# red tail shark



## SoBe_fish (Jan 15, 2008)

Okay, sooooo my excitement on getting my new 46 gallon tank wore off on my mom. (I gave her my old 20 gallon) and she wants a red tail shark for SURE and some tetras (I keep telling her that its a bad idea but apparently I dont know what I'm talking about). So if you could please give her OTHER ideas for what kind of fish would be alright with the shark, that would be amazing. (Also, put how many fish need to be together if your idea is a schooling fish. ~(o.o)~ The bichirs are loving their new home btw.


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## Guest (Feb 1, 2008)

is it a 20 long or a standerd 20? I wouldn't put a shark in either one personally. RTS can get 5-6 inches long...I've seen it...and a 20 gallon really isn't enough room for one. They get pretty aggressive, so they might kill all other fish kept with them. I wouldn't put one in a 20, espacially if it;s a standerd 20.

There are tons of schooling fish that you could get. a school would be 6-8 fish of one species.


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

They're not aggressive... from what i've seen at least.
All in all, i'd really suggest around a 55g for one- a little higher than you'd normally see. Though, I have a 6-7 year old shark, and I really feel anything smaller would be cramping it...


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

flamingo said:


> They're not aggressive... from what i've seen at least.


FL:
I have two which are full grown in my community tank and they are really bullies.
When they were younger and different sizes the large one bullied the smaller one.

As they got older they would attemp to bully the intermediate size fish in my tank.

The angels got tired of this bullying and put a stop to it.

The SAE's are smaller that the RTS but are of the same genus and hence a problem but not to bad.


SoBe_fish:

Please listen to FL concerning tank size:

I am not familiar with intermediate size tanks but my RTS' are approximately 2 years old and are easily 5".

I know: I know: they really look cute at 1.5" in the sales' display tanks but they will "grow up".

TR


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## Guest (Feb 2, 2008)

^^WHAT HE SAID^^

the ones in the lfs I work at are always being brought back because they are killing all the other fish in the tank...according to the owners, but we all know how well they know the fish they own...*rollseyes*


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

5-6" is a pretty small fish compared to what im used to dealing with, and a 5-6" fish would be fine in a 20g. The only thing is that they CAN be agressive, and your 20g might quickly become a species tank. If I were to make a species tank, I would do something cooler than red tailed sharks.


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## SoBe_fish (Jan 15, 2008)

lol, my mom wont be happy but I think a tetra tank would be really nice (especially since the 20 is in the living room, so everyone can see it ^^).


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

There are other options, you know. You can have something with the tetras, or instead of them. Or are you set on tetras?


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

Gourami Swami said:


> ... and a 5-6" fish would be fine in a 20g.


Gourami Swami:

Please excuse my presentation here but if you will stick to raising the fish and making the posts and let me stick to telling the jokes this will go a lot better here.
(This is similar to what I say in a restaurant with very good groceries to servers when they ask if anyone wants a desert!)

Based on my experience with my two red tail sharks in a 110G tank I do not believe that one of them would be a happy fish in a 20G tank.

TR


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## SoBe_fish (Jan 15, 2008)

I know my mom is set on a small school of neon tetras. What can go with them?


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

how about a shoal of cories for the bottom?


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## SoBe_fish (Jan 15, 2008)

I know some types of cories can get really big...what species and how many do you suggest?


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

julii cories stay around 2-2.5 inches.

http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/freshwater/catfish/juliicory.html

if it was just them and the neons, i think you could put 5 or 6 in there. i've never kept them though, so you might want to wait for someone else to chime in.

alternatively, you could go with a dwarf species (corydoras hastatus, habrosus, pygmaeus) and get a few more. they tend to hang around mid-level rather than bottom.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

Jones... a 20 gallon long is 30" long. A 6" fish will have 5x their body length to swim. Lets compare that to the average accepted minimum tank for an oscar: 75 gallon, which is 48" long. An oscar can grow up to 16" long, but a good average size would be 13", meaning the oscar would have under 4x the length of its body to swim, yet this is still an acceptable minimum. I am currently keeping a 12" oscar in a 100g (just a taller, slightly wider 75g), and he is fine, even with some tankmates.

On top of that, I have kept 6" convicts in 20 long tanks. Convicts are thicker bodied fish than red tailed sharks, and are fairly active swimmers. They had plenty of room.

So please in the future keep your sarcastic comments to your self. There are many different ways to keep fish, and there are some people who wont put anything over 4" in smaller than a 55 gallon tank. That is their personal style. But from bountiful personal experience, a 6" fish will be fine and dandy in a 30" tank.


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## lochness (Jan 10, 2006)

i agree with both jones and gourami on this one

depending on the stocking levels, maintenance, tankmates and experience of the aquarist, a 6inch fish can live happily in a 20g, however, the *ideal* would be no smaller than a 45g. and a tank being of the *long* version is always preferable, but a nice air pump and long bubble strip can compensate for the oxygen exchange needed for a healthy system. (tho personally i feel EVERY system should have this)

Sobe, if you are going to be the main fishkeeper of your mom's tank, I'd say a school of 6-8 tiger barbs and a redtailed would be fine

if, however, your mom will be the sole source of maintenance, I'd try to convince her of a different setup.

either way, she will need to learn, right?


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

Gourami Swami said:


> So please in the future keep your sarcastic comments to your self.


Gourami Swami:

Please, please excuse me here. I did not pick up on your response until today.

My comment was intended as humor and not as sarcasm.


I will attempt to explain this in West Texan.

Have you ever been to a very good steak and seafood restaurant, are stuffed and the staff asks the table if anyone wants desert.

My immediate response is
"Partner, if you will stick to taking this credit card and let me stick to telling the jokes ....."

This line even "brought down the house at Brennan's in NO".

TR


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## FishHead (Nov 16, 2006)

I have my RTS in a 30, which is pushing it. They are very territorial, and go after fish that are smaller than he is. I had to remove my serpae tetras because he was bullying them. He leaves my gouramis alone. I am cycling their new home (33 long), so he will have alot of room to swim around in.


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