Bala Sharks

[aglayo2006]

hello:

I have two bala sharks in a 10 gallon aquarium, one shark is about 3 cm and the other about 5 cm, my question is why the bigger always pursuit the little one when in the beggining wasnt like that?. when i bought this two sharks the sales associate tell me that they will be okay forever but after the year began the problem. I try couple times to fix that by reassigning the decorations or adding more plants but this idea never work so my only way is to buy a plastic net and divide the aquarium in half. can someone explain me why happen this when are community fish? thanks

 

[GoldfishAttentionSpan]

Oy. Balas are a schooling species, and need at least five or six of thier kind, I do belive. They also get quite large (8 inches at least) and need a MUCH larger aquarium. Keeping them in the ten gallon will stunt thier growth and cause them a very slow and painful death. (The outside of thier body stops growing, but the internal organs grow at a normal rate, causing the slow and painful death.) The fish are stressed at being in such a small aquarium and not having a school like they need, so yeah, they will have odd behaviors.

The person in the store makes money when you buy the fish, so of course he will tell you it will work for you. When those fish die from improper care, you come back and buy more fish, and they keep making money. Most places aren't going to discourage you from buying improper tank inhabitants because they would loose a sale. Once in awhile there is a place that really has the fish's welfare in mind, but you must keep in mind that they are running a business and are trying to make money, not worrying about the fish's life when it goes home with you.

You should probably take the fish back and exchange them for fish that are proper for your tank, unless of course you are willing to buy a tank the proper size for a school of balas, which I am not sure of the exact measurements, but I wouldn't imaging it being less then 100 gallons.

What other fish are in the tank with them?

Best wishes for you and your fish, though.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Actually, there is no evidence of the organs keeping growing while the body is stunted, but otherwise Goldfish is quite right: these fish are stressed out by being kept under unsuitable conditions. And it does sound like their growth has probably been stunted. You'd need at least a 90 gallon tank to keep a proper school of balas as they should be kept.
A 10 gallon tank is suitable for a school of small tetras, a group of guppies or maybe some honey gouramis. Small fish that don't need to move very fast.

 

[SamUK]

yea they should be much bigger after a year.

they reach 12" failry quick but then go on to 14"+ i think.

 

[Scott MacAdam]

yes they grow about a foot long..... but as for the agression ... i believe they are know as the 'Friendly Giants" as a nickname..... so keep that in mind....

get your self a bigger tank.....

 

[Rocky32189]

OMG. That tank is WAY too small. Get a new tank now or take those fish back to the store immediately. The can grow to a foot or more in length and need a lot of swimming room. Next time do some research before buying fish on impulse like that.

 

[vancouver]

Yea.. you really need to find new homes for those balas... they aren't fish for small tanks.

 

[sheree]

Hi,

I have a similar problem. I bought 2 x 2.5" balas at the beginning of the year to go into my 45 gal i'd just got matured. The lfs said they'd be ok for my tank and I got carried away with how good they looked. However, 8 months on they've doubled in size and have really filled out. They are great little community fish but are getting bigger very fast and could eat the house out. Unfortunately, we have no room for a bigger tank so i'm going to see how they go for a while a longer and then take them back to the lfs who said they would take them off our hands if necessary. It would be sad to see them go though. Mine are not aggressive and tend to stick/play together all the time. But they have taken a fancy to my hornwort plant. They've also got into an habit of knocking the inside algae magnet from the side of the tank so the other half suddenly drops on the floor and scares both me and the hubby to death. Very naughty fish!! but i suppose thats part of their character.

 

[Anita]

Hi
Balas grow into large fish, who prefer to be in a shoal. They are fast swimmers and are very skittish. Keep you tank covered as they can jump

Anita