The creamy white color and red fins of an albino shark minnow is an instant favorite for fishkeepers. They are bold, fast moving fish that look like few others in the hobby. But just how good of a community tank resident is the albino shark?
What is the Albino Shark?
Albino sharks are one of the color morphs available for the rainbow shark. Also known as the ruby shark, their natural color form is gray to violet, with light red fins. There is also a glofish shark that fluoresces green, purple, red, or yellow under ultraviolet light.
The albino color morph was the first form to hit the market once these freshwater sharks started being bred in captivity. Albino sharks are not true sharks, which are almost all saltwater fish.
Albino shark aquarium fish are one of a number of species sold as freshwater sharks in pet stores. These fish all have pointed dorsal fins, forked tail fins, and an active nature.
Albino sharks are minnows in the family Cyprinidae, making goldfish, barb fish, and rasboras their closest relatives. Other shark minnows include the harlequin shark, red tailed shark, and black shark. The rainbow shark is the smallest and easiest to care for shark minnow.
Albino rainbow sharks are found mostly in Thailand. The Mekong, Chao Praya and Mae Klong river basins are their home region.
Several popular aquarium fish come from this region. A few you’ve heard of include betta fish (Betta splendens) and iridescent sharks (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus).
- Common Name: Albino Shark, Albino Rainbow Shark, Albino Ruby Shark
- Scientific Name: Epalzeorhynchos frenatum
- Origin: Thailand
- Length: 4 to 6 inches
- Tank Size: 40 Gallons
- Rainbow Shark Lifespan: 5 to 8 years
- Temperament: Semi-Aggressive
- Ease of Care: Easy
Albino Rainbow Shark Care
Albino shark fish are easy to care for. They are omnivorous and captive bred, so they eat pellets and flakes. Rainbow sharks are territorial but there are ways to limit their aggressive behavior.
Rainbow Shark Tank Size
A rainbow shark full grown is about 4 to 6 inches long. Wild fish tend to grow larger while captive specimens remain smaller.
That said, even a small rainbow shark albino needs plenty of swimming space. Plus they are territorial and become even meaner if kept in cramped conditions. A 40 gallon tank is the minimum for a single full grown rainbow shark to live with tank mates.
Albino Freshwater Shark Decorations
Put some thought into bottom decorations when designing an albino freshwater shark tank. Live plants, driftwood, and rocks are more than just beautiful additions. They help territorial fish figure out where the boundaries of their home turf are.
Fish that are less dominant learn to avoid the areas that the albino shark declares off-limits to intruders. Caves are good choices because the shark may claim just the one spot for itself.
Albino sharks are omnivorous but they won’t eat most live plants. They prefer grazing on the leaves, removing algae and biofilm that accumulates there. Shark minnows are very good algae eaters, though they won’t eat brown or red algae (staghorn or black beard algae).
An albino rainbow shark fish kept in an aquarium with little bottom decor may decide to treat the entire area as its turf. It will then attack any fish that gets too close to the bottom. Making life difficult for all of your community fish.
Water Conditions for Rainbow Shark Albino
As Southeast Asian natives, albino sharks for aquariums prefer soft, acidic conditions. The pH should fall between 6.0 and 7.0, if possible. Since they are all captive bred, they will thrive even in moderate alkalinity (pH 7.5). But you will see better color and health when kept acidic.
Aquarium driftwood is a good decoration option because it provides not just hiding places. It also moderates the water conditions for you. The tannins contained in wood buffer the water towards acidity, gently lowering the pH.
A rainbow shark temperature of 75-82℉ is ideal for them as well as most popular tropical fish. Colder conditions make them more susceptible to aquarium fish ich, fin rot, and body fungus.
Worse, once they get ich rainbow sharks are hard to cure. They tend to have recurring episodes of the disease.
What Do Rainbow Sharks Eat?
The albino red fin shark is an omnivore. They eat soft algae, biofilm, and small invertebrates they find along the bottom or among plants. Insect larvae, small worms, snails, and fish eggs are their preferred sources of protein.
That means you need to provide these fish with a varied diet. A good quality flake formula is the best foundation for an albino rainbow shark diet. The fish have such small mouths that hard pellets are too difficult for them to eat.
Supplement flakes with live and frozen foods. Brine shrimp, tubifex worms, blood worms, and daphnia are a few of the options most pet stores carry.
Vegetable matter in the form of spirulina enriched flakes, algae wafers, or boiled lettuce is also important. A rainbow albino shark that does not get enough vegetables in its diet may nibble on softer live plants. Feed these active fish two to three times per day.
Rainbow Shark Tank Mates
So long as you take steps to control their territorial nature, there are plenty of fish that will coexist with an albino shark. They are just the right size to get along with most community fish.
Small, fast moving fish like tetra fish, platy fish, and honey gouramis do well with them. As do medium sized giant danios and killifish. Large, semi-aggressive, but non-predatory fish like angelfish, gouramis, and cichlids are all good choices.
Albino sharks aren’t predatory and their mouths are too small to eat even the smallest tank mates. Don’t keep them with invertebrates, however. Larger mystery snails and apple snails might work. But some sharks do have a taste for snails. Albino sharks will eat freshwater shrimp as well.
You should never keep more than one albino shark in the same tank. These fish are very territorial with other species. But when they see their own kind they turn murderous. It is common to see torn fins and missing eyes in a pet store tank full of albino sharks.
It’s not a good idea to keep an albino shark with other bottom dwelling fish. Cory cats, suckermouth catfish, and loaches won’t be able to coexist with them. An albino shark will win most of those fights, chasing the competition away from their favorite hiding places.
Albino Rainbow Shark Breeding
Having just said that albino rainbow sharks want to kill each other, how do we go about breeding them? Sad to say, you won’t be able to do it in most home aquariums.
If you have a large tank, as in 100+ gallons, you may be able to keep a few of them together. They will have enough space to form territories. Your sharks will still keep to themselves unless they feel the urge to spawn..
Albino rainbow shark breeding is accomplished by placing several dozen sharks together in large breeding ponds. These ponds are built outdoors in Southeast Asia, where the climate is warm enough for them year-round.
The albino sharks are then treated with hormones, which curb aggression and stimulate spawning. These otherwise solitary fish are thus bred on demand in numbers sufficient for the pet trade.
Conclusion
Albino shark minnows are a good semi-aggressive community tank resident. They need territorial boundaries marked so all of the fish will respect its territory. Also don’t keep any other bottom dwellers. So long as you set up the tank with care, the albino shark is a hardy addition to your tank.
FAQs
Albino rainbow sharks have an average lifespan for an aquarium fish. 5 to 8 years is standard for an albino shark full grown.
Albino rainbow sharks don’t eat other fish. They are omnivores, feeding on algae, biofilm, small invertebrates, and fish eggs. A dead fish will be chewed on but living fish are not on their menu.
Albino sharks are not real sharks. Real sharks are unrelated and are found in the ocean. The albino shark has shark-like fins, a torpedo-shaped body, and swims around in the open.
