Bala shark not eating! Betta eats all the food ..

[bcroft]

Hello all, I'm new here and I saw that it was active so I figured I'd ask around here. I bought a bala shark the other day and he is in a tank with my betta(they get along believe it or not). Problem is when its feeding time, the shark doesnt know how to eat lol. The betta eats all of the food and leaves the shark with nothing. Later on i see the shark eating some scraps from the gravel though. What should I do? Are they like catfish who eat off the rocks?

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Need alot more info on your situation first;

a. how many gallons does the tank hold and what are all the fish in it?
b. does the tank have a filter, heater and do you use dechlorinator at all?
c. Have you ever tested for ammonia, nitrates and nitrites and do you have any recent stats for them?
d. What have you tried to feed the bala shark so far?

Bala sharks are not good tankmates for bettas, they grow to a foot long and can live for 15yrs and need large tanks as they can be very skittish fish that are good jumpers.

 

[Discomafia]

They also need to be in groups if I'm not mistaken...

 

[spanishguy111]

They also need to be in groups if I'm not mistaken...

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Yup. Groups. Big fish, very fast swimmer. The minimum recommended tank size for a Bala Shark to be happy is a five foot long aquarium which is atleast 18" wide and contains atleast a group of 3 sharks. Not a good newbie choice. You should take it back. Of course they get along. A betta wont take on such a heavy bodied fish. The shark could just ram it and kill it. No bite required.

 

[andywg]

Balas do like to pick food off the substrate, they are better IMO with sand as with that they can suck up substrate and food and eject the sand out their gills.

 

[bcroft]

Balas do like to pick food off the substrate, they are better IMO with sand as with that they can suck up substrate and food and eject the sand out their gills.

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Its only a 10 gallon cycled tank with a filter and heater. He seems fine just by himself. I dont think I can just bring a fish back.

Also its just him and the betta in the tank, no other fish mates. I heard that if you can control the size of the fish by how big the living environment really is, or is this just a myth?

Thanks for the responses

 

[Durbkat]

Bala sharks need a minium size tank of a 100g if I not wrong and a 10g is extremly to small and you can return a fish since they never told you how big it gets. And that is true but that will kill your bala shark because that will stunt his growth and he will be unhealthy and sad. So please take him back.

 

[Synirr]

You need to either take him back or rehome him somewhere else. A tank that size will severely stunt him, which will lead to organ failure and a slow, most likely painful death.

 

[bcroft]

Bala sharks need a minium size tank of a 100g if I not wrong and a 10g is extremly to small and you can return a fish since they never told you how big it gets. And that is true but that will kill your bala shark because that will stunt his growth and he will be unhealthy and sad. So please take him back.

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I feel really bad now, no wonder why he keeps swimming against the glass because he feels like he needs to swim more. I bought him at walmart and there were about 12 of them in a little tank, so I figured that he would be ok.

 

[Durbkat]

Well we all make mistakes and the reason walmart has 12 of them in a small tank is, well first of all they don't know s*** of how to take care of fish and second of all the fish are only in their for a week or two and they won't get to big. Didn't you read the description of them before you bought them?

 

[fish_keeper2]

a very newb mistake.....my advice, ALWAYS ask here or research BEFORE you buy the fish. i can guaranty that most lfs will be wrong on a lot of stuff. dont take the fish back, walmart will only throw it in the trash. i would call all the lfs in your town and find one that will take it. or if a friend has some balas in a large enough tank with enough room then give it to them. or else you have no choice but to leave it and let it die slowly and painfully and sadly or take it to walmart.............sorry if i sound harsh about it. i dont mean to.

 

[bcroft]

Yes I did read the information tab. It said "Grow to about 4-5 inches and travel in schools. 1 is fine alone, but 2 may get aggressive. $4.84." Going to bring him to my friends 55 gallon "long". It beats the 10 gallon..... If I can catch him... he's a fast little fish.

Any suggestions of what I should put in my fishtank? My betta needs a neighbor, he's already sick of his cave and plant and has enough bubblenests to last a lifetime.

PS I'm sorry if I angered some of you, but I'm fairly new to the fish world. I had a fishtank when I was a kid but thats it. All I remember about the tank is how to cycle it, and howto take readings of the water.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

How did you go about cycling the tank and what do you test for in the water quality?
Does your tank have a suitable heater and filter and do you use dechlorinator?
The walmart advice on your fish was pretty bad as you may have now gathered which is why its so important to do your research- this forum also has a pretty good fish index with lots of pics for research.
A 10gallon tank is a pretty small tank so you don't want any fish that grow bigger than 4inchs and male bettas will make it hard to stock the tank as they don't make very good tank mates towards other fish as they are slow moving, don't compete well for food and can be nippy towards other fish on occasion.
Corys, african dwarf frogs and ghost shrimp make fairly compatable tank mates with male bettas. Buying the betta his own tank(2gallons+) with a small heater and filter(unless you want to do weekly 1005 water changes) will be much better for him and will open up all sorts of stocking options for your 10gal.
There are many livebearers to chose from like platys, balloon mollys, endlers and guppys(mixed gender groups need at least 2-3females per male although livebearers can produce alot of fry so you may want to consider an all-male group), various tetras like glow light, black and neon tetras(tetras prefer to be in groups of at least 5) and corys would be good for your tank as an example without the male betta.

 

[andywg]

Yes I did read the information tab. It said "Grow to about 4-5 inches and travel in schools. 1 is fine alone, but 2 may get aggressive. $4.84." Going to bring him to my friends 55 gallon "long". It beats the 10 gallon..... If I can catch him... he's a fast little fish.

Any suggestions of what I should put in my fishtank? My betta needs a neighbor, he's already sick of his cave and plant and has enough bubblenests to last a lifetime.

PS I'm sorry if I angered some of you, but I'm fairly new to the fish world. I had a fishtank when I was a kid but thats it. All I remember about the tank is how to cycle it, and howto take readings of the water.

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Don't be sorry, it's just that Bala sharks are one of the worst things that lfs stock, they grow big and swim a lot. They need shoals of at least 3 but I recommend 5+ and they grow past 12".

Never trust lfs guide sheets unless you know the place, the owner/staff, and trust their advice, even then they can make the odd mistake (none of us infallible).

If you don't fancy setting up a big tank (like 72"x18"x18") then I'd take the bala back, or rehome him with a friend.

In a 10 gallon you are a little limited on tank mates. You could try dwarf cories (though when small the betta may snack on them) or else maybe a khulie loach or two. If you head to the betta section they will probably be able to help you more (and there are probably a couple of similar threads too)

And again, don't be sorry, you didn't know. It's just so often people buy balas for 10 gals and then refuse to take them back. At least you're listening.

HIH

Andy