# red tailed shark



## jaylivg (Jul 20, 2014)

Originally , we had a pair of red tailed shark , one of them was always chasing the other one and many other cichlids in the tank . Finally one of the shark ended up very stress and dying .

Fast forward , weeks later , this morning i just noticed my red zebra was on the bottom corner of the tank , that's his hiding spot i know , but he didn't move too much Still breathing , moves when i tap the tank but not away from his spot . Then i noticed his tail is gone . I suspected it was the red tail shark , since he's always chasing everyone else out , including a 4 inches venustus being chased by it .

What should i do ? should i just remove that shark ? i really think what happened with the zebra had to do with the shark . should i just wait and watch ? but i don't want to lose any fish ..

thanks !


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## Burner460 (Jul 24, 2014)

Depends on how big those zebras are. The RTS can be relentless/vicious towards fish with red tails, but won't survive for too long with mbuna if the water parameters are favouring the cichlids. Also, I'd hate to see what happens to that shark if it was to try anything with a sexually mature male mbuna. Again, depends on size. If the shark is much bigger, it will chase but usually refrain from doing physical damage. If they're the same size or just slightly smaller, mbuna can be relentless if attacked even just once and the shark might not know what hit him.

Moral of the story here though, these fish are not compatible at all. Biggest reason being water parameters.


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## jaylivg (Jul 20, 2014)

We realized that after we bought the red tailed shark . We bought them from the local fish store , we did ask if they will be okay with yellow labs , zebra , and demasoni , he said oh yes it'll be okay . Later on i found out that it tends to be bully , and we had only 2 , and proven the other one was dead after being chased relentlessly . 
The water is favoring mbuna , doesn't seem to bother the shark . The size is about 2-3 inches just like the zebra's size . But the shark will chase out the venustus , which is a lot bigger than himself .


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## Burner460 (Jul 24, 2014)

here's the thing. the shark is uncomfortable in those water parameters, which is probably making it extra aggressive and territorial. I'm only saying this from personal experience, b/c i too wanted to keep RTSs with my mbuna, they look great. I went through about 4 of them over the years. It will either die suddenly (water parameter-related stress), or the mbuna will outgrow it and eventually kill it (red zebras grow especially big and especially aggressive). The RTS is a bit of a slow grower, so if it was let's say twice the size of the zebras, it would probably be ok for about a year or so while killing a couple more of them before they caught up.

Trust me, once they reach sexual maturity, mbuna can be like Jekyll and Hyde...


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

There is no real issue with water parameters. Red tail shark comes from harder waters. A general hardness of dH 5-15. Lake Malawi has a general hardness of dH 4-6. pH is less important but there is over lap as RTS are listed up to pH 7.5. It's not particularly fussy about "water paranaters" and I have never heard of anyone altering their water to accommodate an RTS. Local water conditions are usually more then fine as they are an aquarium strain sold and accustomed to local water already. I know of many people who have had them for years as well as having had them in cichlid tanks myself, for many years, a few different times. Water here is moderately hard (and yes that means significantly harder then lake Malawi) and has pH out of the tap 7.9 -8.4 and remains stable in the aquarium. No problems for an RTS and no reason why it would be!

2 RTS in the same tank is always a no-no. I doubt the tail damage on the zebra is from the RTS. They hit with there heads to attack or defend, rather then bite with there mouth. So causing tail damage is really not too likely.
Like any fish, they may or may not work out due to particular circumstances. There aggressive, but IME there generally on the very bottom of the pecking order in a cichlid tank. Even gouramis are often dominant over them IME. Mbuna, like other cichlids, pay some attention to it, but generally not a lot. I would think that if they are dominant it is usually shortly after purchase from a petshop. Only for a brief time, and probably with some size advantage.

From what I read in another thread, this is a 36 gal. tank (?). Always more chance for some kind of aggression problem in small space. Things may work better in your new 90 gal.
Mbuna tanks can be very stressful because of aggression. One or another mbuna may have problems making it, just like an RTS might. Often there will be less interest in it, then other cichlids, but of course if you end up on the bottom of the pecking order, your chances are probably a little less.


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## Burner460 (Jul 24, 2014)

This is interesting, b/c every time i've tried to keep one with Mbuna they always died randomly. Clearly you have more experience than me with successfully keeping RTSs, so would you say their death in 40G, 55G, and even 75G tanks are mostly due to stress?

I always assumed it was water parameters, since they come from Thailand and are naturally suited to softer-water streams, not rocky lakes.


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## jaylivg (Jul 20, 2014)

It might not be the RTS , but from what we watched over time , he's always the one chasing our cichlids . And probably because the cichlids is about his own size , in that 36 gal , we only bought them in small sizes , around 2 inches size . ( the venustus has grown sooo fast though ) RTS always chased everyone else , and also the demasoni , i know the RTS won't mess around with demasoni , demasoni was also a big mean fish anyway .

Oh well i have moved some of the big fish .. venustus , and also frontosa and jewel into the big tank last night , they seems pretty happy . I'll be monitoring RTS for the next few days . I also put some medicine for the zebra guy ... hope he heals quick , at least he still swims and interesting in food .


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## JP_92 (Aug 2, 2013)

Red tail shark is just a minnow. It definitely did not tear up your zebra's tail.

I've had my red tail shark in my tank for over a year. Loves to chase the cichlids and I see no problem with it. Haven't had a death since some bloat problems when I first started up.

What is your tank size and complete stock list? One of your other cichlids is to blame for your problems, likely the venustus or demasoni.


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