Bala freaking out

S

setcal

AC Members
Feb 9, 2005
21
0
0
Denver, CO
www.charmedbysuz.com
My 4.5 inch Bala Shark has been one of the healthiest and happiest community fish in my 38-gallon tank. During the past 2 weeks, he's had short periods of frantic swimming and dashing back and forth. Sometimes he hits his nose on the glass. Is he getting too big for my tank? Is he bored? I don't want him to hurt himself.

Water parameters are good and the other fish are behaving normally.
 
yeah, balas are very active fish that also get quite large. I think the minimum tank requirement for one is 75 gallons or larger. Even if their body size isn't too big for the tank, they want to swim and swim FAST.

There are many people on this forum who don't even think bala sharks should be sold as pets, because the average person can't feasibly house one. I don't know what to tell ya. But it sounds like it's not happy in there :(
 
I have to reiterate what Puala said and add that really they shouldnt be kept in smaller than a 125. They get over 14" long and need room to move around in the tank. They also prefer to be housed in schools as in nature they are nautrual schooling fish. I agree with a lot of the people here that they shouldnt be sold commonly in the pet trade only as special order fish for people who can sopport them. There is unfourtuneately a lot of fish in the trade that look cute when there 2" but quickly grow to be monsters eating everyone else in the community tank and then eventualy dying from ammonia poisioning cause the tank is to small or breaking it open. (Pacu's are great for raming a small tank so hard that it breaks) I would say at the size he must be wanting more room and that is most likely why he is haveing behavioral issues. That or he is looking for more of his kind to school with.
 
haha, i got a pacu when i first started. and i got rid of him two weeks later. i agree with the whole not selling these fish in petstores unless with special request.
i would also like to add that bala sharks are pretty skittish fish anyways and they will normally take off in the other direction if the tank is tapped or they hear a loud noise. but they definately need a very large tank, and even at that they still need bigger.
 
I have two balas and i know what u mean but ur bala is probably lonely, also look how many fish u have in there with him, hes probably fine though, i dont mind balas being sold to people, as long as they know what they are getting in to, i hate seeing people just throw away fish because they didnt know they would get that big, I am going to upgrade my tank very soon for my balas, maybe u should think about it as well
 
skill...please do not advise that...his bala is not okay and neither are ones kept in 20 gal tanks.

setcal...you would be doing the fish a favor to get it a 125 gal tank, for the short term and some companions. Or the really best thing, get it to someone who can give it the proper physical space.
 
Yes bishop is right, sorry, always always always take bishop's word over mine, and when i go looking for my new tank tomorrow i will look for a 125 g as he advised.
 
Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I am definitely not always right (I wish).

But I have seen and read many experiences, as fish_freak noted, on unhappy large fish breaking aquariums.

Not good for any of the parties involved.
 
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