Bala sharks.

[Chribela]

well all my fish in my tank died about half a year ago,and i just recently got a new job and thinking of starting it up again. I have a 20Gal(tal) aquarium,and dont want to put alot of fish in it,just a couple. So i decided balas would be cool,how many small balas could i put in my tank if there were no other fish?

 

[fish_keeper2]

im sorry but balas get to big for a 20 gal. what else do you like. give us a list and well help u out.

 

[Mo_loves_fish]

yeah balas way to big for a 2 gallon and will out grow fast

 

[Chribela]

hmmm..iridecent sharks?(excuse the spelling). Hmmm i dont know what else i'd like,preferebly something that schools,but arent *too* agressive,and something fun to watch.

 

[Mo_loves_fish]

larger tetras are pretty cool

 

[Chribela]

hmm..alright,what kind of tetras and how many?

 

[Mo_loves_fish]

well there are serpe tetras they get about 1-2 in or more prolly get like 5 um what ever ur LFS or LPS has that are ound 1-3 in u could get a mix or a school of about 5 what ever you think looks cool

 

[Mo_loves_fish]

nothing with flowing fins tho

 

[fish_keeper2]

shoaling fish:
danios, wcmn, neon, glo lite, black neon, neon, cherry barbs, harliquins, glass fish, scissor tails, and basicly any of the other tetras that stay under 3 inches or so would work. corry cats also shoal.....most of these fish will eventually break up and move around on there own unless they feel the need to shoal ie being chased by a slightly aggessive fish

 

[withington]

maybe somthing like cleaning fish then some angels

thats what im going to do in my 15 gallon lots of cleaning fish then 2 angels in my 15 then when they get bigger put them in my 4ft tank

 

[withington]

I did'nt know these looked so google would these get on well with other fish or do they have to be kept on there own ???

 

[colen]

As far as I know they are very peaceful fish. They can be kept with almost anything, and will adabt well to most tanks (from what I have read). However you need a very large tank to house these guys.

edit: They also prefer there own company.

 

[andywg]

Shoals are essential for balas. I orginally kept one and he was super skittish. since adding the second and third he seemed better and now the shoal is 6 he seems fine.

As mentioned before on this board (but never in lfs it seems) these fish will reach 10 inches, should hit 12" and 14" is nowhere near uncommon as an adult size. Added to that the fish is an active swimmer and as a result I would not suggest keeping full grown adults in much less than a 6x2x2 with a 6x1.5x1.5 as the bare minimum.

As for tankmates, they are peaceful, but once fully grown do not be surprised to find them snacking on smaller fish that fit in their mouths. Also, beware of over active or aggressive tank mates as they are a skittish fish, even in a shoal.