Apollo Shark

About

Found in the mainstream rivers and low-gradient tributaries of the Malay Peninsula, Indochina, and Indonesia, this fast-moving cyprinid, Luciosoma setigerum, spends almost all of its time at or near the water's surface. In the wild it shares its habitat with submerged logs and leaf litter and feeds heavily on other fish, so tankmates need to be chosen with that in mind. It's a slender, torpedo-shaped fish with a distinctive dark lateral stripe that breaks into a series of spots along the lateral line, extends to a black blotch at the upper base of the tail, and is accompanied by a submarginal stripe on the lower tail lobe. A combination that separates it from the closely related L. bleekeri, which it's frequently confused with in the trade. Speaking of confusion, Luciosoma as a group is routinely sold under incorrect names like 'apollo shark' or 'shark minnow', and the wrong scientific names appear on labels constantly. Subadults turn up in shops fairly regularly, but these fish grow large and need serious swimming space. A spacious, long tank is essential. Given that requirement is met, they're actually not a difficult fish to keep and can be a manageable choice even for less experienced keepers who have the right setup.