When is too big

[DaveinSF]

Hi guys and girls,

Here is my situation. 55 gallon cycled, some nice live plants and some big pieces of driftwood. Currently I have 5 neon, 5 black neon, 3 guppies (will be going soon) 2 mollies and 2 snails. I added 3 bala sharks. One is maybe 2 inches the others are maybe 1 - 11/2 inches. I hope to be upgrading to a 90 gallon within the next 12 months, so I can keep the balas, but if I can't find one affordable in time, when should I return the balas to the fish store? Would 4 or 5 inches each be too big for the 55 gallon? The lady at the LFS store says that I can just bring them back if they get too big.

So when is their size too big for the 55?

THREE Bala sharks -- IN ADDITION to all those other fish you have, in a 55 gallon tank? I'm no expert on the larger fish, but I don't think you should've even put the bala sharks in there in the first place.

It would only make sense to make sure you have a large enough tank FIRST, then let your fauna grow into it. Why wait until it becomes absolutely necessary and unhealthy for your fish?

I've seen overcrowded tanks, and it's not pretty. It's stressful watching all those fish fight for space. I find having a conservatively stocked tank far more rewarding and easier to maintain in both the short term and the long term. Gross overstocking is really cruel to the fish.

 

[zazz]

I think youre doing great tseng!
Look, sometimes people on forums give wrong info. giving zabak the benefit of the doubt, MAYBE he just tried to clarify his question.
Fact is, Zabak.
you got thorough answers from knowledgable fishkeepers.
sorry.

 

[zabak80]

Thank you all for the advice.

I know that they will outgrow the tank, at which time I will provide them with a proper environment.

I was asking WHEN you think they will outgrow the tank and what signs are showing when they do.

Obviously as babies I have at least a couple months with them. I would appreciate some advice, perhaps a measurement, as to when they get too big for a 55 gal. 6 inches? 5 inches? 7 inches? So I know when to start finding them a better environment.

You are right though, maybe I should take them back to the overcrowded ten gallon in the LFS store where someone would rather flush them down the toilet once they get too big instead of finding them a proper home because they want to have a fish with the name "shark" in it?

There is no need to be a fish snob. I still would like a simple answer to how to pick up signs that a fish is too big for a tank so I can prepare for the future. Obviously in their present state, they are not being stunted, overcrowded and are very lively. In fact, they are doing better now than any bala's I have ever seen in any fish stores tanks.

So please, I am not asking you to demonize me, *******ize my question or crucify me for wanting bala sharks. I am simply asking at what point will they become too big for the tank.

 

[slipknottin]

Stunting is a function of pollution, not tank size. If you do frequent large water changes they will never become stunted. They will just continue to grow until at some point they attempt to escape the confines of the aquarium, and you find them the next morning dried up on the floor.

However, larger tanks mean the pollution is dilluted, and it takes a longer time for it to reach high enough concentrations for it to stunt/kill fish. So there is a reason to have/need a larger tank from a stunting perspection, as well as one for the fishes general well being.

That is perhaps the general problem with such a thing, we can not speculate as to what levels of what are going to stunt/harm the fish, so we can not give you a certain time frame of when the fish needs to be moved out. Ideally, its as soon as possible. Realistically, its more of a keep up with your water changes, but be on the constant lookout for a better place to send the fish; or, while saving up some money for a larger aquarium so you can properly house the fish for its full life. It is after all, your responsibility to adequaltely house and care for the animals that you purchase.

This is, yet again, an example of why it is good to research animals before you buy them. People care less about fish not because they are any less of an animal, but because of their price. Which is the wrong way to look at any living being.

Oh, and I forgot to add, this 'rescuing' of the fish from the LFS is really quite counter-productive. Buying fish that are inadequate for the majority of aquariums means that the LFS is just going to order more to sell. Ideally, if a fish is not suitable for your, or the vast majority of aquariums, dont buy it. Now I fully realize that there are plenty of people who either dont care or dont know about such things, but we should all do our part to prevent such things.

 

[zabak80]

Thank you Slipknottin, that was the exact answer I needed. Thank you for taking the time to answer it.

You are right. I will begin the process to find a good home for them. I suspect that I do have a month or two, with keeping the water good, for the search. But I cannot let the cute buggers go back to the LFS store where they will surely be put into a 10 gallon when they are bought.

There are alot of free advertisements in my area, in a couple months, I will begin the search for a suitable aquarium for them. I didn't pay that much for them so I have no problem giving them to a GOOD home, hell I spend more renting a video on a Wednesday night than I did on these guys.

What questions should I ask to screen out the 10 and 20 gallon people? How can I tell a serious aquarist with the proper equipment for them from a less experienced one?

 

[slipknottin]

Honestly? I very much doubt you will find anyone who would want such a fish. Just the recommended size of the aquarium means there are very few people who could potentially house it. And the people who do have large aquariums are more than likely going to have it furnished with the specific fish that they like already. Now Im not saying dont try, as you should try, but dont be absolutely sure that someone will come forward. That same problem affects nearly everyone with larger fish. And many never find adequate homes.

I would still prefer you return them to the LFS. While your fish probably will not end up living a decent life, perhaps the loss of a sale will prevent the LFS from ordering so many next time, potentially saving other bala's from a miserable life.