Shark attack

Probably newbies or people that are attracted to the word "shark" thinking it is some vicious killer that has huge teeth.

Every LFS has them, and they're the most shark-looking of the minnows. And they're bright silver, metal colors are always big draws (see goldfish)

We just got some in today, I'd say people go for the whole "shark" effect basically, because they seem to sell good in our store.

Same thing at the LFS I work at. I also have 3 small balas in my 50G community. Yes, they will outgrow it in a year or 2 but I'm going to be getting bigger tanks as soon as I have room/money which I hope will be in a few more months.

They appeal because they are a very nice looking fish. I can't understand why you would find them dull looking, DW. Mine are very iridescent and are constantly swimming through my tank both in open areas and through the leaves of my large sword plants. They really complement the fish I have them with.

Another reason is that when they arrive in the LFS they school very tightly because they are nervous. People walk by the tank and there is a flash of reflected light and school moving towards a back corner. One of the most common questions I hear is "What is a nice small schooling fish for my son's/daughter's/spouse's/parent's/friend's tank and when people see the balas they think "small, pretty, schooling, I want them".

Not all LFS employees are going to step up and say "No, I will not sell you one for your 25 G tank because.....".

I actually work at a pet store and some people actually think that bala sharks,black sharks,rainbow sharks etc. are real sharks. I simply smile and say no. Saltwater sharks have cartlige not fish scales.

I used to see the same thing when I worked in pet shops. "Ooooh looky, a shark!" People are really stubborn in insisting that they want them too....

They are also really cheap and flashy looking.

Personally, they are too frenetic and nervous for my tastes