern myself with the Danios I've put in there...
>
> They will be fine untill the RTBS is large enough to take them in one
> bite. I had an 8" RTBS in a 180 gal. (2' x 2' x 6'). Since I was
> breeding them, I fed White Clouds to this tank. The RTBS could easy
> take a 1.5" White Cloud in a split second from across the tank. They
> are a lot faster than you could ever think a Danio or White Cloud could
> be. Funny thing though, it was around 5" before it took it's first
> Cardenal Tetra. Had to move him to the 180 gal. tank the following day
> as he went through a half dozen before I figured out it was him - the
> Cardenals were his tankmates from day one................. Frank
>

Holy Shark-Bites Batman....=0 This sounds like the theory I heard years
ago that alot of tropical fish will 'grow in scale' to their environment..
I'm glad you told me about the reflex this fish is capable of. That's
enlightening to say the least. I'm looking forward to his maturity. He's
a pale grey at the moment..at times I notice his red tail almost fading to
a translucent/transparent coloring. I've got my eye on him. I wish I had
set this tank up as a headboard for my bedroom. 8" is quite a sizable
fish I must say. He must have been a trophy, indeed. I'm not looking
forward to him getting that big..for it will force me to build the bigger
tanks I mentioned before. I'm rough-drafting some plans now, but I need
to concern myself with the load it will present in my upstairs apartment..
As such, I feel that a long, thin tank would put the load more on the
support wall..ie- about 7'x 21"x 14" from the wall. I'm gonna have to
visit more sites that illustrate today's construction techniques to havea
better handle on its overall dimensions.
Thanks for the holler....-ED

--
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

[Mister Gardener]

OFF TOPIC - Ed, your return address on your email is bouncing. If
there is a secret to contacting you, please email me with the details.

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[Trevor Stenson]

> Holy Shark-Bites Batman....=0 This sounds like the theory I heard years
> ago that alot of tropical fish will 'grow in scale' to their environment.

I'm not sure he is saying that for a fact. I used to believe in that
but maybe there is a slight tank-size effect in that if a fish isn't
eating and thriving because it is not happy in its environment, then it
will tend not to grow as fast.

But anyway both my Pleco and Rainbow Shark have grown to about 6 inches
and 4 inches, respectively (and both with large girth) in less that 5
months. They started out an inch or less in length. That is in a 20
gallon tank, and the shark getting big did at least correlate with his
taste for Neon Tetras.

I'll probably trade my Pleco in for a Bristlenose when he gets too big
for the tank.

Cheers,

Trev

--
Trevor Stenson

http://members.shaw.ca/kitschy/Digs.html
http://members.shaw.ca/kitschy/Blog/Blog.html

[NetMax]

"Trevor Stenson" > wrote in message
news:kitschy-2B5BA3.07344608052006@shawnews...
>> Holy Shark-Bites Batman....=0 This sounds like the theory I heard
>> years
>> ago that alot of tropical fish will 'grow in scale' to their
>> environment.
>
> I'm not sure he is saying that for a fact. I used to believe in that
> but maybe there is a slight tank-size effect in that if a fish isn't
> eating and thriving because it is not happy in its environment, then it
> will tend not to grow as fast.
>
> But anyway both my Pleco and Rainbow Shark have grown to about 6 inches
> and 4 inches, respectively (and both with large girth) in less that 5
> months. They started out an inch or less in length. That is in a 20
> gallon tank, and the shark getting big did at least correlate with his
> taste for Neon Tetras.
>
> I'll probably trade my Pleco in for a Bristlenose when he gets too big
> for the tank.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Trev


There's definitely a strong correlation between tank size and fish size,
but the general consensus is that water quality is a bigger vector (and
not coincidentally, large tanks typically have better water quality).
That and diet. It's not unusual to see sudden growth rate being
associated with foods being given. This is most obvious with fry as they
move through different food groups, but you can see it in older fish as
well, particularly when fed live foods (fish, shrimp, bugs, worms etc).

The RTBS eventually attacking tank-mates sounds about right (though I've
never had an RTBS that large and I'm jealous). Tank-mates are isolated
from being food for a long time. Usually until one gets ill and swims
funny and then the larger fish's instinct gets stronger and it takes a
bite. Then it's a buffet smorgasbord. Adding new small fish can also
trigger this. Angelfish keepers are often familiar with DNT
'disappearing Neon threshold' ;~).
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Nikki]

"NetMax" > wrote in message
...
> "Trevor Stenson" > wrote in message
> news:kitschy-2B5BA3.07344608052006@shawnews...

> -- There's definitely a strong correlation between tank size and fish
> size, but the general consensus is that water quality is a bigger vector
> (and not coincidentally, large tanks typically have better water quality).
> That and diet. It's not unusual to see sudden growth rate being
> associated with foods being given. This is most obvious with fry as they
> move through different food groups, but you can see it in older fish as
> well, particularly when fed live foods (fish, shrimp, bugs, worms etc).

> www.NetMax.tk
>

I was reading a web page on betta's this guy was doing all kinds of
experiments, one was to see if clean water made the fish grow faster, so he
separated two groups of fish and changed ones water a lot and the others not
so often, feed the same food and did everything else the same, after some
time pasted the fish who's water was being changed a lot and kept very clean
grew a lot faster, then he did a test to see if he then started doing the
water changes more often on the other set of fish if they would catch up and
they did. He went on to do all kind of different things like that it was
interesting.
Nik

[-ED]

On Sun, 07 May 2006 00:38:25 -0500, Trevor Stenson > wrote:

> In article >,
> netDenizen > wrote:
>
>> -ED wrote:
>> > I just added a RT black shark to my tank this week and I wanted to
>> post a
>> > question about his coloring....The fish appears grey with black fins,
>> save
>> > the red tail fin. The body lenght is close to 1.5 inches...I was
>> curious to
>> > find out if it will develope into the 'jet' black body I've read
>> about; or
>> > will this grey-color remain, or is it an indication of his/her mood....
>> >
>> > Thanks for the help...-ED
>> >
>> >
>>
>> I don't know about the colour, but it will probably become a big, mean
>> son-of-a-b. My brother had one for 7 years plus and it was the boss of
>> the tank - not a nice fish, actually.
>
> My Rainbow shark turns a lighter shade of pale black when stressed.
> (ie, major water change, "tankscaping", etc.). But even when it is
> healthy and happy I wouldn't call it jet black. For them a touch of
> grey-kind of suits them anyway, and it's alright.
>
> I had, as a youth a Red-Tailed Black Shark, and at one time a Rainbow
> Shark. The RTBS had a black body.
>
> For whatever reason, my RTBS was not aggressive at all - and this was in
> a 10 gallon community tank mind you. He lived for years and was not a
> problem fish. The two rainbows I've had seemed more aggressive.
>
> I currently have a Rainbow Shark in a 20+ gallon tank.
>
> I think the trick with both sharks is to give them a nice cave they can
> call their own, don't over-crowd with lots of middle to or top-to-bottom
> dwellers (although mine have seemed to like a the company of at least
> one other bottom dweller), have lots of plant cover for the other fish
> and most of all find the right balance of tank-mates that won't p@ss it
> off.
>
> For instance, my Rainbow shark is not threatened by my Pleco or my
> Swordtails.
>
> [yes I know (thanks to the group) that the Pleco will have to be moved
> at some point when out grows the tank]
>
> The RS pays those other fish little attention. As for my Betta, well he
> is a top dweller, and I have plenty of plant coverage including floating
> Hornwort so he stays out the sharks way. They did spar off a lot when
> they were about the same size as were determining who would be the alpha
> fish.
>
> Now that the shark is much bigger he's the heavy weight champ. He
> wasn't compatible at all with neon tetras. I found that out the hard
> way.
>
> Cheers,
>
> TS
>
Its a sad day when I google for photos of Red-Tailed Black Sharks...and
not one..not one mind you...look like my little grey buddy!!!


--
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

[Mister Gardener]

On Mon, 8 May 2006 12:54:09 -0400, "Nikki"
> wrote:

>
>"NetMax" > wrote in message
...
>> "Trevor Stenson" > wrote in message
>> news:kitschy-2B5BA3.07344608052006@shawnews...
>
>> -- There's definitely a strong correlation between tank size and fish
>> size, but the general consensus is that water quality is a bigger vector
>> (and not coincidentally, large tanks typically have better water quality).
>> That and diet. It's not unusual to see sudden growth rate being
>> associated with foods being given. This is most obvious with fry as they
>> move through different food groups, but you can see it in older fish as
>> well, particularly when fed live foods (fish, shrimp, bugs, worms etc).
>
>> www.NetMax.tk
>>
>
>I was reading a web page on betta's this guy was doing all kinds of
>experiments, one was to see if clean water made the fish grow faster, so he
>separated two groups of fish and changed ones water a lot and the others not
>so often, feed the same food and did everything else the same, after some
>time pasted the fish who's water was being changed a lot and kept very clean
>grew a lot faster, then he did a test to see if he then started doing the
>water changes more often on the other set of fish if they would catch up and
>they did. He went on to do all kind of different things like that it was
>interesting.
>Nik
>
Makes sense. And is interesting. Now, if only more people would read
articles like his and follow through with the conclusions . . .

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[Nikki]

"Mister Gardener" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 8 May 2006 12:54:09 -0400, "Nikki"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>"NetMax" > wrote in message
...
>>> "Trevor Stenson" > wrote in message
>>> news:kitschy-2B5BA3.07344608052006@shawnews...
>>
>>> -- There's definitely a strong correlation between tank size and fish
>>> size, but the general consensus is that water quality is a bigger vector
>>> (and not coincidentally, large tanks typically have better water
>>> quality).
>>> That and diet. It's not unusual to see sudden growth rate being
>>> associated with foods being given. This is most obvious with fry as
>>> they
>>> move through different food groups, but you can see it in older fish as
>>> well, particularly when fed live foods (fish, shrimp, bugs, worms etc).
>>
>>> www.NetMax.tk
>>>
>>
>>I was reading a web page on betta's this guy was doing all kinds of
>>experiments, one was to see if clean water made the fish grow faster, so
>>he
>>separated two groups of fish and changed ones water a lot and the others
>>not
>>so often, feed the same food and did everything else the same, after some
>>time pasted the fish who's water was being changed a lot and kept very
>>clean
>>grew a lot faster, then he did a test to see if he then started doing the
>>water changes more often on the other set of fish if they would catch up
>>and
>>they did. He went on to do all kind of different things like that it was
>>interesting.
>>Nik
>>
> Makes sense. And is interesting. Now, if only more people would read
> articles like his and follow through with the conclusions . . .
>
> -- Mister Gardener
> -- Pull the WEED to email me

Later on tonight I will see where I have it, I know I saved the web
page...ill post it, you might like it. Although its about betta's a lot of
it will apply to any fish and I guess he has some time on his hands because
he has done a lot of different experiments.
Nik