Fun Apollo Shark Facts For Kids

The Cyprinidae family is the most diverse and largest vertebrate animals family in the world, with over 3,000 species that are further divided into 370 genera. The species belonging to the Cyprinidae family are carps, true minnows, barbs, and barbels.

This article is about a popular pet fish species, and it will tell you everything you need to know about it including its origin, range, distribution, conservation status, body size and length, habitat environment, similar species, foods that make up its primary diet, and breeding habits!

The Apollo shark is a species of freshwater shark, from the Cyprinidae family, in the genus Luciosoma, and its scientific name is Luciosoma setigerum. These fish are often lumped together with other species under the Luciosoma genus because it is challenging for most people to notice the differences.

Only people with fishing expertise, knowledge about the species, and keen observational skills can tell them apart.

These sharks have a torpedo-shaped head, large silver, green-yellow scales, with a dark straight line that extends from their nose to their tail fin, a forked caudal fin, and a dorsal fin that is set far back on their body.

They are great swimmers and grow quite large. They are more energetic compared to other pet fish species, and require a spacious aquarium.

The Apollo shark is a popular pet fish prized by their owners, thanks to their shiny and attractive appearance, incredible swimming and jumping skills.

Behavior-wise, long-finned Apollo sharks tend to be more aggressive compared to the silver Apollo shark species and engage in combats and fights with other fishes in an aquarium. They also bully smaller fish.

The maximum size or length these fishes grow is up to 9.8 in (25cm) and the size generally depends upon the nature or quality of the water it lives in.

Learn about some other fish from our thresher shark facts and reef shark facts pages.

Apollo Shark Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an Apollo shark?

The Apollo shark is fish belonging to the Animalia kingdom.

What class of animal does an Apollo shark belong to?

Apollo sharks belong to the Actinopterygii class.

How many Apollo sharks are there in the world?

Accurate data about their population size is unknown.

Where does an Apollo shark live?

The origin of these fishes takes us all the way to Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

What is an Apollo shark's habitat?

The habitats of this fish include clear-fast flowing streams and rivers with aquatic plants, rocks, pebbles, stones, and gravel bottoms that also have high levels of dissolved oxygen.

When kept in a tank as a pet or in an aquarium, the owner or the aquarist must make sure the water added to their tank maintains a temperature of 72-78 F (22-25 C) at all times.

Who do Apollo sharks live with?

These fish in their wild or natural habitat live in groups because they are schooling fish.

When kept in an aquarium or as a pet, you must not keep smaller species of fish in the same tank because they will be eaten or preyed upon by these sharks. However, it is necessary to keep them in a school so tank mates such as danios, gouramis, rainbowfish, and clown loaches are recommended by experienced aquarists.

Inside a tank, they prefer decorations like tall plants and require some sort of shelter such as cave-like structures within the tank, and need plenty of free swimming space.

How long does an Apollo shark live?

This fish has a great lifespan and can live up to 14 years.

How do they reproduce?

These fish in the wild reproduce like most other freshwater species. They reproduce via sexual reproduction and external fertilization, or spawning. Females lay their eggs followed by the male sharks releasing their sperm and fertilizing the eggs. This species has not been bred in an aquarium yet so information about their breeding habits in captivity is unknown.

What is their conservation status?

There are only a few species or types of sharks in the world that can survive in freshwater bodies. Typical oceanic sharks that have evolved in saltwater find it exceptionally difficult to transition to rivers, lakes, or streams, as the water lacks salt.

They constantly need salt inside their bodies in order to survive because without this, their cells tend to rupture which causes their body to bloat, eventually leading to their death.

The species that can survive in freshwater, such as the Apollo shark are unique as they retain and recycle salt within their bodies which helps them adapt to rivers and lakes. The IUNC Red List of Threatened Species has Not Evaluated this species.

Apollo Shark Fun Facts

What do Apollo sharks look like?

The Apollo shark (Luciosoma setigerum) is a torpedo-shaped fish with an elongated body, a forked caudal fin, a dorsal fin that is placed far back on their body. Horizontal lines run all over their body and these lines are green-yellow from above and silver-white toned from below.

A prominent dark line begins from the nose and extends up to the tail fin. Sexually mature females are likely to be deeper-bodied than males.

How cute are they?

They look fairly cute because of their small silver, shiny bodies and large heads.

How do they communicate?

Apollo sharks (Luciosoma setigerum) communicate just like the rest of their family members. They communicate via body language. Sharks can’t produce any sound or make noise.

Therefore, they communicate with each other visually, for instance by arching their bodies. These sharks have an organ called the lateral line, giving them the ability to feel vibrations in the water!

This special ability allows them to navigate their surroundings, detect the presence of potential prey, and helps them communicate with other sharks. These vibrations can be heard as far as 820 ft (250 m) away by a shark. Sharks are highly intelligent species with six refined senses which are smell, touch, taste, hearing, sight, and electromagnetism.

How big is an Apollo shark?

An adult fish can grow quite large, the maximum size recorded is 9.8 in (25cm) in length. A cuttlefish is nearly the same size as an Apollo shark.

How fast can an Apollo shark swim?

Their speed rate is unknown. They are known to be great swimmers with incredible skills and swift movements!

How much does an Apollo shark weigh?

Apollo sharks weigh around 10-12 oz (275g-350 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Apollo sharks do not have separate names for their male and female members. They are simply known as males and females.

What would you call a baby Apollo shark?

A newborn of this species is called a fry or a pup. Young juveniles can be identified from the adults by the back of the dark line on their body, and lesser developed fins.

What do they eat?

Apollo sharks are predatory by nature and their diet is primarily made up of fish that are smaller than them in size. When kept as pets, they are easy to feed because they eat a variety of different food such as bloodworm, shrimp, frozen, fresh, or freeze-dried foods, and white mosquito larvae.

If the species is bigger, krill or ghost shrimp is preferred. A well-fed and healthy shark has a darker and more intense color around its fins.

Are they poisonous?

No, Apollo shark fish are not poisonous.

Would they make a good pet?

The Apollo shark is a popular pet fish. It is an active schooling fish that is suitable for a mature community aquarium with aquatic plants, plenty of free-swimming space, specific water temperature, a good filter, suitable tank mates, good quality pet food, and a medium or large tank.

Here are some tips and steps to help you out if you decide to keep them as pets. Purchase a spacious large tank, a heater, and filter to maintain the tank's temperature and hygiene. Some experienced aquarists recommend canister filters and bio-wheel filters because they provide the best and safest filtration for a large fish tank.

Next, you must add an appropriate amount of water conditioners, decorations, and additives to the tank to make the fish feel at home.

Don't worry about this too much because you can add simple decorations like tall plants, sand, pebbles, and build a little cave for the fish within the tank by using rocks!

We recommend using clip-on-submersible heaters, placing them vertically and near the outflow of the filter. Make sure the water temperature is 72–78 F (22–25 C) at all times because if the water temperature is too cold or warm, it will affect the fish directly.

It is important to install a thermometer to keep the water temperature, as well as your pet shark's continuous happiness in check.

These fish are great jumpers and they often try to escape by jumping out, therefore it is crucial to keep the tank closed or covered with a hood at all times.

Since these fish are predatory finding suitable tank mates can be challenging, but we have that covered for you. Danios, gourami fish, and rainbowfish make good tank mates! Ideal foods consist of high-quality flake food, freeze-dried bloodworms, and vegetable-based foods.

Did you know...

They are often labeled with the incorrect scientific name, Luciosoma spilopleura, because identifying and distinguishing them from other species is very difficult. They can be identified or separated from others by the black line that runs from their head towards the caudal peduncle, extending to the edge of their tail fin.

Even though most people believe its origin to be Southeast Asia, there are few who disagree and state that their geographical origin is unknown.

These sharks are aggressive and engage in combats even within their groups. Sometimes they fight until their opponent is dead.

How many babies do Apollo sharks have?

The average litter size of these sharks is unknown.

What sharks can you buy?

There are several species of sharks you can keep as pets. Some popular ones are the rainbow shark, Roseline torpedo shark, bala shark, harlequin shark, red-tailed black shark, Siamese algae eater, and the black shark minnow.

We do not recommend keeping shark species that can grow too large or are endangered. This is beneficial for you as an owner and the shark.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Pacific salmon facts and bonito fish facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Apollo shark coloring pages.

Second image by Gogo78