(Epalzeorhynchos bicolor)
Origin
The red-tailed black shark is native to central Thailand.
The species belongs to the family Cyprinidae and is now extinct from the natural environment, but quite commonly found in aquaristics.
There is no evidence to link the disappearance of fish from the natural environment, with its massive harvesting for aquaristics, rather its disappearance is due to the construction of dams and drainage of marshes, which were part of the habitat of this species.
It can be found in international and specialized literature under the names: red-tailed black shark, the redtail shark, Redtail sharkminnow or Labeo bicolor.
Feeding the red-tailed Black Shark
The red-tailed black shark is omnivorous; in addition to the whole range of live and dry food, it needs (at least once every two days) vegetable food.
Fish nibble with great pleasure finely boiled and frozen peas.
In the wild it feeds on algae, small crustaceans, insect larvae, etc.in captivity, in addition to food from petshops, they can also be given peas, cucumber, zucchini, spinach or fruit.
Characteristics and description red-tailed Black Shark
In aquaristics, the most frigid form is the black body, with the caudal fin deep red, or orange. Less often it can also be found in albino form, the body being white with red fins.
Prefers the lower areas of the basin. They are often incompatible with each other and should even be kept only in shoals, in pools of at least 1m long and over 100l.
In the case of a population with only 2-3 fish, controversies can be so violent that they lead to the loss of the dominated animal. In the case of specimens in banks approx.10 PCs. the struggle for dominance remains within normal limits. Although aggressive to each other, they will not hurt other fish in the aquarium. Also, temperament can vary from one individual to another, some being very calm and peaceful, others extremely violent.
It does not tolerate other species of 'shark' fish. Numerous stones, roots, broken pots and tubes must provide sufficient hiding opportunities for each fish. Planting will be done so as to mark boundaries of territory around the hiding places.
As a substrate is potrvit a very well washed river sand or pitris. A substrate containing peat as support is favorable but not mandatory. Strong filtration and partial weekly water exchange, which can be up to a quarter of the pool's capacity, contribute greatly to the overall health and well-being of the fish.
In the highly lit pools the fish do not feel well and tend to hide, while in the shaded pools with many floating plants the fish have the most intense activity.
The maximum size that these fish can have is 15 cm, and females can be larger than males.
Despite its popularity the red-tailed Black Shark as an aquarium species is rarely bred in optimal conditions. Puppies are sold without any information about behavior, size or lifespan. Most often sellers say that it is an algae eater, but this is not exactly true even if they like to sit among algae.
Breeding red-tailed Black Shark
Sexual dimorphism: the belly line of the female is somewhat rounder, the rear edge of the dorsal fin forms with the back line a right angle. The male's belly line is straight and the dorsal fin at the rear end is sharp.
Breeding is always problematic because of the aggressiveness of the fish.
Females with mature eggs are often so driven away by males that they jump out of the pool. Very large pools without a substrate or with a layer of peat, with many hiding places and a few potted plants offer the best chances of success.
The water in the breeding pool should be soft 2-5 GH, slightly acidic pH=6-6.5, filtered through peat, and the temperature of 26-27 degrees C. The Aquarium should be in a quiet place, as far as possible uncirculated and even close the windows with a dark pinza to create a state of peace for the fish.
When spawning is done, the adults must be removed from the pool and the eggs until the larvae hatch or even until the swim are kept in the dark.
Spawning in known cases has been done in hollows (broken ghvece). The larvae hatch after 48 hours and after another 48-72 hours the fish begin to swim in search of food. Fish will be fed with nauplii artemia and after 4-5 days and crushed peas.
Existing fish on our market are brought from Moldova or Ukraine where they are forced to reproduce by hormone injection.
