# Sharks and Cichlids.



## bluejack23 (Jan 23, 2012)

Im posting this to see how many of us keep sharks and cichlids together.
If you keep an aquarium such as this please share tank size/tankmates and a pic/video.
here is a photo of my "sail-fin" shark labiobarbus festivus I think. I may add a rainbow shark when I upgrade my tank.
current stock in mt 75 gallon (soon to be 125/150). marineland c-360, marineland maxijet 400, 35% waterchange weekly
red spot severum(m)
rotkeil(green)?? seveum (m) 
ebjd(m)
bgjd(f)
firemouth(m)
red hump geo (m)
Labiobarbus Festivus(?)
hi-fin spotted pleco


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## bluejack23 (Jan 23, 2012)

*A video of my tank will be uploaded tonight!


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Very interesting fish, Blue jack. Never even heard of Labiobarbus festivus before. From what I read on the internet they get to around 12" and are suposed to have a mild temperment.

Problem with the term 'shark' is that it is a common name and refers to many different fishes, that are not neccessarily closely related at all. For freshwater fishes, a few fishes in the family Cyprinidae go by the common name of 'shark'....I beleive these fishes, kept with cichlids, is what this thread is about. But again, these can be very different fishes that are not always that closely related. Even the black shark, though it looks fairly similar and is considered to be in the same sub-family as a rainbow and red-tailed shark, are of a different genus and are not considerd to be all that closely related.

I don't currently have any sharks...but will probably purchase another red-tailed shark sometime, over the next few years. I've had a few rainbow, red-tailed, black and a bala shark at one time or another.

Bala shark is a completely different fish then the other 'sharks' I have kept. Mine was given to me from my brother, already at good size, 12"+. It grew to 16"; I lost it while moving. It swims constantly in the upper part of the tank, has very mild temperment but can defend itself from cichlids when it has to. One of the rare occasions I witnessed an aggressive encounter with the bala and cichlids is the 1st time my large pair of oscars laid eggs. The oscars didn't like the bala swimming over their eggs. Like other sharks they whack with their heads to defend themselves.....one fight with the pair of oscars was all it took, and the oscars never again, tried to stop him from using the whole top of the tank for swimming space.

I've had a few rainbow sharks in the past. IME, they don't have suffecient girth to be kept with large CA. Even at 6" or so ....every one i have ever had, ended up in the belly of a JD or RD/midas.

I like black sharks, but they get so big and aggressive. They need big tanks.....and preferably tankmates that they are NOT able to dominate, because they can be awfully nasty, IME.

Had a few red-tailed sharks over the years. I would think they are aggressive compared to most 'community' fish.....but i have seldom witnessed much aggression from them, probably in large part because they are smaller and subordinate to the cichlids. My last red-tailed shark was purchased Jan. 2009 and kept in a 180 gal. with 2 pairs of cons, a pair of jewels, 1 young male BB, what I beleive to be 2 young female BB, and a female sal. Here's video from Jan., 2010 that shows the red-tail shark a little bit:
http://s192.photobucket.com/albums/z116/Bern-C/?action=view&current=IMGP1895.mp4
http://s192.photobucket.com/albums/z116/Bern-C/?action=view&current=IMGP1898.mp4


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## bluejack23 (Jan 23, 2012)

thanks for the great reply! it is indeed about fish commonly called sharks. I haven't kept balas due to their size/nature and my lack of tank size. I hadn't really thought of a rainbow being food for my jack, do you think a red tail would do better with my current stock in a six foot tank? I want to add more geos but my "shark" harasses my current one. I hope to add another shark to distract my current one so to speak. That was a nice red tail btw!


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

oops! 2nd video doesn't show the red-tail. This one does a little bit:http://s192.photobucket.com/albums/z116/Bern-C/?action=view&current=IMGP1900.mp4


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

bluejack23 said:


> I hadn't really thought of a rainbow being food for my jack, do you think a red tail would do better with my current stock in a six foot tank?


IME, a rainbow and a red-tailed shark are very similar fishes. But they do have very different body proportions. A rainbow is long and skinny; a red-tailed short and stubby. Not saying that a JD WILL swallow it for sure, but it does have insuffecient girth if a large JD should decide to attempt it. My JD's did. And length don't mean much when it comes to swallowing......fish don't seem to mind going a few days with a tail sticking out of their mouth! :lol:


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