Freak Bala accident!

[Gog77]

I went down to sit and watch my fish I must have startled the Bala shark because it just started jumping and crashing itself into the glass. When it finally stopped it was swimming upside down. I quickly took the lid off to see if it was ok and it jumped out! It went behind the tank crashing itself against the wall and the tank before it hit the ground. I put it back into the tank and it was not breathing nor moving at all. I thought it maybe just shock so I left it in there for a while but nothing. It is dead

This is really disheartening for me, as an aquarist who has had an awful lot of problems with his tank over the past 3 months, the Bala and the 2 Clown loaches I have lived through it all. Now as I have got my tank up and running properly, restocked, healthy and looking fantastic an accident like this occurs with a fish that I have had for many years.

 

[Jramatized]

Yes my bala scares very easily too. Sorry to hear about yours

 

[Gog77]

Yes my bala scares very easily too. Sorry to hear about yours

Yeah it has been jumpy before but I always run away so that it doesn't do itself any harm and calms down. I guess this time it really took me by surprise and I couldn't get away quick enough and calm it down.

 

[trotty]

can't always help it... one of my large oscars jumped out while feedin and did serious injury that turned to fatal.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

I used to have 3 Balas (2 are living in my sisters tank). They are not smart fish. I used to get the impression of a "playful puppy". Mine used to crash into the glass, ornaments and other fish, the larger one was 6-7 inches when it commited suicide (kept crashing into the glass until it eventually died).. Since then I can't recommend them to most people because they are a) jumpers and b) too large.

 

[Bhunsucker]

My Bala gets very upset also.

 

[Gog77]

My Bala gets very upset also.

Well don't open the lid when it is!

 

[Reefmonkey]

You might have tried reviving it, as it might have been stunned. Sometimes when fishing a fish will thrash around and bang itself against our boat, and then float upside down. Grab the caudal peduncle and move the fish back and forth in the water for several minutes to move water through its gills.

It probably would not have helped in that case, that fish was probably DOA from being a small fish and hitting so many surfaces on its way down, but you never know.

 

[Gog77]

I thought it was stunned too. I tried lots of things to revive him. I did try using a similar method you mentioned, lastly I tried running cold water over it. It works for us and I remember a chicken of mine was stunned and I woke it up with cold water so I thougth I would try.

I'm not to sure what to replace it with now. It was such a large fish my tank now looks bare since it has gone.