Bala Shark With Goldfish, Angelfish And Colored Tetra

[SyedJafarImam]

Hi,
 
I have two aquariums at home; one for pure vegetarian fish and other for meat eaters. In meat eaters I have 2 Tiger Barbs, 2 Bumblebee Cichlids and a Bala Shark together in one of the two aquariums, but I have noticed that one of my Bumblebee is very aggressive and it picks every other fish in the tank. It even bullies my Bala Shark which is triple the size of my Bumblebee. So, I was just thinking of moving my Bala Shark, which I feel like remains very disturbed by this bullying behavior of my Bumbleebee, to my other aquarium which has all vegetarians (4 Goldfish, 2 Angelfish, 2 Black Moor and 2 Colored Tertas).
 
Can my Bala Shark live with my Goldies, Anglefish and Tertas? Please advise.

 

[luca1980]

I think dividing your tanks into meat eaters vs vegetarians is not the way to do things.
 
The bumblebee cichlid (pseudotropheus crabro) is one of the most aggressive of all mbunas and should only be housed with mbuna who are equally as aggressive. The size of the bala shark has nothing to do with it as the bumblebee is fearless and a relentless bully. Bumblebees are definitely not for beginners and need large tanks with tankmates who will stand up for themselves.
 
The other combination of goldfish, black moor, tetra and angelfish also is not ideal as all of these fish require different water parameters - for example the goldfish and moor are coldwater while the others are tropical and also require different ph. I am sure that they would 'survive' in conditions that are less than ideal, but this is not in the best interest of the fish.
 
I am not sure what would happen if you put the bala shark in your other tank but in my opinion this is not the ideal solution. 

 

[sawickib]

Id have to agree with luca everything stated, especially with the bumblebee mbuna cichlids should only be housed with other african cichlids IMO and maybe synodontis but i would say thats it because of their overly aggressive behavior. Bala's are very timid schooling fish and have no means to fight back against the bumblebee. 

 

[luca1980]

Maybe rehoming the bumblebees is the answer here? And perhaps dividing the remainders into two tanks where they can enjoy their required water parameters?

 

[kazfishdog]

Angels certainly are not vegetarians, and like temps considerably warmer than goldfish, 80F if not a bit more.

 

[sawickib]

I would recommend putting your angels, balas, tetras and tigers together and up the tiger and tetra school to around 6-8 if possible (idk your tank size unfortunately)
 
Rehome the bumblebees.
 
Have a separate tank for your goldfish with no heater, and maybe even a chiller depending on your temp range there.
 
Im afraid the only "vegetarians" you have are your goldfish/moors.

 

[Efishent]

I think that you should move the goldfish and black moor to another tank. I also think that the bumblebee cichlid should be kept with other cichlids. Maybe then you would have a more balanced aquarium?