FishyFishyFishy
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I just got a bala shark yesterday. It is so hyper (or scared, i dunno) that it's shaking and darting in the tank so fast. It's mouth is wounded. What should i do?
Bala Shark
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What size tank? What other fish? Water parameters? Cycled tank? Read the link in my signature. Balas grow to 12 inches and need to be kept in a tank of at elast 100 gallons with at least 2 other bala sharks. This and your water quality are what most likely are causing it distress.
pnyklr3
Fish Addict
I went to a pet store last year and asked for a bala shark. Never was I asked what size tank it was going into. So, I got home and floated the bag in my 10 GALLON TANK 
A few hours later, at feeding time, I opened the lids, fed the fish, and to my horrer here is what happened: THe bala shot off like a bullet, made a hairpin turn, swam to the other end at "top speed" and WHACK! 
Smacked right into the side of the tank. Needless to say, the poor shark knocked himself out cold and just twitched as he floated away. He never did recover
A few hours later, at feeding time, I opened the lids, fed the fish, and to my horrer here is what happened: THe bala shot off like a bullet, made a hairpin turn, swam to the other end at "top speed" and WHACK! Smacked right into the side of the tank. Needless to say, the poor shark knocked himself out cold and just twitched as he floated away. He never did recover 
that sucks digital_run
Fish Herder
Balas need to be kept in groups...Even then they can be quite skittish and shy. And unless you have a big tank for them then its best to return them.
chishnfips
WHAT! You went over my Helmet!
Alot of you will probably disagree with me but I have had my Bala for a year he lives in a 10 gallon tank with a few wee fishies, he is totally fine he eats well and doesn't bang the sides and swims around fine. I will be getting a bigger tank soon, but I was speaking to my LFS and they seemed to think that he will grow the perimeters of the tank..
Phantom Thief
Population Control Volunteer
I'm sure you know what we feel about intentionally stunting a fish with the myth about fish growing according to the size of the tank? Don't think i need to say more.
P.T.
P.T.
technium
Fish Crazy
Phantom Thief said:
Im sure I read somewhere that they grow quite large and not just to the size of their aquarium.
The thing about fish growing to the size of an aquarium is total b**l. LFSs that suggest this drive me insane!!!
Bala sharks grow to 12 inches. If they don't, you should be worried.
Stunting is when a fish cannot grow to its full size because of the size of the tank or over-crowding. Many fish are believed to release hormones into the water that keep them from exceeding the size of the tank or the room that is available. Frequent water changes can limit this but it can never be completely eliminated. In the wild, obviously, this wouldn't have a negative effect on them as they have plenty of room to thrive.
In a sense, this may sound like a good thing - until you realise what's actualy happening. You see, the fish doesn't grow as far as you can SEE, but inside, its internal organs keep growing and developing... You can imagine the result. Eventualy the fish dies a horribly slow and painful death.
You should NEVER keep a fish in a tank too small for its adult size. A fish like a bala shark NEEDS the company of others like itself. It also is active and requires room to swim. Even 1.5 inch zebra danios cannot be kept in a 10 gallon, so suggesting a bala shark can is obviously ridiculous. Just because a fish may seem ok, alive, eating and so on, it doesn't mean it's truly happy.
As aquarists and hopefuly fish-lovers we should not just try to keep fish alive. We should also always strive to allow them a chance to thrive. They did not ask to be kept in a tank a fraction of the size of their natural environment and they deserve more.
I think it is important to voice this so I'm sorry if I offended anyone. Usualy people involved don't know any better because of bad advice and no research of their own (which you can't blame them for - LFSs SHOULD be reliable - unfortunately they aren't).
Now if the reason you do this is because you want the fish and don't have the patience (not aiming this at anyone just for anyone who perhaps has considered it) to wait for your chance to get it a suitable home and take the time to learn about the requirements of your fish, I'd say you shouldn't be keeping any fish at all.
However, I can understand putting younger fish in a temporary small home until they get large enough to stick up for themselves with adults in a large tank or similar but you should still make sure they are not hindered by their environment or stunted and they should be kept with others of their own kind if necessary and be well-looked after. If you find the bigger tank is not ready, you must not simply leave the poor fish to suffer while it waits. Do take it into account and re-home it for its own good and for your conscience!
Bala sharks grow to 12 inches. If they don't, you should be worried.
Stunting is when a fish cannot grow to its full size because of the size of the tank or over-crowding. Many fish are believed to release hormones into the water that keep them from exceeding the size of the tank or the room that is available. Frequent water changes can limit this but it can never be completely eliminated. In the wild, obviously, this wouldn't have a negative effect on them as they have plenty of room to thrive.
In a sense, this may sound like a good thing - until you realise what's actualy happening. You see, the fish doesn't grow as far as you can SEE, but inside, its internal organs keep growing and developing... You can imagine the result. Eventualy the fish dies a horribly slow and painful death.
You should NEVER keep a fish in a tank too small for its adult size. A fish like a bala shark NEEDS the company of others like itself. It also is active and requires room to swim. Even 1.5 inch zebra danios cannot be kept in a 10 gallon, so suggesting a bala shark can is obviously ridiculous. Just because a fish may seem ok, alive, eating and so on, it doesn't mean it's truly happy.
As aquarists and hopefuly fish-lovers we should not just try to keep fish alive. We should also always strive to allow them a chance to thrive. They did not ask to be kept in a tank a fraction of the size of their natural environment and they deserve more.
I think it is important to voice this so I'm sorry if I offended anyone. Usualy people involved don't know any better because of bad advice and no research of their own (which you can't blame them for - LFSs SHOULD be reliable - unfortunately they aren't).
Now if the reason you do this is because you want the fish and don't have the patience (not aiming this at anyone just for anyone who perhaps has considered it) to wait for your chance to get it a suitable home and take the time to learn about the requirements of your fish, I'd say you shouldn't be keeping any fish at all.
However, I can understand putting younger fish in a temporary small home until they get large enough to stick up for themselves with adults in a large tank or similar but you should still make sure they are not hindered by their environment or stunted and they should be kept with others of their own kind if necessary and be well-looked after. If you find the bigger tank is not ready, you must not simply leave the poor fish to suffer while it waits. Do take it into account and re-home it for its own good and for your conscience!
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