Red tailed sharks swim backwards?

Is it normal for fish to swim backwards? I have two red tailed sharks and both of them move backwards regularly. I've heard that sharks can't swim backward but I am not sure about small fish. I have never seen another fish swim backwards and am just wondering if this is in fact normal.

 

My rts never swims backwords and you shouldnt keep to togather they will most likely fight to the death

 

Hi joebob, The statement about sharks not being able to swim backwards is actually a myth about Marine sharks. The myth is that Marine sharks have to continually swim forward in order to force water through their gills to get oxygen. If you've ever watched Marine sharks in a closed system (aquarium or pool) for any length of time you will see them rest on the bottom periodically with their gills moving and processing oxygen. This myth really has no relation to any of the Freshwater sharks which are actually not true sharks. While it is not impossible for them to swim backwards it is extremely difficult due to their fin structure. Generally what you see actually looks more like a hop straight up and down.

 

my 2 red tails never do that but my jelly bean fish does because his fins are almost jus like one giant fin in total hes got i count seven from 2 small fins to 3 giant ones on his back

 

hi joe bob it is true mine swim backwards too and these guys claining to now do really now anything about them and mine can even swim upside down

 

wow

 

I'm a little late to the party, but my RTS also swims upside down. It also used to bodysurf the current from my filter until I moved him to a bigger tank. I've never seen it swim backwards, but I wouldn't rule it out considering he swims every other way possible, even sideways which scares me because every time I see it I think he's sick.

Also, sharks that they have for sale at your pet store (bala sharks, rainbow sharks, black sharks, and the RTS) are considered to be minnows, even though they are actually cyprinids. They're commonly called sharks because of their body type. Iridescent sharks do not fall under this category, but should not be sold as pets anyway.

M_wm is correct that your RTS's will fight quite a bit, unless you have a very heavily planted tank that breaks up their line of sight, or basically that they wouldn't see each other very often. Your best bet is to return one of them to the pet store and see if they'll exchange OR move one to another tank.