Origin: The ancestors of our Red Tail Sharks originally lived in western and northern Thailand, but are now found living in aquariums throughout most of the world.

Maximum Size: In aquariums they can grow to be about 5" long.

Behaviors: this is a very active swimmer that's usually annoying and quite aggressive especially to fish with a similar appearance.

Two Redtail Sharks will not do well in the same aquarium, unless that aquarium is huge.

These sharks are known to be jumpers, so a sealed tight lid is necessary to house these fish.

Compatibility: Some recommended tank mates include, Rainbowfish, Clown Loaches, Danios, Barbs, Gouramis, and many other medium size aquarium fish.

Click here to read more about compatible groups of pet fish.

Temperature: Sharks can live pretty well from about 70 to 80-degrees F., but they're probably most comfortable at about 75 to 78-degrees F.

Click here to learn about aquarium temperature, aquarium thermometers, and aquarium heaters.

Feeding: Premium Fish Food Flakes when small and Premium Pellet Food when larger.

Click here to learn more about and shop online for premium fish foods.

Water Conditions: Sharks seem to be tolerant of a wide range of water conditions.

Probably a pH of about 7 with moderate hardness is best.

Most water in the US has a higher pH and is harder but seems to be OK, so it's probably best NOT to adjust the pH or the hardness of the water.

Here in our facilities the water is hard and the pH is usually about 7.8.

We ship them in this water.

Click here for a lot more information about aquarium water conditions.

Aquarium Size: It's best to house these fish in at least a 30-gallon tank, when they're small, but eventually they'll need to live in a larger aquarium.

Decor: Sharks do not need gravel, and a layer of gravel more than 1/4" thick will usually fill with bits of uneaten food that will contaminate the water.

Click here for more about aquarium gravel.

Live Plants are beautiful and improve the water quality.

Click here for more about live Aquarium Plants.

Aquarium Filter: Bio-Wheel Filters are highly recommended.

A Penguin 200B Filter in an aquarium with 30-gallons of water is OK, and eventually a Redtail Shark will do better in an aquarium with at least 60-gallons of water and two Penguin 350B Filters.

Click here to learn more about aquarium filters.

The addition of Lava Rocks will keep nitrates in the ideal range. Click here to learn more about using Lava Rocks in aquariums.

Life Span: Redtail Sharks can live for many years when kept in excellent water and fed premium foods.

Gender: It's not easy to tell the males from the females, when they're young and sometimes, even as they mature.

As females mature they often fill with egg and become plumper, which may a clue to their gender.

Breeding: Sharks scatter a large number of eggs on plants or special breeding mops made of nylon yarn.

But they're rarely spawned in aquariums.

Popularity: Redtail Sharks have been one of the most popular aquarium fish for many years, and they're still very popular.

Names: The scientific name of the Red Tail Shark is Epalzeorhynchos bicolor.

Variations: There are some variations that may be other closely related species. There is also an albino variation.

Click here for a lot more information about keeping and caring for Sharks, including a picture gallery.

We hope you've enjoyed reading these comments.

DrTom - 02/05/2015