You can also treat your Rainbow Sharks with live foods such as zooplankton, crustaceans, tubifex worms, insect larvae, phytoplankton, periphyton, brine shrimp, fish granules, brinefish and frozen bloodworms. As these are bottom dwelling fishes, it is suggested that you feed them with sinking food. You can feed Rainbow Sharks with algae in the form of tablets, wafers and flakes. Low quality foods will make them ill, lose color and constipate. They are not picky about food and eat anything that comes their way.ДЇor any aquarium fish, it is suggested that you supply them with good quality commercial foods. Rainbow Sharks are omnivores in the natural habitat they eat mostly lots of algae, small insects and larvae. Rainbow SharkвЂ™s Diet and Feeding Requirements Barbs are the only exception as they are known to cohabitate peacefully with rainbow sharks. Schooling fish dwell mostly every corner of the tank, so they are not suggested to be added to a shark tank. You should also need to avoid Shrimps, Bala Sharks, Cichlids and Catfish as tank mates. You need to make sure that you add Rainbow Shark after adding all other fishes, so that they do not claim the entire tank as their own territory.ДЄs discussed above the same species should be avoided in a smaller tank. You need to pick fish as tank mates who can defend themselves yet have a calm and strong personality. You need to take extra care while adding other fish species as their tank mates due to their aggressive and territorial nature. You can notice them taking possession of small rocks and caves in the tank and they can be extremely aggressive and chase away the intruders who stumble upon Rainbow SharkвЂ™s territory. They are not compatible with smaller fishes in the tank as they may terrorize them by chasing them from their territory.ДЄs Rainbow Sharks are very territorial and take possession of an area in the tank this can be overwhelming for many other freshwater fish species like Otocinclus catfish and Marbled hatchet.

If you are looking for a peaceful community fish tank, then Rainbow Shark is not the right choice for you. It can be surprising for you but you can still add Zebra Danios, Loaches, Gouramis, Rasboras, Siamese Algae Eaters and Plecos to a Rainbow Shark tank.

Rainbow sharks are more compatible with fishes which dwell mostly in the top and middle section like Rainbowfish and Barbs. Rainbow SharkвЂ™s Compatibility and Tank mates It is suggested that you change the water in the tank 25% once a week.ДЄ right water filter should be added to the tank, so that the tank is oxygenated all the time, keeping the tank clean and mild water flow to avoid algae formation.ДЄquarium filters like a sponge filter, hang on filter, internal filter, top filter, canister filter or a sump filter can be added to the tank as they are hardy fishes.ДЄn adult rainbow shark thrives in a minimum 30 gallons tank but it is not recommended as they need to have enough horizontal space for them to freely swim. There should not be any sudden changes in the water pH levels. The neutral pH ranges between 6 and 8 and the water hardness should be maintained between 5 and 11 dKH. A water heater can be used to maintain the temperatures in the tank for healthy and active Rainbow shark. One of the important requirements for shark tanks is that the lid is well fitted so that they do not jump out when they are initially introduced or when they are chasing other small fishes.ДЄs native Thai rivers are warm, the ideal water temperature should range between 75 and 81 вЏahrenheit (24 and 27 вЊelsius). If you are a fan of gravel substrate then you can add very fine gravel. As these fishes dwell mostly in the bottom section of the tank, gravel is not suggested. Sand is the best substrate in Rainbow SharkвЂ™s tank as the natural habitat resembles the same. Plants like Hornwort, Anubias Nana, Java Fern and Amazon Swords can be added to the tank. The plants also help prevent algae in tank and maintain nitrogen cycle. The tank should be planted with dense vegetation as it helps these fished to be distracted. It is mostly not suggested to keep rainbow sharks more than 1 in a tank but if you are really interested to keep 5 or 6 in a tank then the tank should be at least a 125 gallons tank.Дue to rainbow sharkвЂ™s territorial nature, you need to add lots of hiding places in the tank along with rocks and driftwood. They become more territorial and aggressive in smaller tanks as they fight for their own space. The tank should have plenty of horizontal space for these fishes to swim around. As mentioned above, these freshwater tropical fishes originate from the warm rivers to Thailand. Rainbow sharks are very active swimmers and it is not recommended that they are kept in aquariums which are less than 50 gallons.

Rainbow SharkвЂ™s Habitat and Tank Requirements