Got A Bala Shark

[mike777]

Hey all,

Well, on saturday I went to the lfs to look at some fishies and I saw a bala shark and I liked it right away.

so I asked the guy who owns the store if it would go with the fish I have.. (really nice and I can trust him) He said no problem! I also told him how big of a tank I have and that I will probably get to starting up the 60 gallon sometime this week or next week.

Has anyone had any experiences with these guys?? Thanks!

 

[freshmike]

They are great fish, very pretty and fun to watch....I would personally get two more though.....they are pretty social.


chris

 

[phoenix]

they do best in groups of 3 or more andget big as they grow not sure of how big off hand i think 12' or more you will probabally have to put them in the 60 gal tank at some point later on. Oh and from what I read they do not do well with the other types of sharks.

 

[bikiegirl]

Common Names: Bala Shark
Silver Shark
Tricolor Shark
Synonyms: Barbus melanopterus
Puntius melanopterus
Family: Cyprinidae
Origin: South East Asia.
Main Ecosystem: River
Temperament: Peaceful. Can even be kept with small fish such as Tetras despite its size. Highly recommened for larger community tanks.
Diet: Carnivore
Care: Feed with flakes or worms. Large tanks are recommended. Easy to keep. Cover the tank as Silver Sharks can jump up to six feet in the air
pH: 6.0 - 8.0
Temperature: 22°C - 28°C (72°F - 82°F)
Hardness: 5.0°dH - 12.0°dH
Potential Size: 35cm (13.8")
Water Region: All
Activity: Diurnal
Breeding: Too large to breed in a home aquarium.
Gender: Hard to determine. Female's have a rounder stomach.




hi hope this help do npot kown a lot abotu them but i find this hope ti helps

bikiegirl

 

[smileandnod]

.....and about twelve months from now you'll need a tank bigger than 60 gallons.
Mine went from about 2 inches to 7 in less than eighteen months, and are on their third tank in as many months. Now up to 5 feet long (105 Uk Gallons). After that they slow down, but often reach 12 inches or more in the aquarium.

They like a lot of swiming space, and will sometimes swim very fast, often bumping into the end of the tank, if there isn't enough space.

You really do need more than two. One will get lonely, two will result in one being chased by the other too much, so three is really a minimum.

I'm afraid they are also sesitive to water quality, and don't react well to higher levels of nitrate. So all in all they can actually be quite a demanding fish to keep, but are very rewarding, and lovely fish. Mine dance at the front of the tank when it's feeding time.

Ian.

 

[caz27]

I have 3 balas, like the other guys said you should have 3 at the very least.

And they are quite nervous fish i have read posts where there shark got scared and jumped out of the tank, mine have never done this yet..

They are great fish to keep and watch and at least you got an excuse now to buy 2 more

 

[Griffith420]

there very good on their own and in three or more, neveer in two's

 

[smileandnod]

Sorry, but I disagree about keeping them singley.
They are a shoaling fish in their natural habit, and do much better in groups.

They are a social fish, and will establish hierarchies, and a total social structure when kept in groups. They will really show off their best behaviour under those circumstances.

Cheers.
Ian.

 

[mike777]

Okay, thanks you guys!! I have another question though: do you have any good websites to look up fish? I have been using liveaquaria (it is ok) but I would like to find another new one... thanks!

 

[ryan]

This might help Mike.

Good Luck

 

[R_W]

Just my $.02, but I had never been able to keep a single bala beyond 8-10 months. after reading that the were a "schooling" fish, I bought a pair and they did well. One of that pair passed on before I moved them to a 55 gallon tank, but the other is pushing 8-9" after two or three years. It doesn't abuse/chase the significantly smaller bala that's in the tank with it now at all. The only "aggressive" behavior that it shows is when it gets tired of the RTBS playing torpedo and ramming him broadside, and that's just limited to flipping the red tail out of his way.

 

[mike777]

So do you guys have any good websites?

 

[Sanj]

I agree with SmileandNod,

I wanted to get three of these fish for my 380 litre aquarium, but after doing some research it appears even that may not be large enough in the long run.

BTW Smile,

is your 480 litre a Rena aquarium?

 

[smileandnod]

Mike777,
There is not much good information available really. If you do a google search for Bala Shark, you'll get plenty of sites with very little information, but have a sort through, and you'll find some good info.

Here's a few to get you started....
http/www.wheelpost.com/Jansarticle.html
(It's worth having a good look around the whole of the above site).

This is a good piece
http/www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/f...inids/bala.html

This one needs some care, but there is some good info
http/www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gbala.html

I'd just say to avaoid anything that says they are easy to keep.

Sanj. The tank is a Juwel Rio 400. You'd expect it to be a 400 litre tank, but some simoke calculations show otherwise.

Cheers.
Ian.

 

[adcs]

My Bala Shark thinks he's a Rosy Barb and sulks if I split him up from them. I had two but the other one was smaller and got a bit beaten up in my barb tank so he's in with the Angels and looks happy.

Why is it that some grow into monsters like the one in my barb tank and others stay small and almost fragile looking? Bad breeding?