Red Tailed Black Shark (Epalzeorhynchos bicolor)

The Red-Tailed Black Shark (Epalzeorhynchos bicolour) has become extremely popular in the aquarium due to its stunning appearance and exciting behaviours. Unfortunately, these fish are not suitable for the general community aquarium; however, as long as you carefully choose your tankmates, they are generally peaceful towards other species. Unfortunately, these fish can become increasingly territorial as they mature and become aggressive towards similar-looking species.

Ideal tankmates for the Red-Tailed Black Shark would be active, larger, robust schooling Cyprinids such as Mascara Barbs, Denison Barbs, Odessa Barbs and Clown Barbs. These fish do not seem to bother loaches. It would be best if you avoided most other bottom-dwelling species such as Catfish and similur fish in aperance and shape such as the Rainbow Shark and True Flying Fox.

It would be best if you kept these fish alone in a community aquarium or a group of 5 or more individuals in a large tank with lots of cover. A cohabitation attempt might be possible; however, each individual will need their territory with at least a metre diameter, so keeping them alone is probably your best option.

Red-Tailed Black Shark are not fussy when it comes to decor in the aquarium. However, the ideal aquarium setup for the Red-Tailed Black Shark would imitate a flowing stream or river with differently sized rocks, small pebbles, sand or fine gravel, and perhaps some boulders as a substrate. Adding driftwood and hardy aquatic plants such as Anubias or Microsorum would benefit your fish and give them places to hide if need be.

Like most Cyprinids, these fish live in pristine water in the wild, so they are therefore intolerant to the build-up of organic waste, so good filtration and frequent water changes are a must. It is also advisable to have a tight-fitting lid on your aquarium as these fish are known to jump out if startled.

The Red-Tailed Black Shark has a long and chunky body shaped very much like a torpedo. As juveniles, their bodies are a deep black colour, and their caudal fin is bright red; however, the black fades to a dark grey as they mature. Their dorsal fin sits roughly halfway back on their body, giving them a shark-like appearance.

Photos

Natural Habitat

Feeding

In the home aquarium, the Red Tailed Black Shark will readily accept most good quality dried foods such as granules, flakes and sinking pellets. These modern food products have been developed to provide all adequate nutrition to maintain your fish's health and dietary requirements.

Providing additional foodstuffs such as live, frozen, and freeze-dried meals such as bloodworm, daphnia, and tubifex once or twice a week will provide additional benefits to your fish's health and well-being but is not a must for this fish.

It should be noted that bloodworms should only be given as an occasional treat and should not be used as the staple diet as they are difficult for fish to digest and can potentially cause blockages.

This fish is an omnivore in the wild, meaning it will consume some vegetable matter. Although most modern fish foods take this into account and include them in their products, you can still supplement your fish's diet with blanched vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and zucchini. Ensure you do not overfeed your fish and remove any leftovers the following day.

Tank Mates

1 interesting tank mate ideas for the Red Tailed Black Shark could include:

Sexual Dimorphism

It is difficult to differentiate between the male and female Red-Tailed Black Sharks; when immature, however, once mature, the male's caudal fin is usually brighter than the female and is generally slightly slimmer. The males also develop longer extensions to their dorsal and anal fins.

In contrast, females are larger and plumper than males, and their overall colour is marginally duller.