Bala Shark

[oliver47904]

How stupid would it be to keep my new @3" bala shark in his/her(?) 2.5 gallon tank. It seems to have plenty of room. I don't really have the option of getting a much larger tank then that. Largest likely being a five gallon and even that would be difficult. It is the only fish in the tank besides one pleco who keeps hidden.
In otherwords- will it endanger my fish's life to keep it in this tank?

Also- is there a good way to tell what gender it is? I would like to name it but would rather not give it a gender neutral name.
Of course I'll only need to know this if I am able to keep it.

Thank YOU! in advance.

[Megalofyia]

Your 2.5 gallon tank will not work it's too small - a 5 gallon tank would be too small too... Bala's grow to be about 10 inches. After much consideration I just gave up my bala because eventually I feel my 20 gallon tank will be too small for it.

[justDIY]

you need a 55 gallon, or at least a 30 long, because that 'shark' will grow to be a long fish and needs room to swim around, it's also a schooling fish, meaning it likes to hang out in groups

keeping it in such a small tank will stunt its growth and shorten its lifespan

[i3k]

yea bala sharks live better in a school of 4 or more bala sharks. You do need a long tank at least 48" long when they are still small in size...when they are bigger they will need a long/wide tank to be comfortable when turning and swimming.

[Concerned_Citiz]

Well, you guys aren't going to like this, then. See, I have two balas, two black fins, one small pleco, and two glassfish all in a 20 gal. I used to have them (minus the balas) in a 10 and then i upgraded to the 20. I knew at the time that it eventually wasn't going to be big enough. My black-fin sharks are probably about 3 1/2 and 4 inches now and the balas are about 1 1/2 inches each. I guess i have a little time left until i have to upgrade again. But when the time comes. Just what would might the tank look like. In other words, what would the tank look like?

Thanks
A somewhat Concerned Citizen

[ConanTheLibraia]

The bala sharks are hard to sex, and they supposivlely have not ever been breed in captivity. Yes, the 2.5 is waay to small for a bala. I'd say 25-30 is minimum for a bala to be happy and healthy if you are not going to upgrade. As the rest have said, yes they do best in schools of 6 or more because they tend not to pick on each other as much and single out the weak or smaller ones.

[Concerned_Citiz]

okay, wait a minute. Conan, Who was that last post for? I dont have a 2.5. was that for one of the older ones? If so, my question still stands.

Thanks

[Megalofyia]

Concerned_Citizen are you asking how will you know when your fish have out grown the tank and you need to get a larger tank?

[Concerned_Citiz]

mmmm...not really wondering when they will outgrow the tank. I can determine that by the "one inch per gallon" rule of thumb. I am actually just asking what kind of setup I would be looking at if/when I take it to the next level. Mostly just wondering the next practical size I should move into after my 20 gal (seeing as how moving to a 29, the next size up, wouldn't be very beneficial.)
Any help is appreciated.

Thanks
Concerned_Citizen

[wabyrd]

It is the only fish in the tank besides one pleco who keeps hidden.

Everyone is forgetting about the pleco. They get to be rather large fish also. The grow very quickly. I can't say how fast the Bala's grow because I've never had any, but I'd say both of the fish are inappropriate for that tank.

That's just my opinion though...