Drew04

Our rainbow shark(RS) has been around for about 4 months and there were never any issues other than minor chasing until we added a spotted headstander(HS) and a koi angelfish about a month ago. The shark did not like the headstander AT ALL, yet the headstander was the least active and most peaceful fish in the tank. The shark picked on this poor guy constantly and last week we found the HS on a permanent floating vacation. I am convinced the RS is responsible for the death of our HS, since he harassed him constantly.

RS occasionally chases our angelfish and we recently lost our 2 rosy barbs (although I don't think the shark was directly responsible)

So over the weekend we bought 2 Blue Rams, male and female (beautiful fish). The rainbow shark is all over them, constantly...showing the same aggression that he did towards the HS.

I accept the fact that I may not have researched enough to provide each species with compatible tank mates, but this RS is really just a jerk to anything new. He's fine with the tetras and chinese algae eater, and didn't seem to have any issues with the rosy barbs (all fish that were in the tank before we bought the RS) But he seems to have issues with any new fish, with the only exception being our Black-Banded Leporinus, they get along great.

I enjoy the rainbow shark, and it's been a joy watching him grow, but I can't sit back and allow him to kill off any new fish we put in the tank.

So my question is.....

At what point do I decide to take the RS back to the orphanage (LFS) ....or more to the point... will he eventually acclimate himself to new tank mates so I don't have to get rid of him

Thanks in advance!

Mike19

Since your shark was in the tank first he/she is most likely feeling very territorial over the new "invaders" (other fish). what you can do is re-arrange the decor and hope everyone establishes new areas. i believe its possible to make them all leave at peace i have seen angles and multiple sharks for example 3 red tail sharks and one albino rainbow live together in peace and this tank wasn't the largest of tanks.

Nick G

He will have been fine to all of the fish that were there before him as he was entering their territory, any fish added after him is in HIS territory as far as he's concerned, and he'll try to chase them off. Try taking the RS out of the tank, and then moving all of the decor and plants around so it looks totally different, and then putting him back in, thus making him think that he's somewhere new, in other fishes territory. This might work, but even if it does you'll need to do it everytime you get a new fish. Good Luck!

Lucy

Both good suggestions. Redecorating and fishy time out.

Just read the rainbow shark profile. It says they can be territorial.....as you found out, but also that they do best in 55g's.

I love blue rams, but my water is too hard for them. Hope you get some pics up soon.

Dozey

One thing you should consider is that it is suggested that a RS requires a minimum tank size of 55 gallons. He may be feeling very confined.

Although Mike has seen 3 RTS living peacefully in one tank this doesn’t really comply with suggested guidelines for RS or RTS. Most profiles I’ve read on both these sharks suggest that you should only have one of these living in a tank with the possible exception of very large tanks.

I can only hazard a guess that as your RS is growing he is feeling more cramped in your 35 gallon tank. I can relate to this as I too made that same mistake in my 35 gallon tank. All seemed well at first but his aggression continued to progress as he aged. I am glade to say that I was able to find a good home for him.

Drew04

Thanks for the replies, and I hope to hear some more. Unfortunately, when we bought the RS we were told a 20G tank is perfect, so we figured our 35G would suffice.

I am finding it very irritating, the misinformation provided by chain pet stores, simply to make sure you walk out with a bag full of fish. (petsmart)

If I do end up taking the RS back, I won't take him back to petsmart(where I bought him), I'll take him to another lfs which is not nearly as convenient, but i know they are responsible about care and advice. Many of you have probably heard of That Fish Place/That Pet Place. It's close to where I live, but not very close to my girlfriend's house (where the tank is). We do make trips there about every other week or so, depending on our needs.

I will try removing the RS and rearranging things, but our tank is 35g tall octagon, so there's not much to move around and it's difficult to reach the bottom of the tank.

My tank is certainly not ideal for a fish that requires a 55 gal long tank.

This sucks

Dozey

The information that most LFS's provide really does suck. And now that you mention that your tank is octagon the tank shape will only add to the shark’s confinement. I managed to find a very good home for my RS within two days of posting him on Kijiji.

OH ya... for the record it was my LFS that told me the RS would be just fine in a 35 gallon tank.

Nick G

I was looking for some tankmates for the Platys in one of my 20gals at the LFS and the guy there told me to get 2 rainbow sharks,said they'd be ideal! I can't stand it when they give this sort of advise just to make a sale. Needless to say I didn't buy them

Mike19

I completely agree, i personally wouldn't do it. i was not game enough to add one in my tank as i feared the aggression they may cause to may peaceful fish

CHoffman

So sorry your having to deal with this..IT really sucks..But I agree with everyone taking him back is the best option..and I'm glad to see you'll be taking him back to a better store..I noticed that you also have a CAE..chinese alage eater..Same thing my friend, to small of a tank, they also need 55 gallon long and really are not well suited for the fish you have in there.CAE get very big...Angelfish are slowmoving and flat sided..CAE are very well known to latch on to the side of fish and suck there slimecoats eyes and scales off..Not all CAE have done this if fed the proper diet I've heard of people keeping them successfully but most stories end in tragedy..Even so that tank is not the proper home for him..So sorry to give you more bad news.

Dozey

Drew,

If it’s any consolation for you, I’ve started over 3 times already and many many members here have too. So yes it does suck, but for every mistake we’ve made, we’ve learned from it, and that doesn’t suck so much.

CHoffman

Very true!!..I started off very badly...I had 4 glofish and a CAE in a 2.5 gallon because the LFS said it was fine ..didn't know a thing about fish or the nitrogen cycle..I've learned so much from this forum and I've made lots of mistakes..You live and learn..Whats great is that your educating yourself and doing right by your fish..I have allot of respect for anyone who puts their fish's needs above their own. Your doing great!!..

jdhef

Also, with your 35 gallon tank being a hex, there is really much less horizontal swimming room, so to the fish the tank seems much smaller that the volume of water would indicate.