[center:e5fd43ced3]The Bala Shark[/center:e5fd43ced3]
submitted by Conan the librarian
Balantiochellus melanopterus
The Bala shark is a freshwater, free-swimming fish, originating from the rivers of South East Asia. It is peaceful, and does well with almost any other fish, making an outstanding element for community tanks. The Bala Shark is well compatible with: all Gouramis all Barbs including Tinfoil Barbs, all Danios, all Rainbow Sharks, one Red Tail Shark or one Rainbow Shark, and a school of Clown Loaches.
The Bala Shark, also known as the Silver Shark, is sleek, and metallic looking with an enlarged dorsal fin. It is a tri-colored fish with a silver body, whitish fins, and black tips on the ends of its fins.
Caring for a Bala shark is relatively easy, and with a potential size of about 13 inches and lifespan of up to 10 years, it requires a large living space and being an omnivore, a hearty diet of bloodworms or beefheart, and pellets. Normally it is a good idea to give them vegetable matter in addition. A good amount of foliage and/or hiding areas is best for a Bala Shark, although they don’t require a specific surroundings other than at least ¼ inches of gravel. Bala Sharks do best in a pH ranging from 6.5-7, a temperature of 72-82 F, and a hardness of 5 dGH. Bala Sharks dart around incredibly fast and when full grown, have been known to jump in the air up to 6 feet! They also will keep a constant motion throughout your whole aquarium, swimming regularly, although can be shy and hang out near the back at times. With this in mind, plan to have a tank cover and the largest possible tank for a full grown Bala.
The name “Bala Shark” was originally created to help sales and increase the appeal of the fish, which is actually a Cyprinid, or a member of the minnow family. Cyprinid is additionally the name of most other freshwater fish referred to as a shark.
Although your LFS or other sources may tell you to keep balas in a school of at least six if you are planning on having multiple balas, this isn’t always the case, although it is a good idea since Balas in a group too small to school can end up not being comfortable together. My aquarium includes 2 balas and a black shark, and it is amazing to watch the black shark pick on the balas and then a few minutes later see the balas work together to get back at the Black Shark.
Other things you need to keep in mind if you are planning on keeping Bala Sharks, are having a big enough aquarium for Bala Sharks if you want it to reach full size, and that they are more susceptible to Ich and Shimmy than most tropical fish.
The Bala Shark is an egg layer, and their breeding habits are somewhat of a mystery. There is no way of immediately being able to sex a Bala Shark from its appearance. Balas are not bred in captivity, so all of the fish are caught in the wild.
Bala Sharks are excellent fish, and can even help to keep the algae level down. Bala Sharks are plentiful in pet stores, and in my opinion there is no reason not to have a Bala in a community tank bigger than 55 gallons.
If you are interested in going further, check out some of the links below.
http://www.aquahobby.com/bala.html
http://www.petinfo4u.com/bala_sharks.htm
http://www.petfish.net/bala.htm
submitted by Conan the librarian
Balantiochellus melanopterus
The Bala shark is a freshwater, free-swimming fish, originating from the rivers of South East Asia. It is peaceful, and does well with almost any other fish, making an outstanding element for community tanks. The Bala Shark is well compatible with: all Gouramis all Barbs including Tinfoil Barbs, all Danios, all Rainbow Sharks, one Red Tail Shark or one Rainbow Shark, and a school of Clown Loaches.
The Bala Shark, also known as the Silver Shark, is sleek, and metallic looking with an enlarged dorsal fin. It is a tri-colored fish with a silver body, whitish fins, and black tips on the ends of its fins.
Caring for a Bala shark is relatively easy, and with a potential size of about 13 inches and lifespan of up to 10 years, it requires a large living space and being an omnivore, a hearty diet of bloodworms or beefheart, and pellets. Normally it is a good idea to give them vegetable matter in addition. A good amount of foliage and/or hiding areas is best for a Bala Shark, although they don’t require a specific surroundings other than at least ¼ inches of gravel. Bala Sharks do best in a pH ranging from 6.5-7, a temperature of 72-82 F, and a hardness of 5 dGH. Bala Sharks dart around incredibly fast and when full grown, have been known to jump in the air up to 6 feet! They also will keep a constant motion throughout your whole aquarium, swimming regularly, although can be shy and hang out near the back at times. With this in mind, plan to have a tank cover and the largest possible tank for a full grown Bala.
The name “Bala Shark” was originally created to help sales and increase the appeal of the fish, which is actually a Cyprinid, or a member of the minnow family. Cyprinid is additionally the name of most other freshwater fish referred to as a shark.
Although your LFS or other sources may tell you to keep balas in a school of at least six if you are planning on having multiple balas, this isn’t always the case, although it is a good idea since Balas in a group too small to school can end up not being comfortable together. My aquarium includes 2 balas and a black shark, and it is amazing to watch the black shark pick on the balas and then a few minutes later see the balas work together to get back at the Black Shark.
Other things you need to keep in mind if you are planning on keeping Bala Sharks, are having a big enough aquarium for Bala Sharks if you want it to reach full size, and that they are more susceptible to Ich and Shimmy than most tropical fish.
The Bala Shark is an egg layer, and their breeding habits are somewhat of a mystery. There is no way of immediately being able to sex a Bala Shark from its appearance. Balas are not bred in captivity, so all of the fish are caught in the wild.
Bala Sharks are excellent fish, and can even help to keep the algae level down. Bala Sharks are plentiful in pet stores, and in my opinion there is no reason not to have a Bala in a community tank bigger than 55 gallons.
If you are interested in going further, check out some of the links below.
http://www.aquahobby.com/bala.html
http://www.petinfo4u.com/bala_sharks.htm
http://www.petfish.net/bala.htm
