big group of raimbow sharks possible?

[GermanDude]

Hi guys,

is there anyone who has kept 10+ rainbow sharks?
I'm thinking about put 12 or 15 young fish in a planted 5ft tank.
My idea is that there are no real territories available, just some plant cover.
I know it works at gouramies and many cichlids, but at rainbow sharks too?

Please don't answer if you don't ever kept at least 8 of them in one tank!

 

[Trouser Cough]

Nobody has kept a school of rainbow sharks and there's a good reason for it.

 

[fishguy1978]

Fish will establish territory even if the area doesn’t include a designated hide. Give it a try and let us know how it goes.

 

[Joshuakahan]

Hi guys,

is there anyone who has kept 10+ rainbow sharks?
I'm thinking about put 12 or 15 young fish in a planted 5ft tank.
My idea is that there are no real territories available, just some plant cover.
I know it works at gouramies and many cichlids, but at rainbow sharks too?

Please don't answer if you don't ever kept at least 8 of them in one tank!

Give it a shot, if it doesn’t work I’m sure LFS will take them off your hands. It’s not like you’ll be out much money

 

[GermanDude]

Thank you all, informations are contradictionary unfortunately.
The recommendation of just keeping one solo rainbow shark seems like to come from " old days" of fish keeping, when the average fish tank was much smaller then nowadays.
And squeezing two of them in a 20 gallon tank never worked out and they bothered all tankmates too.
And I have read about successfully housing 5 or six in roughly 100 gallons.
Quite a lot barbs and loaches are " aggressive" when stocked in little numbers.
But they are way different when living in big groups.
My concern is that the sharks may suffer, because their need for territory is essential and not providing many caves could stress threm , despite the distraction if interacting in a big group.
Further thoughts are really welcome!

 

[Redshark1]

I would not do this because of the fear of constant negative interactions. I would not like to see that. And it may result in losses of fish. But I don't know because I never read about someone doing that. So the possibility of glorious success is still present. Therefore I support your research.

 

[Trouser Cough]

So the possibility of glorious success is still present.

It is well known that Rainbow Sharks are intra-species aggressive and that they're also aggressive toward any other fish of similar shape and size. The wording of the OP''s initial comment suggests that he likely knows this.

 

[GermanDude]

Thank you, as far as I know they are not aggressive toward other fish when living in a kind of large tank and having some other rainbow sharks in there.
There will be a pecking order and small territories though.
And that's the point, what about increasing the number of fish and decreasing the opportunities of potential territories?
Not a bare tank, just a little emergency shelter, like it is done in haps and peacock tanks successfully.
I am curious but that does not justify cruelty.
That is why I asked for experience.

 

[L3CTR0N]

This thread made me dig up this Youtube channel. I remembered watching this guy years ago, amazed with how he managed to cohabit so many large and small rainbow and redtail sharks together.