bala shark

[DeFeKt]

THE FISH WILL ONLY GROW TO THE SIZE THAT THE TANK ALLOWS IT TO GROW

If thats what you think..
Poor Fish.

 

[rubysoho]

...well it is technically true... then they just die after that

 

[mr86mister]

yeah, we hope they will stay small and fit in the tank, but we know most of them will grow to big and we'll have to move them to something bigger or give them to a friend or lfs to a good home

 

[andywg]

The thought of keeping Balas in a 30 gallon really does make me sick.

After a year they could be ok in a 30. After all at that time they would be around the 5-7" range (at least my eldest one is).

However with a max size of over 12" (14" is not uncommon) and them being a skittish fast swimming fish anything under 6 feet long is unfair to them. Add on top that they are a schooling fish and you have a need for a larger tank. I myself would not want to keep them in anything under an 85gallon (uk - 72" x 18" x 18") and am personally plumping for a 6' x 2' x 2' (150 UK) to give better swimming room.

Rant over...(They are one of my favorite fish and I hate to see them mistreated)

Back to where the topic has moved too...Criptos, that list with the recommended revision on the cories seems a fairly good plan. Always keep Cories in the largest group you can (in the wild they tend to school in the Thousands).

If you wanted maybe more smaller fish you could probably substitute the pleco for a small school of ottos (make sure you only buy ones with large bellies)

 

[unfamous]

well i am sorry to greenmagi for biting his head off but i kind of have a short fuse when i get criticized (from playing halo 2). my balas are not being mistreated they get a wholelot of attention. they still dart around the tank like a normal fish i cannot see why people say i am treating the fish badly.

 

[Drake]

You do realize that you are typing on a computer, so you can take some time to get your thoughts straight.

 

[Blazeherd2306]

They will be "mistreated soon". They can get upto 14" long and if you keep them in a 30 gal, which is only 12" wide right?, then they will get stressed once they get upto a decent size(probably 8"). If you didn't know, stress can cause disease in any animal. So, fish are mistreated if they are stressed and have disease. I hope this clears it up.

Drake- I hope you are aware a 55 gal is too small for a clown knife which can get up to 4 feet long and you 30 gal is too small for the BGK-20".

 

[Criptos]

Well i changed that list around because I lef tout the Angel fish and uped some of the sizes in my new topic, Stocking New tank tomorrow. Check it out.

 

[greenmaji]

well i am sorry to greenmagi for biting his head off but i kind of have a short fuse when i get criticized (from playing halo 2). my balas are not being mistreated they get a wholelot of attention. they still dart around the tank like a normal fish i cannot see why people say i am treating the fish badly.

I saw what you said.. And it was to let you know that all caps wasnt a good way of communicating here.. The all caps grabs attention from everyone else trying to give advise and ask questions.. You were making a statement about what you thought was right and you felt that everyone was telling you that you were wrong.. I read almost all of the posts so if you would have just asked why everyone thought it was wrong you would have been answered.. honestly..

Fish that are suppose to get bigger then the tank you have them in..... there are several things that can happen... and the other members have discussed these... either your fish will become deformed, they could start beating there face against the side of the tank this can end up breaking your tank or causing harm to the fish, the fish will get the urge to escape and bust through the lid of your tank, or the fish will be stunted in its growth and die early...

None of this has anything to do with how well you are tanking care of them.. you just might be taking the best care of your fish then anyone it wouldnt matter the fish are what are called Tank Busters they just need more space that what can normally be given..

 

[unfamous]

well thanx for the info and again i really am sorry for the attitude......well i still have 3 balas in my thirty gallon and the 50 gallon i am going to use for the amazon biotope so i guess i'll let my balas live their life until i know what to do with them.

 

[greenmaji]

If I were you I would look into getting them back to the LFS now if that is possible, for credit or fishfood or possibly sell them back...

 

[Guest]

and all those fish you mentioned above WILL be eaten.

will a bala really eat other fish? mine is very peacful and just sort of grazes the bottom. Ive never heard of bala's eating other fish. My killifish and angels on the other hand... lol

 

[RoK]

I've read somewhere that bala's don't eat even tiny fish.

 

[Ariamus]

I've read somewhere that bala's don't eat even tiny fish.

I have six balas (albeit juveniles at 2-3" each) in the same tank with a small school of white cloud mountain minnows (all 1" or less) and I've not yet had any problems. In addition, it was always my understanding that Balas are peaceful fish.

 

[andywg]

Balas are peaceful but like other fish will eat any fish small enough to fit in its mouth.

Now think how big that mouth will be when it is 14" long. My largest is still a juve (6") but is already at a size that could trouble smaller neons.

 

[greenmaji]

Then let me spread the above advise around a little... see if the LFS will take the fish back..