Black Sharkminnow

About

The black sharkminnow (Labeo chrysophekadion) is one of those fish that gets sold as a juvenile without much warning about what's coming. Young fish are a deep, uniform black with a large, sail-like dorsal fin that gives them that classic shark silhouette. As they grow into adulthood, the coloration shifts to grey or black with a faint iridescent spot on each scale. Subtle but attractive. An albino form has also been selectively bred and turns up in the trade. Native to a broad sweep of Southeast Asia, this species moves through rivers, streams, canals, and seasonally flooded plains across the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins as well as Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula. In the wild it follows the seasonal flood cycle, grazing on algae, detritus, and other plant material in inundated floodplain habitats. In the aquarium, it's a committed omnivore that stays active. And how active seems to track closely with how much it's being fed. The real challenge is temperament. This fish is genuinely aggressive toward others of its kind and toward anything with a similar body shape, and that territorial behavior intensifies when space gets tight. Given its potential size and combative nature, it's best suited for very large, dedicated setups and keepers who know what they're getting into.