Black Shark

The Black Shark Fish (Labeo chrysophekadion) is one of the large freshwater shark species native to Malaysia and Southeast Asia's rivers and streams. They are often sold with much smaller freshwater shark species, however they grow to be considerably larger and more aggressive than Redtail or Rainbow Sharks. In larger aquariums, black sharks can grow up to 2 feet long and have an aggressive temperament to match their size.

They're best suited to aquariums with greater community fish species or New World Cichlids that can handle the Black Shark's aggressive attitude. Hobbyists should think about aquarium decor as well as tank mates because of their big size. Plants should be well-rooted and hardier species, crowded around wood roots or rocks to avoid being dug up. Furthermore, the aquarium aquascaping design should provide ample open room for the Black Shark Fish to swim freely.

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Diet

Black sharks are omnivore, meaning they will eat anything from plant stuff to small fish. Quality commercial flakes and pellets, bloodworms, tubifex worms, blanched vegetables, and commercial frozen items suited for omnivores should all be part of their diet.

They're a fast-growing species with a huge appetite. They should be fed meaty items many times a day and allowed to graze on plant matter or blanched vegetables throughout the day.

Breeding

Males are skinnier than females when it comes to sexing Black Sharks. I know it's obvious, but there are no other obvious sexual differences. It is very unlikely that they will breed in an aquarium.

Aquarium Care

Black Sharks should be kept in larger aquariums (more than 125 gallons) to reduce hostility towards their tank mates, as they will attempt to claim the entire aquarium as their personal territory. Black Sharks kept in bigger aquariums (6 feet or more in length) with a mix of plants, driftwood, and rocks are only semi-aggressive, as they may establish their territory without taking over the entire tank. They should not be kept with any fish or invertebrate that can fit in their mouths or is easily intimidated.

Black Sharks are also not suggested for thickly planted aquariums or aquariums with sensitive plant species since they devour numerous plant species. While not suitable for most freshwater community aquariums, the Black Shark is a wonderful addition to larger community aquariums with a mix of large community fish and peaceful to semi-aggressive New World Cichlid species. Overall, the Black Shark is a fascinating and inquisitive shark with a striking black colour and an active swimming style.

Giving the Black Shark Fish a larger tank with at least 6 feet of unrestricted swimming space. They should also be given lots of aqua-scaping, such as potted plants, driftwood, rock caves, pots, or other decorations that will allow them to carve out their own area within the aquarium. Because of their huge size and vigorous swimming style, they can be quite disruptive when housed in thickly planted or smaller tanks. Because they search around in the substrate for plant materials and worms in their natural habitat, their aquarium habitat should be planned with this in mind. To handle the biological load of large fish species like the Black Shark, strong biological and mechanical filtration in the form of a large canister or wet/dry filter should be used. Because their natural river habitats contain a lot of water turnover, the Black Shark is used to having good water conditions.

Black Sharks are well-known escape artists, jumping out of exposed aquariums and splashing water from the aquarium while feeding at the surface. Creating numerous territories within the aquarium by placing rocky caves, pots, or driftwood in different regions will help reduce hostility between the Black Shark and its tank mates.

Physical Attributes

The Black Shark's head The fish is heavy and strong, with big scales. The finnage is prominent, and the stocky body shape indicates a powerful, long-distance swimmer. This body type is ideal for swimming in the shark's natural habitats of lakes, reservoirs, and powerful rivers.

Age and Color

Young individuals are also more colourful than older individuals, who may have a permanent grey or silvery colour that no longer fluctuates depending on lighting conditions. This is an usual destiny for black sharks. Purchased when young for their striking visual appeal, these fish are frequently discarded as they age and fade into dull colours and lethargic movement (when kept in cramped conditions and excessively small aquaria).

Tank Requirements

A decent aquarium arrangement for the Black Shark Fish contains huge chambers of at least 125 gallons for a medium-sized adult fish, outstanding mechanical and biological filtration (powerheads and large canister filters are recommended), and plenty of robust plants and ornaments. Living plants can be difficult to keep alive in such a tank because a giant black shark can take some pretty heavy chunks out of their leaves. Artificial plants and hunks of buried wood, as well as acrylic or ceramic hideaways, work well.

However, unlike most of its smaller brethren, the black shark prefers both open water and dense tangles of cover. I propose dedicating at least half of the tank to open water and placing pockets or islands of dense plant/wood structure at regular intervals throughout the tank. This shark also appears to like a sandy or extremely fine pebble substrate.

Freshwater Sharks Feeding

These sharks are all omnivores. These bottom-feeders may thrive on a diet of plant life and microscopic invertebrates by using their down-turned, carp-like mouths to scrape algae and detritus off underwater objects. However, several freshwater shark species, particularly the red-tail shark Epalzeorhynchos bicolor and the black shark Labeo chrysophekadion, are also capable hunters of larger crustaceans and vertebrates such as fry, minnows, and tiny amphibians.

When food is short, red-tail and black sharks have been observed eating the scales, fins, and skin of other fish. A hungry shark would swim beside its targeted victim and then lunge sideways, inflicting a fast series of bites on the victim's side or finnage and devouring any flesh that rasps off into its mouth. Slow-moving or docile fish species may find themselves frequently the victims of a series of eat-and-run attacks, as slower fish are easy targets for lithe and fast sharks.

Most freshwater shark species, as one might anticipate, are solitary creatures that only interact briefly as young to avoid predation. Most shark species grow increasingly territorial as they mature; males will ferociously defend their underwater domains from all comers. Females may wander from one male's domain to the next during the mating season, and fighting between rival males can reach fever pitch. Combat between any two fish is also typical during feeding; two fish that come across the same tidbit of food may frequently become so engrossed in attacking one another that the food item either sinks or swims away uneaten by either shark. Adult sharks of many species will greedily swallow their own species' fry and eggs, and individuals frequently murder or destroy their own offspring.

Other Freshwater Sharks as Black Shark Fish

1. Red-Tail Shark

The red-tail shark Epalzeorhynchos bicolor is one of the most appealing freshwater sharks available in the pet trade today. This shark, as its common name suggests, has a brilliant scarlet caudal fin and caudal peduncle that contrasts sharply with its coal- to ebony-black body and fins. The only other colour on this species is a white point on the top of the dorsal fin, which does not appear in all individuals. The average adult length is 4¾ inches, with specimens 5 inches and greater being particularly attractive and stunning. Captive life expectancy may exceed seven years.

The only difference between men and females is the curve of the dorsal fin: the male's fin has a sharper point at the top, whereas the posterior edge of the female's dorsal fin makes a right angle with her body. A detailed observation of a large number of fish should be sufficient to train the eye to distinguish between males and females. Males and females reach sexual maturity around 15 months of age or 2½  inches in length.

Keep in mind that your red-tail shark may chew on any living plants in your tank; Amazon swords and other large-leafed kinds are especially vulnerable. While one shark will not normally cause fatal damage to a plant if it is well fed on a diet of flakes, shrimp pellets, and freeze-dried tubifex or bloodworms, serious nibbling can create brown edges and ugly discolouration. Smith first described the red-tail shark in 1931, and it is now almost definitely extinct in the wild. Every year, hatcheries and fish farms in Thailand and Malaysia supply hundreds of thousands of these beautiful fish to the pet business.

2. Rainbow Shark

The rainbow shark E. frenatus is a close relative of the red-tail shark. The torpedo-like bodies of these two species are very similar, as are the red caudal fin, black body, and sharp-edged finnage. They resemble each other so much that one is frequently sold as the other at pet stores. Don't be deceived, though. Although these two sharks appear to be extremely similar, their personalities are as different as night and day. The colour of the rainbow shark's pectoral, dorsal, and anal fins, which are all red in the rainbow shark and black in the red-tail shark, is an easy method to tell them apart.

These sharks are true omnivores, living in the warm, sluggish backwaters of southern Asia's Chao Phraya, Mekong, and Xe Bang Fai Basins. They will graze on algae and plant debris, scavenge on trash and animal corpses, and hunt on small crustaceans, fry, and frog eggs. The rainbow shark, which is not nearly as hostile or aggressive as its red-tail cousin, does well in community aquariums that do not have occupants with excessive finnage, such as bettas and fancy guppies, because those elaborately finned and slow-moving fish are easy targets for occasional fin nipping. The rainbow shark, by nature a cautious and retiring species, needs a sufficient number of hiding spots, caves, and dark recesses in which to escape the activity and flow of the main aquarium.

A rainbow shark, which may grow to be just over 6 inches long as an adult (although that stays considerably more slender than an adult red-tail shark), requires adequately sized quarters with equal intervals of light and dark. As with the red-tail shark, the coloration of this species varies according to the amount of lighting it receives: conditions that are perpetually too dark will result in the shark taking on a bleached or washed-out appearance, whereas superior lighting conditions will bring out rich red and deep black in the shark's skin and scales. The rainbow shark can make a wonderful and long-lived addition to the community tank if provided plenty of hiding spots and kept with calm, docile tankmates. Despite its friendliness toward other fish, this shark is best kept in a tank with only one other shark.

3. Bala Shark

The distinctive bala shark Balantiocheilos melanopterus is the most well-known of all freshwater sharks. The bala shark, first reported by Bleeker in 1851, is native to Malaysian and Philippine lakes and clean streams, where it can live for several years and grow to be an astounding 14 inches long. The bala shark, like the red-tail shark, is rapidly becoming extinct in many of the waters where it once thrived. The bala shark, which has a silvery coat of metallic-sheen scales and tall black-edged fins, has enlarged eyes and reduced barbels (which are more pronounced in red-tail, rainbow, and black sharks), indicating that it is a visual, mid-level hunter that preys on fish fry, swimming invertebrates, and small amphibians. Vegetable matter is rarely consumed by these fish.

B. melanopterus, unlike most other freshwater shark species, is a semi-schooling species that gathers much more than the previously described species. Balas are also far more tolerant of other members of their own species when kept in captivity, and it is even recommended that these animals be kept in small groups of three or five in the home aquarium.

The finest captive diet includes flakes, freeze-dried worms, and other protein-rich cuisine. Because these animals can be exceedingly flighty and nervous in captivity, they should be kept in spacious enclosures. Smaller aquariums confine these fish too tightly, causing stress and harm from the shark banging its head into the tank's glass wall. Approaching a tank with adult bala sharks should also be approached with caution, since these animals are highly startled and can harm or even kill themselves by slamming headfirst into the glass or leaping out of the tank. Creating a schedule with these fish is a wonderful method to help them adjust to the captive surroundings in your home. Bala shark tanks should be kept in rooms with little foot traffic.

Additional Information

These freshwater sharks have adapted to a semi-predatory lifestyle thanks to their origins in the warm, sluggish streams and canals of southern Asia. Powerful caudal fins can offer considerable thrust to enable a shark in making brief bursts forward in pursuit of fleeing prey, or in lengthy, continuous marathons of fast escape from a would-be predator.

Balantiocheilos melanopterus, the popular but nervous bala shark, is by far the quickest of these sharks. Their long, flat, rigid pectoral and dorsal fins provide excellent underwater manoeuvrability and agility: if a partially hidden morsel of food catches their eye, or if a predator's shadow looms suddenly over the waters, these fish's swift pectoral fins will angle upward and, with a swift flick of the caudal fin, steer them very quickly in the appropriate direction. Because of this adaptation, most freshwater sharks will frequently use a quick zig-zagging escape route in order to elude and mislead a predator.

Conclusion

The Black Shark Fish is by far the largest of the widely accessible freshwater sharks. This is a truly heavyweight species, measuring in at a whopping 24 inches long as an adult, and the eventual size of this fish must always be kept in mind before considering purchase. The black shark, which is native to the Mekong Basin as well as the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo, is a significant species both as an export for the aquarium hobby and as a food fish for market trade and local consumption. Unfortunately, because the black shark has a low fertility, it takes a long time for damaged or depleted wild populations to recover. At the end of the day, it appears that freshwater sharks have something to offer fishkeepers at nearly all levels of experience, from the novice who keeps a hardy, benign rainbow shark to the seasoned veteran who keeps a giant adult black shark. Of fact, the four species mentioned here are only a small sample of the fascinating and attractive freshwater fish known as "sharks," many of which make excellent aquarium specimens.