this was our second bala shark...our first died because of stress from the red tail shark i believe..the second died unfortunatly because somehow it got wedged up in a castle and it was too big to get out..our first grew to be 6 1\4 inches our second was as big as the the first if not a lil bigger...what i would like to know is what made him get up in that castle? we have 6 gouramis (2gold, 2 opaline, 2 pearls), 5 tiger barbs, 1 plecostamus, 1 gold dust molly....we have a 75 gallon aquarium...oh and another thing ... does anyone know how to get rid of the green algae growing on my aquarium rocks with cotton like stuff growing from it? it looks awful!!!
my poor bala shark
- Thread starter tazd798
- Start date
Balas typically do better when kept in a group. Solo, they tend to hide more frequently, and if several, adequately sized hiding places are not available, they may try to fit in somewhere they used to fit but have outgrown. In a 75, with the other fish you list, you likely don't really have the space to support 3-4 adults.
For algae--controlling alae requires controlling the nutrients that feed it. More frequent water changes may help out--or adding plants that can compete for those nutrients more efficiently.
For algae--controlling alae requires controlling the nutrients that feed it. More frequent water changes may help out--or adding plants that can compete for those nutrients more efficiently.
I have seen Bala sharks advertised as being good in 55 - 120 gallon tanks.
I personally have 2 in my 55g tank.
They are very shy fish, and cant really be kept with agressive fish.
I personally have 2 in my 55g tank.
They are very shy fish, and cant really be kept with agressive fish.
Beware of false advertisment victim.
Balas are very shy and need a large group. They are also very twitchy and jumpy. My lid was just a bit ajar one time and I had six of them bail on me!
Balas are very shy and need a large group. They are also very twitchy and jumpy. My lid was just a bit ajar one time and I had six of them bail on me!
victimizati0n said:
I agree. Just picked up 3 balas this past weekend for my 55g. Very low-key fish. They're in there with a rude little school of tiger barbs, but everyone's been behaving themselves.
I'll be sure to keep my lid down!
Swimfins
This is as good as it gets.
I'd just take out the rocks and soak them in a solution of bleach and water, scrub the worst ones. Then soak them in water and declorinator and put them back. I don't like the 'white fuzzy stuff' I'd clean it out and water change more.
Greetings fish fora denizens!
TazD's significant other here. She wanted a tank for christmas last year, so thats what we got. Its been really fun, even the mista kes :thud:
I have learnt alot running our first tank. we were REALLY bummed out about our bala shark, he was a bit skittish, but otherwise very healthy and got upto about 7". He never hid in the castle ornaments before, but apparently he found a hole in the underside and wedged himself in there, we tried to save him, but he was mostly gone by the time we found him (we started searching the cats litterboxs!
) So we were really bummed out to loose him.
Tank wise, theres enough room for one bala, I wanted a group but sthe size they get (eventually) just wont allow it.
Another lesson learned, were only putting in ornaments that dont have holes in them big enough for the fishies to get into to. :idea2:
The algae issue is a reltively recent development. green algae with that cotton like fuzzy growth. Reducing feeding and light time has already started reel back its growth, I think the major factor of the algae bloom is that we lost most our plants that were competing with nutrients.
We had some very beautiful and healthy anacharis (water weed) and wysteria. Well "she" didnt like how quickly anacharis grows and didnt trim them right and they slowly died off. And after some research, it appears as wysteria matures it breaks up and scatters about so we slowly lost the amount of wisteria we used to have. Its been reduced to two smallish clumps.
I am planning on replanting (we already do a water change religiously every opne or two weeks) and hoping this should help in killing off the alage with continued reduced feeding and less light time.
The fish themsleves and no worse for the wear and are doing quite well (stocked as she noted.)
We have pics on my website, if interested:
http://www.violentnexus.net
TazD's significant other here. She wanted a tank for christmas last year, so thats what we got. Its been really fun, even the mista kes :thud:
I have learnt alot running our first tank. we were REALLY bummed out about our bala shark, he was a bit skittish, but otherwise very healthy and got upto about 7". He never hid in the castle ornaments before, but apparently he found a hole in the underside and wedged himself in there, we tried to save him, but he was mostly gone by the time we found him (we started searching the cats litterboxs!
) So we were really bummed out to loose him.Tank wise, theres enough room for one bala, I wanted a group but sthe size they get (eventually) just wont allow it.
Another lesson learned, were only putting in ornaments that dont have holes in them big enough for the fishies to get into to. :idea2:
The algae issue is a reltively recent development. green algae with that cotton like fuzzy growth. Reducing feeding and light time has already started reel back its growth, I think the major factor of the algae bloom is that we lost most our plants that were competing with nutrients.
We had some very beautiful and healthy anacharis (water weed) and wysteria. Well "she" didnt like how quickly anacharis grows and didnt trim them right and they slowly died off. And after some research, it appears as wysteria matures it breaks up and scatters about so we slowly lost the amount of wisteria we used to have. Its been reduced to two smallish clumps.
I am planning on replanting (we already do a water change religiously every opne or two weeks) and hoping this should help in killing off the alage with continued reduced feeding and less light time.
The fish themsleves and no worse for the wear and are doing quite well (stocked as she noted.)
We have pics on my website, if interested:
http://www.violentnexus.net
Getting more plants in there to compete with the algae will likelyhelp--it's possible that the reduction in plants, combined with the increase in bio-load as the fish mature is what pushed the nutrients in favor of the algae. Look into plants like anubias and crypts--most are happy in lower light setups, and while not considered fast growers, they are reliable and hardy.
In conjunction with lighter feeding, try making those water changes weekly. The amount of waste that an additioanl week can accumulate is astonishing. I know that in some of my heavier stocked tanks, an additional 3-4 days makes a huge difference in the amount of waste in the tank. Every 6-7 days good, every 11-12 days, bad. Water changes, while a bit more work, are really the best treatment for many, if not most, tank problems.
In conjunction with lighter feeding, try making those water changes weekly. The amount of waste that an additioanl week can accumulate is astonishing. I know that in some of my heavier stocked tanks, an additional 3-4 days makes a huge difference in the amount of waste in the tank. Every 6-7 days good, every 11-12 days, bad. Water changes, while a bit more work, are really the best treatment for many, if not most, tank problems.