Rainbow shark
Epalzeorhynchos frenatum
Photo: MerlinSenger at German Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Adult size
- 12 cm5 in
- Start with
- 1
- Tank length
- 120 cmabout 4 ft (47 in)
- Lifespan
- 5–10 yrs
- Temperature
- 22–26 °C72–79 °F
- pH
- 6–8
- Hardness
- 5–15 dGH
- Diet
- omnivore
Territorial chasing makes other shark-shaped fish poor companions.Territorial chasing makes other shark-shaped fish poor companions.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
Avoid with
Red-tailed black sharkCheck Red tailed black shark with Rainbow sharkCheck Red tailed black shark with Rainbow shark
- Irian Jaya rainbowfish
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Alligator gar
Alligator gar may eat Rainbow sharkAlligator gar may eat Rainbow shark
- Altum angelfish
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Antenna ray
Antenna ray may eat Rainbow sharkAntenna ray may eat Rainbow shark
- Arapaima
Arapaima may eat Rainbow sharkArapaima may eat Rainbow shark
- Asian arowana
Asian arowana may eat Rainbow sharkAsian arowana may eat Rainbow shark
- Australian pearl arowana
Australian pearl arowana may eat Rainbow sharkAustralian pearl arowana may eat Rainbow shark
- Bullseye snakehead
Bullseye snakehead may eat Rainbow sharkBullseye snakehead may eat Rainbow shark
- Butterfly peacock bass
Butterfly peacock bass may eat Rainbow sharkButterfly peacock bass may eat Rainbow shark
- Channel catfish
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Chocolate zebra pleco
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
Sources
| temperature | 22–26 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
|---|---|---|
| ph | 6–8 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
| gh | 5–15 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
| origin | Asia or captive aquarium strains | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| notes | Territorial chasing makes other shark-shaped fish poor companions. | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| beginner friendly | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| care level | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| color palette | #9EAA99, #465858 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| activity | active | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| swim zone | bottom | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| temperament | semi-aggressive | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| fin nipper | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| long finned | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| territorial | true | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| schooling | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| schooling min | 1 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| diet | omnivore | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| lifespan years | 5–10 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| growth to adult months | 24 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| length weight | {"a":0.006,"b":3} | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| planted safe | true | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| min tank length | 120 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| body shape | shark | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |