Species Profile

Red Tail Shark

Epalzeorhynchos bicolor

Sharkssemi-aggressive

Adult size

5″

Minimum tank

55 gal

Temperature

72–79°F

6.5–7.5

Schooling

Solitary OK

Water level

bottom

Diet

Sinking pellets, algae wafers, frozen

Notes

Jet-black body with a bright red tail, iconic ever since 1950s tropical aquarium books. Critically endangered in the wild; nearly all in the hobby are captive-bred. Highly territorial, strictly one per tank.

Build a tank →Photo credits

Photo: Caveman99 / Wikimedia Commons · Source · CC-BY-SA-3.0