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Encyclopedia / Barbs / Black shark
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Variations

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Black shark

Labeo chrysophekadion · Black sharkminnow, Chrysophekadion, Black labeo

Territorial and powerful; keep alone or in a large pond with big fish.

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60 cmBody length, without tail ✓
20–26 °CTemperature ✓
6.5–7.5pH ✓
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
Check your own mix →
Not recommended
  • Black shark eats animals up to about 8 cm. Neon tetra only grows to 2.5 cm.
Not recommended
  • Black shark eats animals up to about 8 cm. Cardinal tetra only grows to 3 cm.
Not recommended
  • Black shark eats animals up to about 8 cm. Black neon tetra only grows to 3.2 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 26 °C.
With conditions
  • Rift lake cichlids like electric yellow cichlid need hard, alkaline water and a busy, cichlid-only tank.
  • Their pH needs don't quite meet (6.5–7.5 vs 7.7–8.6). Aim between the two and keep it steady.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

231 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓2–15 dGH
Group size ✓Can live alone
Temperament ✓Semi-aggressive
Swims at ✓Bottom
Care level ✓Hard
Diet Herbivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 5–10 cm
Growth Fast

Behavior

Territorial and powerful; keep alone or in a large pond with big fish. Not for community tanks.

Not for home aquariums. This fish grows far too big for any home tank. It needs a pond-sized system of thousands of litres, so please don't buy one as a baby.

  • cave
  • wood

Food

Algae wafers, vegetables, sinking pellets and frozen foods.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Hard to sex; mature females are likely deeper-bodied and may grow larger than males.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Egg-scatterer ·

Not bred in home aquaria. In the wild it spawns at the start of the wet season upstream of shallow sandbars; eggs settle and hatch as the water rises, and fry move into flooded vegetation. An albino form has been selectively bred for the trade.

Pairing

Not spawned in home aquaria; farms inject breeding pairs with hormones.

Setup

Hormone-induced spawning in large farm ponds or tanks; not practical for hobbyists.

What starts it

Hormone injection (carp pituitary or synthetic) given by trained farm staff.

Eggs

Large numbers of eggs released after hormone induction in ponds.

Raising the fry

Fry raised in nursery ponds on zooplankton and prepared feed.

Common mistakes
  • Buying it for a small tank
  • Mixing with other bottom dwellers
  • Ignoring the large adult size
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSoutheast Asia – Mekong, Chao Phraya, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra & Borneo
Rivers and lakesMekong and Chao Phraya basins and Sundaland rivers
HabitatLarge rivers and floodplains
Native rangeAbout 1,500 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the black shark

A large minnow from Southeast Asian rivers that reaches about 60 cm (standard length). Juveniles are all black; large adults turn grey with a shiny spot on each scale. It is still sold as a small 'shark' despite being unsuitable for home aquaria, and is a food fish in its range.

Pieter Bleeker described the black shark in 1849. It is a large fish found across Southeast Asia and is caught for food. Juveniles are sometimes sold, but adults grow very large.

First described by Pieter Bleeker in 1849.

  • It can grow to around 90 cm long.
  • It is not a true shark, but a type of carp.
  • It is a food fish in Southeast Asia.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources