Roseline Shark Information
The Roseline Shark or sometimes known as the Roseline Torpedo Shark, Roseline Barb, or Denison Barb is a gorgeous freshwater fish that falls under the barb family. This species has two variations, the regular Roseline Shark and its counterpart the Gold Roseline Shark. After doing a little digging, it seems the Gold Roseline Shark is a mutated form of the regular Roseline Shark. This freshwater fish species is fairly peaceful and loves to school with fish of the same species.
You can find the Roseline Shark for sale online and less commonly at pet stores. On the other hand, at the time of this writing, you can rarely find the Gold Roseline Shark for sale both online and pet stores. Regardless, ask whether your local pet store can order them for you.
Aquarium Requirements
Just like any other fish out there, there are specific aquarium requirements to keep this species happy. To begin, the Denison Barb’s max size is about 4.5 inches. I would keep a small school of Denison Barbs in a fish tank that is 55 gallons or larger. This Torpedo Shark does very well in an aquarium with freshwater plants but they can nip at the plants. I would recommend hardy more resilient plants with Denison Barbs. Also, this species of fish appreciate high oxygen levels in aquariums because they are often seen in fast moving streams in the wild. Consider adding an air pump to your fish tank to provide extra oxygen. This shark shaped air pump from Amazon is an excellent choice.
Keeping your water parameters up to par is probably one of the most important things in this fishkeeping hobby. It’s important to have stable parameters for the health of your freshwater fish. Roseline Sharks do best in the following water parameter ranges:
- Temperature Range: 60-77° F
- KH Range: 4-10,
- pH Range: 6.8-7.8
When water parameters are in check, Roseline Sharks are hardy fish. I would not recommend using them to cycle a fish tank. Lastly, The Roseline Barb fish is prone to jumping out of aquariums. It is important to keep a lid on your fish tank to help prevent this from happening. Regardless, they are a cool freshwater fish with a unique shape and coloration.
Food & Diet
This freshwater fish is omnivorous. Denison Barbs will happily take on both meaty foods and foods that are more fibrous, like algae wafers. Providing a mixture and balance of both will benefit this species of fish. I would highly recommend feeding this fish frozen food such as bloodworms & Mysis Shrimp and high quality flake/pellet food. I personally prefer feeding my fish frozen food over freeze dried food when dealing with bloodworms and Mysis Shrimp but everyone has their preferences.
Roseline Shark Tank Mates
Roseline Sharks are not fin nippers but they are highly competitive during feeding time so they may bully other fish. Also, this freshwater fish can become aggressive when it is in an aquarium that is too small or in a school that does not have enough fish. Otherwise, they will pick on each other from time to time but should not really bother other fish species. You can easily keep Denison Barbs with fish that are similar in size. I would not recommend aggressive cichlids but fish such as:
- Rainbowfish
- Angelfish
- Bolivian/German Blue Rams
- Larger Tetras (White Skirts, Bleeding Heart, Serpae)
- Gouramis
- Black Ghost Knife
Will do fantastic with Roseline Sharks. There are many other fish species that will work but these are some of the most common kept together. Fish being fish, they may take a chance at eating anything that will fit into their mouths. I personally would be weary about keeping small fish like Ember Tetras, Chili Rasbora, Neon Tetras and others with Roseline Torpedo Sharks.
Roseline Shark Breeding
Although Roseline Torpedo Sharks are successfully bred in commercial fisheries I could not find any concrete information on how to breed them successfully in an aquarium setting. Certain Zoos & Aquariums may have had luck but in a small fish tank enclosure it is incredibly hard to almost impossible to do. If you have any information on Roseline Shark breeding, please let us know!
Final Notes
This fish species is a gorgeous animal and an excellent choice for anyone looking for a large schooling fish. They dominate a fish tank and become a fantastic centerpiece. If you’re considering different freshwater fish, really consider the Roseline Shark. This is not a fish I would recommend if you’re very fresh to the hobby but it definitely is one I would recommend once some experience is gained.
Photo by Anandarajkumar at wikimedia