Bala Shark Mating Habits

[Sky042]

Haven't been around for a while as life just got too busy with planning a wedding and such which is finally over.

Anyways in my 125 gallon tank there are 2 Bala sharks roughly 5-6 inches in length. They're suddenly exhibiting some odd behavior.
They're swimming side by side sortsa banging mid sections together. Then occasionally some what looks like nibbling but nothing exceptionally violent and the smaller one who's being nibbled is making no effort to get away from the larger bala. There is also occasionally a little quid pro quo nibbling going on in return.

Neither of the fish appear to have sustained any injury and the behavior is happening roughly mid water.

Any ideas on whats going on?

FWIW their tank makes include: Clown loaches, Texas Green Cichlid, Jack Dempsey, Oscar, and pictus cats.

 

[Bex]

Hi

My balas started doing this mainly at feeding times. They sometimes swim with one bala's tail kind of on top of the other, like the bottom one is shoving the other one upwards - it's kind of hard to explain.

The rest of the time they follow each other about peacefully so I don't think that it is fighting - I thought maybe it was establishing the pecking order as it is usually the smaller one of the two that is the one on top. I think I read that they are quite difficult to breed so I ruled that one out.

I stopped worrying about mine as it doesn't seem to be aggressive in any way.

Can anyone else shed any light?

PS - do yours make a loud clicking sound when you feed them?

 

[Sky042]

Hi

My balas started doing this mainly at feeding times. They sometimes swim with one bala's tail kind of on top of the other, like the bottom one is shoving the other one upwards - it's kind of hard to explain.

The rest of the time they follow each other about peacefully so I don't think that it is fighting - I thought maybe it was establishing the pecking order as it is usually the smaller one of the two that is the one on top. I think I read that they are quite difficult to breed so I ruled that one out.

I stopped worrying about mine as it doesn't seem to be aggressive in any way.

Can anyone else shed any light?

PS - do yours make a loud clicking sound when you feed them?

No clicking however I had fed this morning(I only feed roughly every 3 days on that tank)

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Not sure about the mating behaviour, but bala sharks do best in groups of at least 3+, so at the minimum i would add another one, many fish that when kept in too lower numbers than what is advised to keep them in can display unusual behavior not fitting with their normal behaviour like agression.
I'm no expert on bala's, but i know that at least adding another one would be best, it would also be interesting to see if this behavior stops as it does sound agressive.

edit: sp

 

[chishnfips]

I think the clicking sounds is when they snap the food from the surface of the water, (makes a splashy noise) mine used to do it all the time

 

[Mad Duff]

It is thought to be bonding behavior, I currently have 6 and when they all get involved it is quite bizarre to watch. Mine do click at the surface a lot when they are eating duckweed but if 2 are feeding together the clicking from each on tends to get louder.