New Baby Bala Shark

[TRAGICTRAMP]

I have also fell into the bala shark trap, they are very peaceful good looking fish but mine soon outgrew my roma 125 and had to be rehomed.

 

[Aquascaper]

Coldwater keepers do it with Goldfish
Tropical keepers do it with Bala's, Plecs, etc.
Marine keepers do it with Tangs, Cowfish, Puffers, etc.

It's not the end of the world and is only considered a mistake if you don't learn anything from it

 

[Flute]

As people have said, we all make mistakes, and good on you for sorting it out and rehoming the shark

Another good reason I see for people not to buy bala sharks is they are actually endangered in the wild. Although I'm aware that most of the ones you see in shops will have come from fish farms, I feel that there is something really sad about bala sharks being found in abundance in fish shops, but are rarity in their natural habitat

 

[Crossfire]

Unfortunatley, a 10 gallon is too small for an Apollo Shark
It's good that you're taking our advice, but if ever in the future you want a bigger tank, I have an idea for you

Get either a 36 or a 40 gallon tank. A 40 gallon would be preferable. It could be a really big birthday or Christmas gift Then, fill it with sand substrate, and sparse planting, since the Apollo's like open swimming spaces. A tight fitting hood, cycled filter, and a group of maybe 12-16x Silver Apollo Sharks and maybe a small plec like one or two Bristlenose to keep the tank clean. It could be a fun project to do, and since you really want a sharky fish, a very enjoyable product in the end. It may take time, but it will be worth it. Plus, since you know how to take care of them and have adequate tank space for them, people here will not give you such a hard time
Start saving now! And you can always buy the Sharks online, or go to a specialty store

 

[Flute]

Top idea Crossfire!

 

[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.

Forgot to tell you I was going to get a bigger tank, had priorities here like someone having to go to the hospital. I felt going to the hospital was more important than getting another tank the day after I brought the bala home. But I did return him and decided I like the tanks I have, as I anticipate getting real busy toward the end of the month.

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 wanted to ask you if you meant to write to me about "stuff that was a waste"? What were you referring to if it was my tank? Did you mean the rocks and plants or fish? Or was it someone else you were answering? Just curious...

 

[Aquascaper]

I think dbanner was referring to the chemicals, etc. rather than decor and equipment.

 

[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.

I don't know wills so I don't know his experience or what kind of advice he knows that I didn't, and there are others who give advice, too. Why would someone just want to kill a fish you were talking about? What was their reason? I think my case went better because I returned the bala, decided my tanks are fine the way they are. I would have rearranged my house if I had gotten that second tank. But I had other things to take care of and so I took the fish back, I actually did listen, I hope I get some credit along the way. Some people would have ignored the advice here and kept the bala! I did not do that, he is back at the store now. Just wanted you to know I did take him back.

 

[Crossfire]

No opinion on the suggesting stock?

 

[Aquascaper]

You have been 'given credit' for returning the Bala on several occasions, that is no longer the issue.

You are still ignoring the questions regarding what tank you were planning to rehome it in and what timeframe?

 

[dbanner]

I think dbanner was referring to the chemicals, etc. rather than decor and equipment.

Spot on

Thinks like decor (plants, rocks, sand or gravel) are all optional to get the tank the way you want it. Same goes for equipment.. A filter and a heater is needed but WHAT filter and heater you have is really down to your personal choice (as long as their both sufficient for your tank)

When it comes to chemicals I find that a lot of them are not needed and stores try to fill your head with misleading and/or false information just to get people to buy them. At the end of the day if they too told you the truth a out them then they would have next to no chance in selling any.

All you really need for the general tropical setup is a good dechlore and if any of your fish get any diseases then obviously you will need a treatment for it. Things that claim to benefit your tank in what ever way such as "instantly cycle your tank" tend to not work.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Unfortunatley, a 10 gallon is too small for an Apollo Shark
It's good that you're taking our advice, but if ever in the future you want a bigger tank, I have an idea for you

Get either a 36 or a 40 gallon tank. A 40 gallon would be preferable. It could be a really big birthday or Christmas gift Then, fill it with sand substrate, and sparse planting, since the Apollo's like open swimming spaces. A tight fitting hood, cycled filter, and a group of maybe 12-16x Silver Apollo Sharks and maybe a small plec like one or two Bristlenose to keep the tank clean. It could be a fun project to do, and since you really want a sharky fish, a very enjoyable product in the end. It may take time, but it will be worth it. Plus, since you know how to take care of them and have adequate tank space for them, people here will not give you such a hard time
Start saving now! And you can always buy the Sharks online, or go to a specialty store

Can we have areality check here, please?

Bala Sharks reach >40cm and need something like a 12x3x3 in my opinion, far beyond most fishkeepers, yes even people that suffer from "more tanks sydrome" like myself (I bought a ~250l 4-footer yesterday for £50 to move my African fish indoors from my garage 5x2x2 for the winter to save on heating costs).

So why after all that has been written about Bala Sharks on this thread, do we have forum members suggesting it is ok to house 12-16 Apollo Sharks in a 36 or 40 gallon tank?

Apollo Sharks grow to 25cm SL, as big as my Synodontis notata, but are more active. A 6x2x2 would be its minimum requirements.

http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/luciosoma-spilopleura/

 

[raptorrex]

Can we have areality check here, please?

Bala Sharks reach >40cm and need something like a 12x3x3 in my opinion, far beyond most fishkeepers, yes even people that suffer from "more tanks sydrome" like myself (I bought a ~250l 4-footer yesterday for £50 to move my African fish indoors from my garage 5x2x2 for the winter to save on heating costs).

So why after all that has been written about Bala Sharks on this thread, do we have forum members suggesting it is ok to house 12-16 Apollo Sharks in a 36 or 40 gallon tank?

Apollo Sharks grow to 25cm SL, as big as my Synodontis notata, but are more active. A 6x2x2 would be its minimum requirements.

http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/luciosoma-spilopleura/

well said!

as i know nothing about them, luciosoma-spilopleura, I did a quick G??gle.
how anyone could suggest a 40g tank, even with just a cursory search, is mind numbing.
even more so considering the numbers suggested.

its bad enough many of these fish are in ANY LFS. (hands up anybody with a 7,8,9 or 10 foot tank please?)

 

[Aquascaper]

My general rule:

If you Google something and the hits on the first page all say pretty much the same.....stop looking, even if it doesn't give you the answer you were hoping for

 

[Flute]

Haha, misread the information about Apolo Sharks on google That's what I get for skimming *slaps wrist*