Has anyone every tryed this with Bala sharks???

[Guest]

I've been looking into this for sometime now and now I'm ready to go full steam ahead. But before I do dose anyone thank this would work? Ok here's my plan. I've done alot of reading on breeders of indangered spices of American fish like the pumkinseed purch,bluegill perch and a few others. Where they use a wading pool for kids { 2 f. deep x 15ft.across } to breed these fish out doors in the summer time.
I've read up on Bala sharks and it sems the reason they don't breed in home tanks is they don't have the room to get swimming fast enought to do there thing. By pumping into each other will swimming to breed. I'm wanting to get a pool 2 1/2ft deep x 16ft. across and add 20 to 30 Bala sharks and lay a thin layer of sand on the bottom . Add some pond plants for some shad or even some low ligh plant.
I have a spot in my back yard thats got loads of cover from unwanted animals and other out door dangers. It will get sunlight in the daytime but not enought to have to worrie about the water getting to hot plus have shad from trees.
I'm planning on using 2 hagen canster filter pushing 660gph, plus the swimming pool pump and a few other water cleaning tips I've gotten from the indngered breeding program records. So water cleaning and staying clean enought for them will be noproplum. I'm not sure if I want to add any other pool mates as they are egg scaters and I'd be affraid they'd eat the eggs { or breed in the pool and take over lol }.I've already got a whole dug in the area I'm going to use a foot deep and I've used a lazer level at 12 differnt spot in the whole to make sure it's level.
I'm going to now place all my water over flow drains and in/out flow lines along with power lines. In the whole and I'm going to cover them with 9inches of play ground sand and pack down with a small ground packer{ so as not to brake the lines }. I'm then going to use the lazer level and useing a 34 point leveling diagram. I also got from the Indangered spices site. level it up.
Now that all should be completed this weekend 02-11-06. Has anybody ever tryed breeding this way?

Do ya'll thank this will work?

Are should I just cover the whole up and not try this?

Are should I go about the set-up a difernt way?

Any and ever ideal gave or any input to this will be looked at or used if better then my set-up or way. Any reading will be read. I'm wanting any thoughts to if this should work or not.

IMHO I beleave it's agreat ideal and the plans are great. But there's alway something better out there { maybe , maybe not } But I'm going to try it anyway. LOL where there's a will there's a way right??????

 

[TCTFish]

20 to 30 bala sharks??? They get 12" each...and I think they'd appreciate a little more depth. Temperature stability is also very important. Without heaters, especially outside, you risk losing all of them to temp related stress. They are not good pond fish without any kind of heating unit to help keep the temps from falling too low. Fish will not breed if the temps aren't right, so all that effort would be invane.

Good luck. Sure you want to breed the bala shark and not something a bit more manageable???...especially size. If you are die hard in trying...get an extensive detailed description of their natural habitat and duplicate it.

 

[Guest]

I must of jumped plum over the heater. But yea I'm going to be using a pool heater. and If I need more deepth I'll use and have thought about using a steel horse troth. One they use to water catle and horses. It runs 3 to 4 ft and they even have a 5 foot deep one. The round siz is prety much the same there's one hat runs 24ft across. I can get one of hose loaned to me from the ranch owner.
I've read and m still reading up on them Once they reach a larger size. I have a budie who can and will take them off my hands. so as not to have 20- 12 inche fish in one tank.

But thanks for the input thats what I'm looking for. And need for some one to thank of stuff I mit have over looked or didn't see coming What is the other fish you had in mind TCT?

 

[TCTFish]

Instead of canister filters...check out pond filters. They are made to deal with large amounts of water and in my opinion...easier to deal with. The gallon amount the pond/pool will hold can be calculated by multiplying Length with width, that sum is muulitiplied by height then divide that sum by 231 to equal amount of gallons. So L x W x H divided by 231. That formula is for any rectangular or square shaped container. I don't know the formula for round or bean shaped containers. I still use the rectangle formula to get a maximum number. It will be less but when figuring for a filter, it's not harmful to over estimate a bit. Round and bean shapes will hold a little less than square and rectangled shaped containers. You want a filter that can turn over at least 3 times the amount the pool holds per hour. More perferrably. Up to five times is good.

Balas are very sensitive so careful especially with meds if you ever need it. They are also ich 'magnets'. You may want to opt for a UV sterilizer for the pond.

BTW...I really didn't have any other fish in mind. Just giving you direction to think ahead before diving into this project...but good luck with whatever species you decide on. Balas just stress easy and very rarely make it to full adult size in captivity due to the stresses of captive life. Most end up dying prematurely. They are not a good fish for the average aquarium, so selling them could pose problems. I did get a chance to see a fully grown bala once. It was 9 years old (average lifespan I think is about 10 years) and huge. He came out of a 100 gallon tank that became too small to satisfy it's need for ample swimming room.

If you really want to breed to help keep wild populations from exhausting, pick a species that has an adult size to fit the average aquarium...which is typically between 20 and 60 gallons. There are lots of FW fish that are captive raised, but plenty out there that aren't to choose from. Look through atlases to find those marked 'not yet bred in captivity'. If you want to go further into it and have the funds to do it...go marine. Most marine fish are wild caught and there's a push now for captive breeding programs to restock wild populations of fish that are mainly losing numbers to commercial fishing. EPA just formed a new branch in their agency doing just that.

I'm always happy to hear of someone wanting to give a go at breeding fish, amphibians, and reptiles that aren't cooperative captive breeders. Someone somewhere at sometime down the line will succeed. It helps keep wild populations from becoming over exploited so the rest of us die hard hobbists can enjoy these animals and continue educating people about them and their habitats and how important it is to protect these animals because frankly...their aquatic environments, whether marine, brackish or freshwater is a neccessity for all of us to survive.

 

[Guest]

I agree with that a 100%. I'l look into soe other fish before just jumping into the Bala. I meanit can't hurt huh? thanks for the input. It's not like i was just going str8 with the Bala. But like you said The main reason I'm looking into it doing this. Is to see if there not ony some chnges of lighten the load but also to just see if it can be done.

 

[TCTFish]

A few years ago I saw a batch of captive raised Asfer Angels...a large species of marine angel. I was amazed. These animals were thought to be impossible to captive breed, but they're not. The biggest requirement for most fish that refuse to breed in captivity is enough space to do it in. Marine angels are naturally schooling fish, pairing off to spawn then back in their schools. Tangs do the same and tangs are more of an open water swimmer. I don't think any tangs have ever been bred in captivity. Most marine angels get huge...14" to over 24" and to satisfy their needs in captivity to where they do breed they would need a mini ocean big enough to fit a nice size school of angels...just as the 10 to 20 balas you've mentioned, and a reef area with coral and such for them to feed. Though I don't think Tawian is doing it naturally. They may be taking eggs and sperm from adult fish and growing them in labs. Now there's a way to save space...LOL. I really don't know how they do it, but they've done it.

Some fish I can think of that would be challenging are the Chaka Chaca cat, FW (brackish) pipefish, violet goby...aka...dragon fish, here's a popular fish...the redtailed botia. The fish I'm listing have either never been bred in captivity or breeding is absolutely unknown. Another popular fish and fairly expensive at that is the dwarf loach...botia sidthimunki...unless breeding has been successful sometime after 1995. Hatchet fish, archers, mudskippers, many eels, etc. have not been successfully bred or completely untried in captivity.

Whenever you prepare for breeding fish, plan on just the species living in that environment to avoid unwanted predation by other tank mates...and nervousness from the parent/parents. Many fish though are cannibalistic and will eat their own babies if they can't hide and grow safely in a nook or cranny somewhere. I'm sure balas are no different. I've seen them eat neons...LOL. Another thing you want to make sure of is all intakes of motorized equipment (filters and pumps) that are in the water are covered with sponges (prefilters) so fry don't get sucked up into them.

Have fun.

 

[rollin_22]

just a thought as well.... the fish you mentioned arent endangered in the usa.... they are in virtually every lake in the midwest and central us.... just thoiught id let you know

 

[TCTFish]

Rollin...uhm...Just a fact to point out...no one stated they were endangered (just they've never been bred in captivity) and just to let you know...the only native species to the US listed is the Dragon Goby. The Chaka, pipefish, red tailed botias, sidthmunli, mudkippers, archers, and hatchets (eels weren't specified) are all from elsewhere. NONE are found in 'virtually every lake in the midwest and central US'. Just thought I'd let you know.

 

[rollin_22]

I've done alot of reading on breeders of indangered spices of American fish like the pumkinseed purch,bluegill perch and a few others.

if that doesnt say those fish above mentioned are indangered then i need to get my eyes checked

 

[TCTFish]

Thought you were commenting on my post. I'm not Weasel. Perhaps it'd be best to address the comments to whom they are meant for. No harm done

 

[rollin_22]

lol, yea i kinda thought about that after a posted... oh well.... like you said no harm done

 

[krap101]

would the heater do something to the plastic?

 

[Guest]

I was just refuring to people breeding indangered spices like the pumpkinseed perch and blue gill in apool. I didn't say the Bala shark was indangered. Although it's not to far off the red list of indangered spices. I'm just wanting to breed like TCT said something that has never or has never been thought to have been bred in captivatie. to see if I can do it.
The voilet goby is another thought as well. I have 3 of those in a 75g planted tank now. I've afften thought how it'd be cool to bred those as well.

krap On the heater. The heater i'm going to be using is disigned for heting plastic pools. I'm also thanking of using an in line heater also used on plastic pools. Plus it's going to be summer time and the water's really only going to be needed to be heated for the night time and not all day and night.

I have been talking with a ladie in Florida who breeds the pumpkin seed perch and the mudkipper for the national native fish reseeding program. That dose it outdoors year round. She was telling me that if it's just going to be for the spring and summer time. That i needed to look into a spices that can either be returned to the wild after the season is over or something that can be sold back to the LFS.
So tha after the season is done. I want have to worrie about setting something up to keep them throw the winter months. Plus she has sent me a list of indangered spices from my area. That the Parks and wild life managment services will pay for my set-up and oppration cost. Plus pay me to do it as well as in the winter months pay for the reloctcating them back to the wild.
But being payed to do this isn't why I wanted to do it. I want to do it just to see if I can breed something that hasn't bred in captivatie before. So afer looking over the list and the input from here. I see that I'm going to do this. It's just trying it with something nobodys ever had any luck doing it with.

I welcome the input still and the thoughts of help. Ya'll have gave me keep them coming!!!!

I really like the ideal of the drangon fish as I love mine I got now. I have one a.k.a.{teeth} he's so much fun to whatch be swimming and throw on the brakes and return the way he just came in revercie. I'll have to look ino there habatat to see whatI'll need to set the breeding pool as close to his as possable.

 

[Andos99]

What is your budget for all of this if you don't mind me asking? If you are successful, you should try tinfoil barbs next....lol...

 

[Guest]

Right now it not much. I'm using stuff I already have and get from a LFS here thats going to help. So It's running at $865.00 now my end. The lfs is donating the sharks. I'm getting the camras give to me til the projucts either done or I feel like it was a no win type deal.
I have started to set the pool on it's base. But hit a proplum with my pluming for the filters. I'm trying to figure out a way to run them with out losing so much presure on the return end. I'm losing right at 21psi and the total flow of it is to low to make it a noncleaning set-up. I'm trying to get the presure of the lines up by hooking up another pump on to it. But it want be at the store til next week. So I'm going forward with the rain bars.
Pictures or coming !!!!!!!!!!