Bala Shark Odd Behavior

Status
Not open for further replies.
a bala shark alone, by itself, as the ONLY fish in the tank, will need at LEAST 90-100 gallons because first, it gets to 14 inches, and two, it is as active as a giant danio.

multiply that by six because of the schooling nature of the bala shark, and you will have a rough estimate.
 
polypterus101 said:
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_bala.php
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile21.html
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bala_sharks.htm
http://joshday.com/balasharks.htm
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/silver.htm
http://www.grizzlyrun.com/Pets/Fish/Freshwater_Fish/Bala_shark/Default.htm
http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-BalaShark.htm
Click to expand...

Many of these sites recommend a tank 6+ feet in length. Some of them are just completely untrustworthy. I do not see how any site could recommend to keep a 12+ inch fish in 40 gallon tank. LOL. These fish grow to 24" in the wild. This leads me to believe that in most home aquarium they are being stunted due to limited space.
 
honestly i think the behavior is just the bala's outgrowing the tank and getting stressed out by not having enough room to swim and too many fish around them. the ones we have at work are so sensitive, they give us an immediate heads up if the water is off at all and in any way, so def. have your water tested asap so that you can see if there is too much ammonia, etc.
the once a week water changes are probably what has kept them alive this long, they definitely need a bigger tank soon, or a donation to a place that has ample swimming room for them.
 
To address the original question this behavior is most likely due to being in to small of a group. Bala sharks are shoaling fish that find safety in large numbers. They are also omnivores that will eat most plants. They may have not been getting enough to eat and decided to find their own meal.
 
True should hav taken out some of the useless sites....dont want too give mikel the wrong info. lol 2 , the article saying a bala could be kept in a a 40g was pretty bad
 
Basically my options are keep them in cruelty or euthanasia. FWIW I tried adding some bloodworms to their diet, since the bloodworms don't sink. They are now happily eating from my fingers again.
 
so a 120g is not an option for you?? If not what's the biggest tank you think you could keep??
 
Well, the one I have now is about it. I'll see what I can manage as they grow. I got them last year from PetCo when I first started my tank and was even more naive than I am now. The sign on the tank and the salespeople claimed they were "dwarf bala sharks" and didn't grow to more than 5". So far they are under 2.5", but I no longer believe the hype. I do not shop at PetCo anymore.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom