Red tail shark tank stocking questions

[Tuckerdog]

So I recently asked if I could stock a red fin shark with an angelfish, and now I was wondering if I would be overstocking my 40 gallon with a small school of neon tetras added to the mix. I know they won't get eaten, but I just want to make sure I'm not overstocking the tank.

[DiscusLover]

On 11/21/2022 at 7:40 PM, Tuckerdog said:

So I recently asked if I could stock a red fin shark with an angelfish, and now I was wondering if I would be overstocking my 40 gallon with a small school of neon tetras added to the mix. I know they won't get eaten, but I just want to make sure I'm not overstocking the tank.

 A single red tail shark needs a 4 feet tank 55 gallons, you could try a 40 gallon but I do not recommend it because they get to 5-6 inches and they are fin nippers, I kept one in my community tank and it is far too aggressive to be with angelfish. They are known to be fin nippers which my rts was one so I returned it, If you want a rts in a tank you want to keep it as the main show piece, do not put anything else other then a school of tetras. 

[Tuckerdog]

ok, I've been hearing several different ideas regarding whether or not I could put an angelfish with a redfin, it seems the most common theme is aggression can vary widely with different individual sharks, but thank you for the insight and info

[nabokovfan87]

On 11/21/2022 at 7:47 PM, DiscusLover said:

A single red tail shark needs a 4 feet tank 55 gallons, you could try a 40 gallon but I do not recommend it because they get to 5-6 inches and they are fin nippers, I kept one in my community tank and it is far too aggressive to be with angelfish.

I don't think the RTBS will do well with an angel. Angels are slow, they hover, and they themselves can be aggressive. I think a 40B will work fine because you have the front to back room as well as plenty left to right.

I didn't like mine in the 55 because the front to back was too short. After adding hardscape and such it's not a lot of room. The jump to a 75G tank was a great change and the fish really enjoyed it. If the fish feels comfortable, they can be generally mild mannered. Caves, etc. Is how you achieve that.

I can only speak to my fish, not to every fish. That just means the common advice is to have X size tank. The reason for that is because they swim very fast and they do move quickly. More room is better for that safety margin and helps them to burn energy.