Rainbow Shark Swimming Vertically?

[Shannon1993]

Hi everyone

Here are my water stats

Tank: 55-60 liter tank
Temperature: 26 degrees c
Ammonia: 0.1 ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Ph: 6.4

I have fake long grass in my tank
1 large rock with fake plants and shells on
1 fake tortoise shell that fish can hide in
3 barrels that fish can also hide in
2 small filters
1 air stone
1 heater

1 pleco
2 comets
4 fancy guppies
2 rainbow sharks
5 neons
5 orange stripe neons

So, I noticed today that my 1 rainbow shark keeps swimming vertically by 1 side of the tank near the 1 filter.. A neon swam close to it and it moved around the tank swimming fine then went straight back to the side of the tank and swam vertical again.. Also at night time it hides in the barrels.. I don't know if this is normal behavior but it seems really weird to me..

Please someone help with advice.. Our tank has been running smoothly with no issues till today.

 

[Far_King]

It may have been running smoothly with no issues but that size tank isn't suitable I'm afraid for one Rainbow Shark, let alone two.
They grow to almost 6" long and require room to swim and are highly territorial.
 
I have one red tail in a 200 litre and even then I don't feel it's quite enough for her.
 
How large are they and how long have you had them?  It's possible it's trying to hide from the more dominant aggressor.
 
http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/epalzeorhynchos-frenatum/

 

[Shannon1993]

I've had them since last year September and I'd say they about 3 - 4cm long.. But the 1 seems fatter than the other

 

[Far_King]

It could just be that the one that's fatter is a female rather than getting any more of the food.
 
Aside from this behaviour of hiding, have you seen any squabbles or any signs of injury?  Do you plan to get a larger tank at some point? Because you are definitely going to encounter issues as time goes on.  

 

[Shannon1993]

They chase each other now and then and that's about it.

We do plan on getting a bigger tank when we have the space as our flat is a bit small.

Will the smaller shark die?? Is there anything I can do in the mean time to avoid any injuries??

 

[Far_King]

Provide plenty of hiding places, caves, decor etc.  break up the lines of sight and hopefully they'll each choose an area of the tank.
 
Keep a close eye on them.  It may be preferable to re-home one if possible.

 

[Shannon1993]

Okay cool
Thanks so much for the help

 

[Far_King]

You're welcome.  Please check back in as others may have more advice for you, and let us know how they get on

 

[Munroco]

I can tell you now that most of the advice you will get is to rehome the sharks, pleco and goldfish due to the tank being to small for them. A lesser concern would be the guppies who don't appreciate soft water.

 

[BaylorPerez]

with the 60L tank only 1 rainbow shark is suitable for that, having 2 is kinda pushing it even for a 60L(supposedly a 15G tank). as rainbow sharks need plently of hiding places and a stable territory place thats moved every so often 

 

[Jeremy180]

Sorry I don't have time to properly answer your question until tomorrow, it's too late here to stay on any longer.
I do have an important question:
Do you know what species of pleco you have?
If not, could you please try to post a good pic so we can ID it?
I"m asking because depending on species they can get anywhere from  as little as 7 to as much as 70 centimeters

 

[Far_King]

with the 60L tank only 1 rainbow shark is suitable for that, having 2 is kinda pushing it even for a 60L(supposedly a 15G tank). as rainbow sharks need plently of hiding places and a stable territory place thats moved every so often 

 
That's not quite right, this tank is not suitable for a Rainbow shark unless it's a single juvenile for a limited period of time with a view to moving them to a larger tank.
Please read the link I posted further up this thread, they need at least a 3ft tank.

 

[Jeremy180]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but to put it bluntly, whoever sold you these fish sold you a bill of goods, as they say here.
Fancy guppies are okay for your size tank but need hard water.
Your tank iis too warm for neon tetras and goldfish, and goldfish need about 180 liters per goldfish when full grown.
Your pleco is most likely a common pleco or other closely related pleco.
these get anywhere from 30-60 centimeters and need a tank no smaller than 250 liters, bigger than that if you plan on keeping them with other fish.
Rainbow sharks need a tank no less than 200 liters and one meter in length, are mildly aggressive to aggressive to other fish, and are slightly tolerant to highly intolerant of other shark minnows in their tank.
Assuming your orange neons are glowlight tetras, these are the only fish that are suitable for your tank size and water conditions.