New Baby Bala Shark

[grayshark1956]

When in stores, yes they are in very small tanks but the fish are not in those tanks for very long before they get purchased and then hopefully get put in suitable tanks by their new owners. This is an ideal scenario... But, this isn't always the case. There are times, more often than not that fish get purchased and but into unsuitable tanks.

Now that could be due to a staff member giving the customer wrong or misleading information as what happened to yourself... Or... It could be down to the customer just "wanting" that particular fish regardless of whether they have the right size tank to accommodate that fish' needs.

As wills said "research before you buy".. Since I joined this forum iv come to realise just how many fish stores there are out there that DON'T have the fish' long term health in mind and they are just there to sell to you.. Harsh but true, and so I now research any fish I'm interested in beforehand. Saves you a lot hassle in the long run too

We have all made mistakes at some point but this forum and its members can make those mistakes a lot less frequent

I probably answered this somewhere,can't find it. I read about balas and found they were to grow to 6" and did ask store. I returned him, and did not buy anymore fish. But people do get misinformed, if I was not on the forum I would have found out about bala's size eventually and would either return him or get second tank.He was a peaceful fish, I hated to take him back.

always buy fish for the equipment you have NOW.

Exactly, if you want a particular fish and don't have the setup for it then spend the time and money getting it before you get the fish. Put the fish in and enjoy watching it grow into the tank over the years.

I face the same sort of issues in my job as a landscape gardener, customers want their new garden to look full & mature from the start and are not prepared to wait for things to grow. They ask for large plants to be put in that will ultimately be too big when fully grown but because they don't want an 'empty' garden for a few years they cram as many plants in as possible and just throw them out as the garden gets overgrown.

In dbanner's case it was a mercy misson with little or no prior warning but knowing all about the fish and having the means to get the correct setup means it was the right decision.

I always have a tank ready, this time I did, was going to get a larger tank, but returned bala yesterday. I would have gotten a larger tank and a 2nd bala but apparently this fish grows fast, people thought he would outgrow my tank too soon. I would have had 6 mos to a year to get a second tank but returned him instead.

 

[grayshark1956]

Is it my computer or are posts supposed to be listed twice? I did take your advice and returned bala today. What people did not realize is that I kept repeating I was going to get a larger tank, there was enough time, he would not grow that fast! I would not have kept a fish that large in a 10 gal tank anyway, and I asked first. How can we end the bala topic? I don't want to keep explaining myself and have people saying I didn't take advice, I really did, he is back at the store.

personally i think wills was charitable.

he warned you before you bought, yet you still went ahead.
its that old chestnut. "I'll be getting a bigger tank soon/later/when space allows".
it rarely happens, and turns into mañana

I think the tread should be kept open.
to remind you, and others that read it, to listen to the advice they came to ask for.

I to spent some years "going my own way". turns out the advice i was ignoring was right.
in only one case did i find it to be incorrect.

always buy fish for the equipment you have NOW.

I'm in a similar position now... Although I didn't buy a fish that was unsuitable for the tanks I have, I took it off my cousin because like I said in my previous post as he was going to kill it and I couldn't let that happen.

Iv planned to get my 210gal for quite sometime now but seeing as Christmas is just around the corner and I have an 8 year old daughter that wants everything imaginable, the tank is now on hold. It will be with me around January/february after Christmas is out of the way... I was going to leave it a little longer but means I got this 5" dovii now that needs bigger than a 120gal I can't chance leaving it. That, and the sooner I get the 210 the sooner my flowerhorn can have his 120 back lol poor guy is in a 40 till then.. Although he's only just hit 5"

These things sometimes happen unannounced and we can only do the best we can at that given time. Although in this case I do agree with you as wills did give the OP advice beforehand and you can always Guarentee that wills advice will be spot on.

I think this was just a case of mixed information and the OP was just confused as to which info to take at the time. This case could of gone better yes... But, it could also have gone a lot worse.

Just found your post: you gave good advice, but having bala in my tank would have been ok for a week. I would have gotten a larger tank but decided to return him anyway. Now if I kept bala and did not get larger tank, then I could see people disagreeing and that would have been the wrong care to leave him in my current tank, that I would say is worse. But, I'm happy with the tank I have and decided to keep it where it is, no more balas. Yeah, the posts could have been better but this could have been worse, too. Like I said before, I was not going to keep bala in 10 gal permanently. Think how many fish are sold and end up in wrong tank, then the owner has to make a change. But, stores so often do not know what they are selling, maybe they are told to say they don't know, but a few weeks ago I was in my favorite huge grocery superstore looking at fish and there was a man and his wife that wanted an algae eater. They chose a 1.75" pleco and the employee said she did not know anything about them. I stepped in and explained how large they get and was able to change the mind of these people, they did not buy one. They picked out another fish.

The stores should put a sticker on a tank with baby plecos showing how large they get, but no one thinks to do this. I would, if I worked there. The people thanked me for informing them about pleco size and said "I'm glad you said something, our tank isn't that large." So, I helped someone but I do wish stores would put some kind of notice on a tank when a fish gets that large, so many people who are beginners buy a fish without finding out about it first. When I saw that balas grow to 6" I knew I had enough time to get a second tank, but if they grow to 14" then its best if I not have one.

 

[SandraNewbie]

Balas are one of the problem fish in the trade. I inherited two of them and within the first few months had to upgrade, (to a 7.5 foot tank). Sadly that tanks broken and my 5 balas are going into a 5 foot tank as soon as I can get it built and I'll have to consider moving them shortly after.

Even at 2 or 3 inches balas need 3 feet or more to swim in, it takes them 2 feet or so to get up to speed and start turning, so in a smaller tank they hit the edges a lot.

you did the right thing by returning them and if you can get a decent sized set up, you'll have a shoal of happy balas then.

 

[grayshark1956]

always buy fish for the equipment you have NOW.

Exactly, if you want a particular fish and don't have the setup for it then spend the time and money getting it before you get the fish. Put the fish in and enjoy watching it grow into the tank over the years.

I face the same sort of issues in my job as a landscape gardener, customers want their new garden to look full & mature from the start and are not prepared to wait for things to grow. They ask for large plants to be put in that will ultimately be too big when fully grown but because they don't want an 'empty' garden for a few years they cram as many plants in as possible and just throw them out as the garden gets overgrown.

In dbanner's case it was a mercy misson with little or no prior warning but knowing all about the fish and having the means to get the correct setup means it was the right decision.

I see what you mean about landscaping and gardening. I buy smaller plants or bushes for my front yard island but I space everything that I plant to allow each one to grow. But with fish, if one can grow to 14 - 16" then I can't have one. I actually am happy with my tank now, its easier to clean since my suction vac does not work (tank is too low to the floor) I always end up taking water out by hand, then carrying empty tank to kitchen to rinse. I know this is the hard way but it works for me. I'll have to practice more with the suction vac, which I already did and see if I can get that to work. I tried the method I found on You Tube but mine didn't work because the tank is too low. Now todsy I need to do a partial water change.

 

[Aquascaper]

One of the major points being made here is that you keep saying you would have got a larger tank in 6 - 12mths to house the Bala and why would it harm it doing so.

If you have the space, funds, structural integrity and time to build an 8 foot tank setup to house it then you should have made that clearer, as it sounded more like you were planning only a slightly larger tank that still would not have been suitable.

The other point you keep mentioning is about finding information regarding 6" adult size which is why you bought it. Further to my previous posts, this was an anomaly and should have been discounted but because it allowed you to justify keeping the fish regardless of previous advice on here and other research you went with it. A simple search on Google does nothing other than state these fish are big and require big tanks, all the people on this thread know the same and give the same advice and I cannot easily find any source online stating to the contrary. If 10 people are telling you one thing and one person is telling you the opposite chances are the one person is wrong, please try and remember that for future fish research.

 

[grayshark1956]

Balas are one of the problem fish in the trade. I inherited two of them and within the first few months had to upgrade, (to a 7.5 foot tank). Sadly that tanks broken and my 5 balas are going into a 5 foot tank as soon as I can get it built and I'll have to consider moving them shortly after.

Even at 2 or 3 inches balas need 3 feet or more to swim in, it takes them 2 feet or so to get up to speed and start turning, so in a smaller tank they hit the edges a lot.

you did the right thing by returning them and if you can get a decent sized set up, you'll have a shoal of happy balas then.

Yeah, true, I was going to do that but decided not to, as there are are things I keep up with on a daily basis and my tank is fine, I have to carry it to the kitchen to rinse it though, my gravel vac does not work, tank is too low to floor. I think I don't want to even try to haul a 75 gal tank to the kitchen, mine is easier on my back and its a size I can handle carrying (it is empty while I carry it) and I have enough to occupy me, I have other pets plus am caring for a stray cat who I took to the vet yesterday. He got a cortisone shot for allergies, bill was $60.

 

[grayshark1956]

One of the major points being made here is that you keep saying you would have got a larger tank in 6 - 12mths to house the Bala and why would it harm it doing so.

If you have the space, funds, structural integrity and time to build an 8 foot tank setup to house it then you should have made that clearer, as it sounded more like you were planning only a slightly larger tank that still would not have been suitable.

The other point you keep mentioning is about finding information regarding 6" adult size which is why you bought it. Further to my previous posts, this was an anomaly and should have been discounted but because it allowed you to justify keeping the fish regardless of previous advice on here and other research you went with it. A simple search on Google does nothing other than state these fish are big and require big tanks, all the people on this thread know the same and give the same advice and I cannot easily find any source online stating to the contrary. If 10 people are telling you one thing and one person is telling you the opposite chances are the one person is wrong, please try and remember that for future fish research.

Yes I would have gotten a larger tank but would not wait a year to get one. The reason I check as many sites as I can is this: the more I read I look for a common answer. The common answer was here which prompted me to return the bala. Now on google, for example, the more I read the more I find different answers, I know the store gives different answers. I spent alot of time reading about brackish water for my other tank, found way too much controversy about salt. Then that changed to iodine questions, that lead to zeolite and carbon, then hydrometers, and pH, etc. The info I found about adding marine salt for a brackish tank was ok for some people (depending on what is in their tank and how brackish it needs to be). In my case, I did not buy marine salt, am currently using natural sea salt without iodine for my RCC's. The marine salt was sold in a large quantity and cost more than I thought, so, I read the natural sea salt was just as good for my tank because mine is low-med brackish. I don't want pure saltwater.

I was hoping you would not remind me to research fish, I knew to do that, still do. I did read balas grow to 6" otherwise would not have gotten one. There is too much in the way of different info on the internet, the more you read the more you find different. I did ask about bala first and was going to get a second tank. I still think he would have been fine for a week or two in mine. That much time I feel would not harm him, there is no 911 number that handles a fish emergency that I was led to think I had. So, I'm happy with my tank and its actually ok if I keep what I have. With my other pets, stray cat, caring for ill people and a house, and every day chores, I am busy enough. My tank is alot easier to carry than a 75 gal one anyway. And I anticipate teaching 2 classes when they are arranged, so a better reason to keep what I have.

 

[Aquascaper]

So from what you are saying you were planning an 8 foot tank within a couple of weeks (as you posted you would be betting a bigger tank after learning that that is what they require)? If that was the case then why not just wait a couple of weeks to get the Bala? It would be kinder to the fish to only move it once.

I'm still intrigues where this maximum size 6" info came from, could you enlighten us?

 

[grayshark1956]

One of the major points being made here is that you keep saying you would have got a larger tank in 6 - 12mths to house the Bala and why would it harm it doing so.

If you have the space, funds, structural integrity and time to build an 8 foot tank setup to house it then you should have made that clearer, as it sounded more like you were planning only a slightly larger tank that still would not have been suitable.

The other point you keep mentioning is about finding information regarding 6" adult size which is why you bought it. Further to my previous posts, this was an anomaly and should have been discounted but because it allowed you to justify keeping the fish regardless of previous advice on here and other research you went with it. A simple search on Google does nothing other than state these fish are big and require big tanks, all the people on this thread know the same and give the same advice and I cannot easily find any source online stating to the contrary. If 10 people are telling you one thing and one person is telling you the opposite chances are the one person is wrong, please try and remember that for future fish research.

What I meant to say was, I would get as large a tank as I could find room for, and as long as I did it less than 6 mos from buying bala, he would have been alright. I did not keep the bala, he went back to the store. I would not have kept a 14" fish in my tank, which is as cruel as the stores keeping male bettas in 1" of water. Please don't remind me to research or ask, I have been lacking so much sleep last few months I have to write everything down so I don't forget to do something. It works well, but I have been wiped out lately and trying to sleep more. As long as people know my bala would have been moved, I don't know why this was treated as an emergency. If you worked in a hospital, you'd know what an emergency is. This was not urgent enough for the fish to be moved the next day, he was fine and would have been ok for even a few weeks. But, he's back at the store now. I really have better judgement than people thought even though I bought him, due to 6" size. I did return him.

A true fish crisis to me is an obvious one like a fish that is in resp distress, discolored, being picked on by other fish causing it stress that would kill it, a tank that is filthy or without a heater or filter, missing scales, having serious ick, or people that add too many chemicals and cause fish harm, or a fish that has continuous spasms, or something like that. That requires immediate attention. In my case, my fish are fine, I maintain my tank well, observe it every day, know what my chemicals are for and when they are required, and I do regular partial water changes. I hope my explanation clears up any misunderstandings with the bala I had.

 

[grayshark1956]

So from what you are saying you were planning an 8 foot tank within a couple of weeks (as you posted you would be betting a bigger tank after learning that that is what they require)? If that was the case then why not just wait a couple of weeks to get the Bala? It would be kinder to the fish to only move it once.

I'm still intrigues where this maximum size 6" info came from, could you enlighten us?

I would have preferred that method, found fish on last day of a sale where they undercharged me, they did not know price of a bala, and I did not shop just for a bala that day. I was in the store for something else and I always like to look at the tanks to see if they have anything new and I check plants because I like banana plants and the stores hardly ever have them. I found bala and thought I would treat myself early for my birthday and bought him. The tank he was in was shared with red tails that were bullying all balas. I asked store twice to separate them, but they won't. So, their balas are all stressed out, by buying one was my way to help even one of them out of that tank in that situation. Its my way of rescue like I do with male bettas that are not kept right. I can't buy them all, but I always feel good knowing I can rescue a few.

The 6" was on the internet, don't know the name of the site as I don't write every site I visit unless I plan on going back to that site. But when I did read that, I was interrupted, had to leave my laptop. Later same day, went to store with memory of 6" on internet. So I ended up buying the bala, I've always wanted one but will not have any. When I found out later their adult size, I returned him to the store. So, people now know I did the right thing by returning him. Hope this helps.

 

[grayshark1956]

greyshark, how big is the tank and what are the inhabitants?
Maybe a school of Silver Apollo Sharks will satisfy your sharky needs

Mine is 10 gal with mollies, danios, corys, killifish, platys,live plants, rock cave, heater, filter, air stone, lid. I have not seen the shark fish you mentioned but decided to keep what I have. When I have time later I can look up this fish and see its picture because I've never seen one before. Yeah, wish I could have a shark looking fish but for now, will keep what I have. Thank you for writing about this fish.

 

[Aquascaper]

But you mention stress in fish would be considered an emergency in your eyes.....what about a fish smacking into the tank glass every few minutes as it tries to exercise and turn around? Do you not think that would cause it stress?

You don't seem to want to address the underlying issue that 15 days before you got the Bala you were given a huge amount of detailed information on the fish (by Wills), all of which you agreed to hearing elsewhere and you stated that you would not get a Bala until you could adequately house it in aforementioned 8 foot tank or similar. What changed in those 15 days? It certainly wasn't the information on the fish but more you attitude to seeing them in your LFS at a very reasonable price and thinking 'I'll get one anyway and hopefully get a bigger tank in the future'.

This whole thread has now turned into a good explanation of why such an attitude within the fishkeeping community isn't healthy for fish and needs to be addressed.

You are not the only one to do this so don't take it so personal, at least you made the right decision in the end. Others don't and choose to ignore the advice but when it comes to a problem with the fish later on they find many people unwilling to help.

 

[grayshark1956]

It's out of your hands now.. If the stores decides to tell the next customer that the Bala will be fine in a 10 gal then so be it... If that person happens to be a member on here then there are enough knowledgeable people here more than happy to give them advice as they have done with you and anyone else that's been in need of some guidance

Ok some it does sound like you have a lot of stuff there, most of which I'd consider a waste... So I'll just give you a quick run down of my tanks

120gal (US gal) - 5ft long 450 litres...
2 x tetratec ex1200 external filters
1 x 300watt hydor external heater
Sand substrate, few rocks and few bits of wood.
I have a 5" dovii in there right now but this is only because it came with a tank my cousin bought 2nd hand and he was going to flush it down the toilet so I had to take it off his hands. The dovii will be going in a 210gal (US) 8ft 800 litre in January or feb.

40gal (US) - 4ft long 160 litres
1 x fluval 205 external filter
1 x 200watt internal heater
Few rocks
I have a 5" blue thai silk flowerhorn in this tank temp until he can go back into the 120gal after the dovii has been moved to the bigger tank.

I do 50% weekly water changes and gravel vac on both tanks and the only thing I add, and have ever added (although i added protozin once to clear 1 case of fungal infection) to my water is a good dechlorinater... I use seachem prime.

Iv never had any problems doing things the way I do, this is what I mean by shops will try and sell you anything.

As for the water readings.. As an example, my readings on both my tanks are,
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 20
PH 8.2
Temp 27 degrees c (80F)

Hope this helps you to understand the kind of things to look for

I can just imagine people buying the same bala and he ends up in a 5 or 10 gal tank. I'm glad you wrote describing your tank, but at that size do you find the maintenance to be time consuming? Now what fish do you have in it? Where is it in your house (table or stand) and I never have problems with my tank, I always do partial water changes and know when to clean entire tank. Mine is as natural as I could make it. I'm real pleased with it, I look at it all the time. My fish are all compatible, none are sick. They get a nice variety of food, too.

 

[grayshark1956]

But you mention stress in fish would be considered an emergency in your eyes.....what about a fish smacking into the tank glass every few minutes as it tries to exercise and turn around? Do you not think that would cause it stress?

You don't seem to want to address the underlying issue that 15 days before you got the Bala you were given a huge amount of detailed information on the fish (by Wills), all of which you agreed to hearing elsewhere and you stated that you would not get a Bala until you could adequately house it in aforementioned 8 foot tank or similar. What changed in those 15 days? It certainly wasn't the information on the fish but more you attitude to seeing them in your LFS at a very reasonable price and thinking 'I'll get one anyway and hopefully get a bigger tank in the future'.

This whole thread has now turned into a good explanation of why such an attitude within the fishkeeping community isn't healthy for fish and needs to be addressed.

You are not the only one to do this so don't take it so personal, at least you made the right decision in the end. Others don't and choose to ignore the advice but when it comes to a problem with the fish later on they find many people unwilling to help.

Yes that is stress, I had mine for one day, he was not doing that. If you read my recent replies this will help you. There were other issues here that occurred suddenly and they prevented me also from running out and getting another tank. This bala could have waited a week or more, he was happy and peaceful, probably in shock from getting away from red tails. The issues I had were critical, they involved someone's health who had a threat that needed to be taken care of. The person could not wait, the fish could. There is something I consider called a priority, and my bala would have been fine with several weeks, but I hope you would give me credit for returning him, I was in a circumstance that required my time without warning. People are a priority here especially when this small fish was in a clean tank for one day, he was fine. He was not in danger as I see it. Person here was, so that was a priority for me. Does this help?

 

[Aquascaper]

It's not about helping me, I understand fully what you've done and the reasons behind it, this about helping you and others reading the potential dangers of buying fish that are incompatible with your current setup.

Yes the fish was fine for a few days until you removed it but you've consistently change your story from getting a new, bigger tank in a few days, to weeks, to months, maybe a year which is the whole reason why buying a fish with a suitable tank in mind for the future doesn't work. Situations change (as you are well aware) and you cannot guarantee that you be able to fulfil the plan to upgrade the tank so what happens to the fish then?

If you've researched Bala's properly then you'll know they can grow up to 8" per year until adult so leaving it in a 10g tank even for a few months will cause it massive health issues (you bought it at 2.5"....in 3 months it could be 5"....in 6 months almost 7" and that's half the length of the tank you had it in and still within your timeframe of getting a bigger tank).

You made a mistake and then rectified it with no casualties so well done but until you understand what the mistake was you will not learn from it and probably do the same thing again which is why people are commenting the way they are.