Black Shark

Black Shark (Labeo Chrysophekadion)

The Black Shark, also known as the Black Shark Minnow, is a remarkable freshwater fish that is often available in the aquarium trade. Its body is primarily black, but mature fish display a greyish hue with a bright spot on each scale, making them quite striking. This species can grow between 20 to 30 inches, making it unsuitable for the average home aquarium due to its immense growth potential.

Black Sharks are known for their territorial and aggressive nature. They are often sold as juveniles, but as they grow, they become increasingly aggressive towards other tank mates, especially similarly-shaped fish. It's best to keep the Black Shark in a single-species tank, but if you have a large enough aquarium, you may keep them alongside other similarly sized, robust fish species, such as Cichlids that can handle their aggressive nature or species that mainly occupy the top levels of the tank.

Black Sharks have a diverse diet in their natural habitat, feeding on algae, insect larvae, worms, small crustaceans, and detritus. In the home aquarium, offering them a balanced diet is crucial. Providing a mix of small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, Daphnia, tubifex, and Artemia, along with high-quality dried food such as flakes, granules, and pellets, will help fulfill their dietary requirements. Adding fresh plant matter to their diet is also beneficial, and vegetables such as cucumber, shelled peas, blanched courgette, spinach, and chopped fruits are excellent choices.

Black Sharks thrive in environments that mimic a flowing river, with a substrate composed of rocks of varying sizes, sand or gravel substrate, and larger water-worn boulders. Regular water changes and monitoring of water parameters are essential to keep these fish healthy.

A minimum tank size of 200 gallons is recommended due to their territorial nature and large size. Care for Black Sharks is considered advanced. They require clean water with a pH of 6.5-7.5, hardness of 10-20 dGH, and a temperature of 68-79°F (20-26°C).