Just adopted a large bala shark..

[Nerf]

He's about 8 inches long from guesstimating. Someone dropped him off at my work so I took him home... he was previously in a 55g all by himself. He is now in my newly set up 75g show tank. I have a 2 inch rainbow shark in there somewhere with him as well. I would like to put my 10 tiger barbs in there with him, but he seems real timid. He has been by himself for a long time, and I think he might be blind. His eyes are milky despite his otherwise healthy-looking appearance.

I'm not sure where I would get other bala sharks his size to put in with him because I know they are schooling fish. I need some advice here.

 

[Chiroptera]

PetSmart sells larger Balas. Also, the cool thing about these sharks is, a long as they're not too aggressive, which they're usually not, they can get along well with smaller school mates! I'd get him one or two friends ASAP, but they will need a tank larger than a 75 as adults, probably. I'd do a 125 for 4. They love lots of swimming space. You may be able to squeeze one more into the 75 in the long run, with no other fish, but it's not recommended. A very active 14+inch fish needs some fin room, and would look lovely in a 125.

The tiger barbs may be a no-go because of the fun nipping. Balas can be very nervous and stress is the last thing they need.

I've seen tons of Balas as well with eye issues, they usually turn out fine. Just make sure to keep an eye on him and check for other signs of illness.