FAQs on the Freshwater Minnows called Sharks Behavior

FAQs on the Freshwater Minnows called Sharks Behavior

red tailed shark acting neurotic; just acting like a RTS 9/10/13
Greeting. I have a 29 gallon tank with 6 neons, 2 swordtails, 2 angels, and 2 red tailed shark.
<Aye yi yi... troubles ahead. The angels and minnow sharks will eat the neons; and two of the RTs won't live in this volume.>
All are new.
<Is this system cycled?>
All are small. I ordered 1 red tailed shark but there were 2 in the bag when I got them via 2 day delivery. The red tailed shark in question was the bolder of the 2. It only hid on day one. It had an orangish tail on day one - I couldn't call it bright red. On day 2 it took up residence in the upper back corner of the tank where the heater is and started to appear to "look up" or "look at itself" in the reflection on the back wall of the tank.
<This is the subdominant individual. It should be moved NOW. If you don't have a breeding trap/net or divider, a floating plastic colander will do>
Although I have fake plants and ornaments and driftwood for it to hide, it has been staying in this corner of the tank in the open. On day 3 the other shark, which had been hiding all this time seemed to join it and even seemed to mimic it but didn't stay only in the corner like the neurotic one. On day 3 also shark #1's tail was extremely pail, even white. I read that was a bad sign. Shark #2 still has an orange tail.
I had tetra flakes that I was feeding and saw everyone eating except the red tails. I got on the internet and researched what they eat and got some frozen shrimp brine today, day 4. Neither seemed really interested but shark #1 did not budge from his corner while shark #2 went missing for a while and certainly could have been eating. Every now and then shark #1
will become somewhat limp, float head up and seem listless and then regain control. These episodes last probably less than a minute. He (or she) just seems obsessed with staying in that corner and "looking at itself."
I see no evidence of conflict between the 2 sharks and there is peace in the overall tank.
<What you are describing is "non-physical" combat>
I turned the light off early tonight, if only to prevent it from continuing to look at itself so it would have to find something else to do. Any ideas what might be happening? Is it doomed? Thank you very much. Deb.
<Do search/read on WWM re the species. Bob Fenner>
red tailed shark acting neurotic Neale's (as usual, better) go 9/12/13
Greeting. I have a 29 gallon tank with 6 neons, 2 swordtails, 2 angels, and 2 red tailed shark.
<Ah, now here's one problem! Red-Tail Black Sharks don't cohabit; at least, not in aquaria. Unless you have some insanely large aquarium (200+ gallons) they just won't tolerate one another. Remove one as quickly as possible.
Long term, even one specimen is too much for 29-gallons except within the shortest possible time-frame (a few weeks). You'll need 55+ gallons for a singleton bigger than, say, 5 cm/2 inches. They're big fish when mature, and grow quickly when well kept, and they're also very active and
territorial.>
All are new. All are small. I ordered 1 red tailed shark but there were 2 in the bag when I got them via 2 day delivery. The red tailed shark in question was the bolder of the 2.
<Bolder = bully in this situation.>
It only hid on day one. It had an orangish tail on day one - I couldn't call it bright red.
<Is some variation, depending on mood, genes, gender and age. Often the truly deep red colour comes with age and under subdued lighting and good conditions; stressed fish tend to "fade".>
On day 2 it took up residence in the upper back corner of the tank where the heater is and started to appear to "look up" or "look at itself" in the reflection on the back wall of the tank.
<Again, a clear sign of territoriality.>
Although I have fake plants and ornaments and driftwood for it to hide, it has been staying in this corner of the tank in the open. On day 3 the other shark, which had been hiding all this time seemed to join it and even seemed to mimic it but didn't stay only in the corner like the neurotic one. On day 3 also shark #1's tail was extremely pail, even white. I read that was a bad sign. Shark #2 still has an orange tail.
<See above.>
I had tetra flakes that I was feeding and saw everyone eating except the red tails. I got on the internet and researched what they eat and got some frozen shrimp brine today, day 4.
<Not really their prime diet. In the wild they feed on "aufwuchs", the mix of algae and tiny invertebrates that encrust rocks and leaves. A mix of fresh green algae, soft or blanched vegetables (such as lettuce and courgette); algae wafers; and small invertebrates like bloodworms and brine shrimp fit the bill nicely. Variety is key, but with the understanding they're omnivores not carnivores, so balance green and meaty foods wisely.
Bright light to spur green algae growth is a major plus.>
Neither seemed really interested but shark #1 did not budge from his corner while shark #2 went missing for a while and certainly could have been eating. Every now and then shark #1 will become somewhat limp, float head up and seem listless and then regain control. These episodes last probably less than a minute. He (or she) just seems obsessed with staying in that corner and "looking at itself." I see no evidence of conflict between the 2 sharks and there is peace in the overall tank.
<May well be no fighting yet, but will be... give it time.>
I turned the light off early tonight, if only to prevent it from continuing to look at itself so it would have to find something else to do. Any ideas what might be happening? Is it doomed?
<In the wrong tank, yes, the species becomes stressed, throws itself about, and often jumps out to an early death. Basically, they're the wrong fish for your set-up.>
Thank you very much. Deb.
<Red Tail Black Sharks are one to a tank, and one to a BIG tank at that.
Hope this helps. Cheers, Neale.>

two silver sharks have started swimming against the current of my pump together. Species? - 10/09/10
hello,
<Hello,>
I have two silver sharks in my tank along with about 5 guppies, and a nursery with a baby guppy inside.
<Okay.>
Recently, my two silver sharks have started swimming against the current of my pump together, circling each other.
<Indeed.>
They do this for quite a long period of time, a few times a day. any ideas what it is their doing? Thanks.
<Are these Bala Sharks or Colombian Sharks?
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/minnowshks.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ariidcats.htm
Both are called Silver Sharks, which confuses matters. Bala Sharks need lots of space and tend to be sensitive and neurotic if kept in tanks smaller than, say, 100 gallons. Colombian Sharks are brackish to marine fish that won't ever do well in freshwater tanks. Even in brackish or marine conditions they are very active fish being migratory animals in the wild, and need at least 100 gallons and realistically 150, 200 gallons to look their best. In short, more information will help track down the problem here. Cheers, Neale.>

Red Tail Shark Barrel Rolls 3/1/09 Hey WWM, I've had this red tail shark for over 4 years and he has been swimming in barrel rolls since this morning. He was originally in a 40 gallon tank, but kept attacking my Bala, which he lived with for 4 years, so I moved him to a 20 gallon tank by himself. He's been there for about 9 months and has done good since the move. He has always acted a little weird, like propping himself tail down against a rock or outside the cave. Most of the time he hides in a large dark cave. This barrel roll behavior is definitely new. I checked the water, which was a little basic, so I did a 20% water change and added 2 tbsp. of aquarium salt. I checked back every 2 hours and have noticed little change. He's not running into walls, and he can trace the perimeter of the tank without rolling, but when he gets to open water, he begins spinning. Any ideas? Thanks, Josh <Hi Josh. When fish go "loopy" it's often caused by a sudden change in water quality or chemistry. So since you've also detected a change in pH, this is what I'd study carefully. If you're using "salt" to control water chemistry -- you're not! Sodium chloride does precisely nothing to pH and hardness. Do see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwh2oquality.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsoftness.htm Cheers, Neale.>

Tricolor/Red finned Sharks. beh. - 12/07/06 Hey there, tis Michelle again! Only this time I have a question for a friend, not my own fishies- they're doing quite lovely at the moment. :) He's had his red fin since early October. It's been in the same type of 5 gallon I have- he's been saving up for a 20 gallon and it will be available to him in one week to transfer his fishie to. Here's the problem- today, and only as of today, the red fin has gotten a bit sluggish. It stays near the bottom quite a bit (more than usual of course, in terms of a red fin) he is a very lively fish. It's strange. He opens and closes his mouth quite a lot and moves very lazily. He also ran into the wall earlier. <Likely related> He constantly 'sits' around, and stares at the walls- and although the actions don't seem outrageously alarming, my friend loves the fish very much and is very concerned. Is it the fact that the fish is in too small of a tank, and it's taking a toll? <Likely so> Does any of this sound familiar to you? Please let us know if it sounds like anything of considerable worry. Thanks again, Michelle <Lazing about is a stock behavior/trait at times for minnow sharks... as is bonking themselves on too-small tank sides, tops... leaping out ala Polaris Missiles... A larger tank, with places to hide/get out of the light is advised. Bob Fenner>

Can fish be epileptic? Yes... Schreckstoffes and Bala Sharks, other Ostariophysian Fishes 8/3/06 Hi Guys I hope you can help me because I have a fish who has always behaved oddly but is getting worse. My partner and I inherited a 90 litre tank with too many fish in it, two of which were Bala sharks. We have recently upgraded this to a 180 litre tank. The larger of the two Bala sharks has always been a bit skittish and nervous, <This is the species natural behavior... can be lessened in degree with lots of room, placement of home in a high/er traffic area, the use of plants, other decor they can "hide in"> not liking it when anyone approached the glass and only eating when he thought no one was looking, something we put down to his not having enough room in his original home, but he has been getting worse lately. <Oh... perhaps something further...> We have seen on a few occasions that he seems to have fits as well as being nervous. He shakes and thrashes about as would an epileptic human, and than goes very still. The first time this happened we thought he had died and very nearly flushed him. Then he started moving again, but upside down, so we were still tempted to freeze him because we thought that he had permanently damaged himself. After a bit he righted himself but seemed to rather sluggish. Slowly he came back to being the Big Silv that we know and love, but this has happened again to lesser extents a few times subsequently. If the only issue was that he has fits we would just leave him to it, since his quality of life when not fitting seems to be ok and he does not appear to stress out his tank mates, but he injures himself. He has not recently had a fit that either of us has seen and seems perfectly happy in his new home as far as his personal parameters allow him to be. The water is fine and all of his tank mates are healthy. As far as we can tell he does not have hole in the head disease and as we have had him for about a year now, we assume that this disease would have killed him by now if that was the case. <Mmm, there is a good explanation...> He regularly rips his fins and knocks scales off of himself, but the worst of it is that he repeatedly injures his nose (and occasionally one eye) on the glass ledge or the gravel. Because he is so jumpy (frequently out of the tank jumpy) he never allows this time to heal and it is really ragged now. So, my questions: Is it possible that he has fishy epilepsy? <Much more likely this is a "fright contagion"> Is it possible that he has permanently damaged his brain either in a fit or in one of his nervous jumps? <Possibly> Is there anything we can do about this without poisoning the others? <Yes> Is there anything we can do to help his nose to heal given that we have to approach the tank to feed them all and operate their light? <Best to allow this to self-cure rather than getting involved in possibly poisoning your whole system, all livestock> Is this a doomed fish or are we doing the right thing in trying to maintain his quality of life as best we can in the circumstances? <Not likely doomed> Please help because he would be a great loss to us and we would really like to help him to be healthier, happier and longer lived. Many Thanks Fran <Thank you for writing so well, completely, compassionately. I suspect that this minnow shark is involved in a situation where it has damaged its skin, releasing a chemical or few that is continuing to mal-affect its behavior. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/FrightChemsFWArt.htm and the linked FAQs file above... I would add a modicum of activated carbon in your filter/flow path here in attempt to filter out this/these materials. Bob Fenner>

Red tailed shark as babysitter? - 05/13/2006 Hello! Before I ask my questions, let me just say that I'm really enjoying your site...I've been reading through the FAQ's and find them very informative. <Thanks for stating so> I recently set up a 20 gallon aquarium (for it's calming effect) <Heee! Aquariums are (or seem to be) only calming to non-owners!> and everything (plants, snails, fish) is thriving. I woke up one morning to discover fry...and thought "How cute!". Then one fry was eaten. Needless to say, the relaxation part of fish-keeping flew out the window as I couldn't catch the fry to remove them to a smaller aquarium (they hid in a cave and among the plants). So, I boiled aquarium rocks to make more fish caves, bought more plants for the fry to hide in, etc. I also bought a liquid fry food, which all the fish seem to love (they're all still quite small). I don't know how many fry there were as I only ever saw two at a time, but two have survived... because of the red tailed shark. He's become the fry-sitter. Have you ever heard of this? <Mmm, no... Neat!> The little shark took over a large cave, and he allows the fry to 'hang out' with him. He chases the other fish away whenever they come close, <This part is very common though...> thus keeping the fry from being eaten. At first I thought he (or she) might be keeping the fry for his own dinner, but no. The 2 fry are about 4 weeks old now, and they're getting quite big. They swim about freely...with the shark. I've Googled 'red tailed shark' as babysitter but needless to say, found nothing. Is this weird, or does the shark think the fry are his/hers? <Don't know... but these "minnow sharks" don't display parental care behavior with their own in the wild or captivity...> Also, I just bought a 35 gallon hex tank, and I'm going to transfer some of the fish there. If I put some of the filter material and water from the established aquarium into the new filter and aquarium, will it cycle more quickly? <Yes. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm and the linked files above re> I'm just wondering how many fish at a time I should transfer after the water is ready. <Try a few, test the water... move a few more in weekly intervals...> I also have a large tank, 80 gallon, I think, so if these fish keep reproducing I'll be ok. I haven't set up the large tank yet though...I can't lift it by myself to put it on the stand. <Do get some (strong) help here... watch your back!> Sorry for going on so long! I look forward to hearing from you. Take care! Kathy <Thank you for writing, sharing. Bob Fenner>

Bala Sharks - Fighting or Loving 2/10/06 What a great site for a beginner. I've been checking your site for information on my Bala sharks. Although I have found many posters with similar questions I still need some clarity. I have 2 Bala sharks that don't appear to get on (about 4inches, had one for 3months the other for 4weeks). The first one was alone for 3 weeks after his other Bala mate died. I introduced another to keep him company but he didn't seem to accept the new Shark at all. <Happens> After being out for a few hours we returned to find a piece of the new shark's fin had been bitten off. That was coupled with lots of chasing around the tank. This has settled down but still flares up a fair amount, especially around feeding time. To my surprise his tail has re-grown to it's original size. Now they are doing the rubbing motion a lot of people are putting down as mating. <Mmm, no... challenging. Are much larger when breeding> No answers seem to have come as to say if it is mating or not. Could it just be aggression, bullying? <Mostly, yes> That is what it seems like to me (IÂ¹m no expert mind you). So if itÂ¹s a form of advanced aggression/bullying, IÂ¹m going to have to give the new shark back to the shop to save him. If itÂ¹s mating, IÂ¹ll leave them to it. But I canÂ¹t stress enough that the chasing, the poking, the rubbing Â it looks like a form of bullying. Any light on this would be great and also maybe just as pivotal a question. Can the Bala shark survive and live a happy, healthy life without other Bala sharks for company? <Yes> (I read everywhere that they need company, but my original one looked happy for those 3 weeks alone, only to turn into a right grump when I introduced Â³his new friendÂ²) Ps: I change and check my water twice a week and havenÂ¹t over populated my tank and have no other problems with my clown loaches or platies amongst themselves or with other fish) I love my sharks but will remove one if heÂ¹s going to be bullied into an early grave! Cheers in advance Mark <Have seen many healthy single Balas. Bob Fenner> Albino Sharks too skinny... beh., systems 2/1/06 I have a 15 gal tank with 4 Albino Sharks, <Too small for these testy minnows> 2 Otos and 1 Chinese Algae Eater. One of the sharks looks very healthy, not fat but good sized. The other 3 look skinny, very skinny. <Typical... the one winner is bullying the others> I had a 5th shark in the tank that looked very good with the other 4 skinny. After I removed the normal looking one, 1 of the 4 skinny sharks then fattened up to look normal. Will one Albino Shark bully the others and eat more of the food thereby keeping them skinny? <Ah, yes!> That looks to be the case. If this is the case, is there any solution other than 1 shark per tank? <Mmm, a larger tank... at least sixty gallons. You can/could try to add "decor", plants to reduce visual stimulation... but this is only a short term solution... Bob Fenner> Thanks, David McGinnis

Bala Shark Behavior/Ick... troubles 1/16/06 Hello, <Hi there> I have had 2 Bala sharks for about a week now, and they seem active, it's just that they are constantly running up and down the left side of my fish tank (20g) as if they are crazy seeing their reflections or something. Is there something wrong? I have never heard of this! <I have... not atypical at all... BTW: This tank is about as long as this species grows to...> Also, last night before i turned the aquarium light off, all of my fish (2 balas, one female and one male swordtail, and 6 zebra danios) seemed to be doing fine. But this morning, (so unfortunate!!) one of my zebras had died, and the male swordtail had died. The male had apparently died from ick (which showed no signs the night before) and the ick has now spread to one of my other danios and the female swordtail. I treated the tank with ick treatment capsules, <Ingredients?> and i also quarantined the two sick fish separately with treatment. Was this the right thing to do? <... Please see WWM re FW ich... need to raise temperature, assure that the medication used isn't absorbed otherwise...> If my two sick fish make it through the ick, how long after they seem better should i add them to my main fish tank again? <Mmm, your system "has" the ich...> I have also heard that ick is caused by sudden stress level or sudden temperature changes in your fish tank. <Often, yes, these are the two principal factors> My temperature has stayed at 78 degrees since I have set up the tank a week and a half ago, <... is this tank cycled?> and the fish in my tank seem to give each other no problems at all. I'm a little confused, and frustrated. Any help you could give me would be awesome. Thanks, Jaime <Please see WWM (and quick) re Biological Cycling, Testing as well. Bob Fenner>

Red Finned Shark (Rainbow Shark?) 12/5/05 Hi, I have a 29 gallon planted aquarium with various different types of plants (Giant Vallisneria, Elodea (Anacharis), Amazon Sword, Banana Plant, Some Plant that has very fine needle like leaves and is a floater) with CO2 injection and strong lighting. My fish stock is: 6 Gold Barbs 6 Cherry Barbs 6 White Skirt Tetras 1 Red Finned (I think Rainbow) Shark My water parameters are: Ammonia: 0.0 Nitrite: 0.0 Nitrate < 10 ph 7.2 Alkalinity: 140 <Great!> I do a 20% water change every 2 weeks to keep the tank in top shape. Anyways my question is what type of food does my red finned shark eat. I have yet to see this shark eat and I've tried sinking Spirulina and regular tropical flakes both types of food get ignored by the shark and usually end up being feasted on by my gold barbs (remind me of my goldfish's eating habits). I've read that they eat algae but I've never had any visible algae in this tank. Do you know of any way to get this shark to eat? He seems to hide in a cave structure all day and only comes out when another fish intrudes on his territory. Thanks for any help. Robert <Assuming your fish is a Labeo erythrurus (Google the name for pics), s/he sounds like it's acting like a typical Labeo erythrurus. Some do like to hide all day. They are omnivorous. As far as veggies, you might try sinking algae pellets, peeled garden peas (pop the skin off and they'll sink), cucumber slices, non-iceberg lettuce, etc. Remove leftovers after about 12 hours to avoid rotting bits. You can also try these at night -- your fish may be shy and might come out to eat at dark. Frozen bloodworms and or brine shrimp also are good choices for picky eaters. Best of luck with him. Keep us posted. Catherine>

More than one red tailed shark? 9/1/05 Hello again. Quick question. I have a 108 gallon and have among other fish six "flying foxes". I just purchased a red tailed black shark about 1.5 inches. Settling in ok but have found him to be chasing the foxes now and then. Being similar in shape I understand why. Everything I've heard about this fish is to keep one specimen. This tank is heavily planted and I was wondering if I could or should keep a small school to stop the aggression toward the foxes? Could this work and what would you consider to be an acceptable number in this particular tank? Leave as is or more sharks? Your advice is the best out there!!!............Tanks a lot..............Craig P. <It is a very territorial fish, that will be more aggressive as it matures. You can keep the sharks in a small group when they are young, but it will be increasingly difficult as they mature. I would stick with one, unless you want to add 3 more and remove them as they get older and more aggressive. Good Luck, Oliver >

Red tail shark swimming funny 9/1/05 Hello.. I have a fairly new tank (almost a month) and have had the water levels checked, and everything appears to be in order. I have 2 Dalmatian mollies (new to fish so not sure of the sex), and a male betta, and a red tail shark (again not sure of the sex), I started with the mollies, 2 weeks later added the betta and then the shark. The red tail shark hides in any caves he can and stays there ALL THE TIME. He doesn't come out to eat. I just fed the fish and noticed that he wasn't coming out of his cave, so I picked up the cave and shook it around (he usually comes out when I do this, but doesn't eat), today he didn't come out and was swimming on his head upside down and would roll around so he was right side up and is continually moving around in this manner with all fins moving. Should I be worried? <Yes> It was almost like maybe I made him dizzy when I was trying to shake him out of the cave to feed him . Please help. Would you suggest that I buy another so he has a friend? <No... too likely to fight> He is the shy/ anti-social bunch. The other three seem to get along fine. There is some chasing, but they seem happy. I think I have a female molly and the betta and other molly I think are males. I was going to go to the fish store where I bought them and have them check my water levels again. Any idea what is happening to my shark?? <Possibly just getting used to the tank... maybe doesn't like the type of food you're offering... perhaps is eating when you're not observing... I would just be patient here. Bob Fenner> F.Y.I. I finally got the shark out of its hiding place and noticed 2 small dark spots (like another set of eyes ) near the head of the fish. what does this mean? Is this why he/she is swimming funny?? Jenn <Likely just the natural markings of this species... easier to see when the fish is frightened or when the lights have been off for a while... Bob Fenner>

Jumping Bala shark? 7/11/05 Our shark is leaping out of our 55 gallon tank and swimming erratically. <Something's amiss with water quality... or stray electricity> We had to separate him from the other fish in the tank. he is listless and moves very little in his new space but is 'calmer'. Any ideas why he would be shifting color (from dark to light) and hanging vertically in the tank? <As stated, something is wrong here... I would check your water for chemistry and electrical leak. Bob Fenner>

Tri color sharks I have three tri color sharks and recently I have noticed that one is bright red around his fins and is spotting. I have only noticed it on one and it's behavior has been a little weird also he opens and closes his mouth rapidly. If you have any idea what it could be please e-mail me back or if you know where I could find an answer. thank you, Frank >> Not a good sign... generally this appearance is attributed to poor water quality or a trauma (these big minnows are big jumpers as you know, will know)... with septicemia, petecchia resulting (bloody markings as you relate). What I would do? A large water change, and add a teaspoon of non-iodized salt per ten gallons (just once, it doesn't go away, except with water changes), and hope for the best. This is a tough species, and if the specimen has hurt itself, it will almost assuredly heal. Bob Fenner

Tricolor (Bala) shark habits <Good morning! Ryan with you today> We recently purchased 4 tricolor sharks. <I assume you mean Balantiocheilus melanopterus, from the carp/minnow family> We have noticed that 2 of them seem to ALWAYS swim together and twitch and rub against one another. Is this normal? <Yep! Quite an interesting fish to watch, very hardy. A good aquarium pick in most cases.> Is there anything we need to do? <Perhaps provide some coverage, they do like to hide a little. It does breed in captivity. Lots of great info on these guys. Start with fishbase.org, and go from there!> Thanks <Sure>

Bala Shark behavior Why do my Bala sharks shimmy and rub up against one another especially when I feed them? Also can I breed them and can you tell male from female? Amy <Hi Amy, Don here. I've never kept Bala Sharks so I did a little research. Seems this is a common behaviour for them, especially after feeding. Unless everyone happens to have a pair, I would think this is not linked to breeding, which is very rare in captivity. I know of know way to sex them. See link. http://www.suite101.com/discussion.cfm/16672/99195 >

Fishy Questions... naturally jumpy Bala Hello. I am just another curious fish owner and I saw your email on wetwebmedia.com so I decided to email you my questions. First I have 8 Tiger barbs(2 are albino), 1 Bala shark, 2 Red tailed black shark(1 Albino), and a Pleco. All of my fish are in a 35 Gallon tank. The tank was recently heavily vegetated and had many hiding spots for the fish, however when I got tired of my Bala sharks weird behavior I took a good bit of Vegetation out of my tank to give him more room to swim hoping that would fix his strange behavior. Now let me explain the problem. All my other fish are very calm in the tank, even when I tap on the glass they just seem to ignore it. However, when ever I come about 1 or 2 feet close to the tank. My Bala shark goes nuts! He takes off from one side to the other swimming up and down the side of the aquarium, then he will dart behind something and hide or jam himself into a tight corner or position. After a while, he will calm down and stay in a corner. He then jerks and shakes randomly and he looks like a dead fish. Whenever I leave the room and come back in later (but stay away from the tank) I can see from a distance he is just acting normal and swimming around, but when I get up close the whole cycle happens again. Do you know what is wrong?? I had two other Bala sharks and that didn't help at all. They soon died off though but he survived. --Please email me at XXXX@excite.com < Your Bala shark gets to over a foot long and like lots of area to swim. I would try and get a few more and make a small school for him. Be prepared to get a much larger tank as they grow. You could also try smaller bulbs or put the tank in an area without so much foot traffic.-Chuck> Thanks --Puzzled in Louisiana

Unusual behavior or RT Shark I have a guppy tank with 10 half inch guppy fry. My red tailed shark (2.5 inches) seems to be acting very strange. He sort of chases the guppies from his cave but he does this flicking thing, like he bolts for about 4 inches very quickly, turns sideways then swims to the bottom. also he does this when there's no other fish to chase. My red-tailed shark also seem to like to be cleaned by the guppy fry. He'll lay on the bottom and the guppy fry will well pick on him like cleaning him. Is any of this behavior seem strange to you or the "flicking thing" unusual? <Not unusual... normal... but there is a concern going forward re compatibility... the Shark will likely cause your guppies trouble as it gets larger> P.S. my tank for the freshwater barracuda (Ctenolucius hujeta) is 49 gallon tank that my cichlids used to be in. will this tank be ok and do I need to make any water adjustments? <Likely will be fine. Bob Fenner>

Bala shark twitching Hello We have a 29 gallon tank with one Bala shark, 3 painted tetras, 6 zebras, 1 baby angel, 1 rainbow, 1 gourami, 3 green cobra guppies, 3 red swords and 2 Cory cats. Problem: Bala has been twitching since we got him 3 weeks now. We never see him eat- flakes so far. Now he is occasionally swimming nose down. Any suggestions? smiley <Mmm, try different foods... this minnow shark is social, does like and require larger quarters when it's bigger, but rarely refuses food... Likely it is just unfamiliar with the format you are offering... try some frozen/defrosted meaty foods or live. Bob Fenner>

Colorless minnow sharks I have a 30 gal tank with 3 balas and 3 redtails (1/2 in each) and two of the three redtails actually are lacking color in their tails. Is there any particular reason for this? <Three principal possibilities (or a combination thereof)... Genetic... some are just not from colorful stock Nutritional... not fed enough of what it takes to color up Environmental... water conditions don't suit them. Likely yours are just young... will color up given your good care, a mix of foods (some fresh, some green) and regular maintenance (water changes...). Bob Fenner>

Albino Shark Hi, I am amateur fish owner. I have an albino rainbow shark. This fish likes to swim along the edges of the tank and is usually pretty mellow. All of the sudden he's hiding a lot. I check my water every other day and the quality is good. What could this behavior be? Thank you. <Not unusual for this minnow-shark species to be or become more reclusive. This is likely "nothing" to be concerned about. Just do make sure it is feeding (sinking pellets and wafers, cooked squash...). Bob Fenner>

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