Cruelty, What To Do Now?

[Mybbygotsauz]

Ok, check this out
i went to the LFS today and saw something ridiculous
This place had 9 Bala sharks all of which were 6+ inches in a 20 gallon tank
this cant be good right?
Well, anyway i bought all of them cause i couldnt stand to see that and now i have 9 bala sharks with no room for them
there being held in my dividers of my cichlid tank but theres no way i could let them live in this cichlid set up could i?
the tank is 300 gallons mixed with all different sorts of african cichlids.
looking for advice, because if i cant do this im going to find a large aquarium to take them to a friends house who definitely has the room for them
but before i do this i need to know if i can house them with my cichlids
any help helps
thanks

 

[Mybbygotsauz]

One of the sharks just died, not sure why

 

[Proxo]

This place had 9 Bala sharks all of which were 6+ inches in a 20 gallon tank
this cant be good right?
i bought all of them cause i couldnt stand to see that and now i have 9 bala sharks with no room for them.

What's the difference?
I do agree that 20g was too small for them but buying them knowing you had no room? They could of just been in the 20g for the meantime until a bigger tank was sorted? i've seen my LFS do it sometimes too.

 

[Mybbygotsauz]

I know i have the room for them if they can live with my cichlids since im way understocked in that tank
So i need help on if they can live in harmony
they have plenty of room right now
they are currently in a divider thats about 70 gallons so they are ok right now
are they safe to be with african cichlids?

 

[Malawi MaD]

I know i have the room for them if they can live with my cichlids since im way understocked in that tank
So i need help on if they can live in harmony
they have plenty of room right now
they are currently in a divider thats about 70 gallons so they are ok right now
are they safe to be with african cichlids?

I would say no, they require different water parameters, a different tank setup (in general) and african cichlids are very aggressive especially if you have a few dominant males that will be wanting to breed.

 

[Mybbygotsauz]

Oh ok, that sucks, well, ill be back later, lol
off to give the bala sharks to a friend
he has much bigger tanks

well appreciate the help

 

[Malawi MaD]

Oh ok, that sucks, well, ill be back later, lol
off to give the bala sharks to a friend
he has much bigger tanks

well appreciate the help

No worries (id have to go buy another tank as i wouldnt want to get rid of them lol). They are really nice fish

 

[Mybbygotsauz]

haha, im back and i made sure they would have a great place to live and they did, they are in a 130 gallon tank with other sharks.
Albino and red tails lol
and ik, i wish i could have kept them but i couldnt
they were beautiful and im glad i saved them

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Those Bala Sharks are still less than half size, they should reach close to 16" and consequently a group is going to need a massive tank in the ballpark of 9x3x3.

 

[Mybbygotsauz]

his biggest tank is over 300 gallons big
the sharks will be fine i believe

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

A group of 8 adult Balas are going to be cramped in a 300 gallons, especially if you are talking about US gallons. These fish should reach ~40cm, so the width of the tank needs to be 80cm at the very least, but really need to 100+.

 

[minnnt]

These fish should never be sold imo... especially in main stream shops. And LFS should be ashamed of themselves for selling them as they know deep down that 95% (probably more!) of the people who buy them can't accomodate them.

 

[Mybbygotsauz]

Lol, i said over 300, not sure on any dimensions but i believe his largest is around 4 to 500. Not sure though
and the LFS really is a peice of crap place
really a last resort place to go to just because its open 24/7
the sharks were incredibly cramped up at the store, it was ridiculous
i even asked the workers what they planned to do and they told me that the fish would be fine until they were sold
but just as you said, no one can accomadate them mostly, so how would they sell?
haha
but i saved them