Bala Shark Question
- Thread starter Murphster
- Start date
What other fish do you have? how big is the tank?
you DO know that they grow to a nice 13 inches long, right?
you DO know that they grow to a nice 13 inches long, right?
Depends on tank size but they can get big fast. Balas don't make good pets unless they are kept in a school. They generally go very spastic and can kill themselves by running into wals etc.. or jumping from the tank if kept by themselves.
Yeah balas and tinfoil barbs and nuts! Let me tell you how fun it is to scrub the tank at work with like 20 tinfoil barbs and 5 balas ..... you have to scoop fish back in constantly!
But yeah they grow pretty fast and you need AT LEAST 2 or the don't do very well at all. Most people will say 3 and I tend to agree but I have seen 2 work before.
But yeah they grow pretty fast and you need AT LEAST 2 or the don't do very well at all. Most people will say 3 and I tend to agree but I have seen 2 work before.
Thanks for the help.
I'm running a 90g with:
1 - 8" Oscar
1 - 7" Pleco
3 - ~5" Tinfoil Barbs
1 - ~3" Bala Shark
I know the Bala likes company but I was afraid two might be pushing it as these are all large fish. (I'd love a larger tank but getting the 90 required months of sucking up as it was)
My thought was that the Bala would hang with the Barbs and it does. They often school together.
My main concern was with the rate of growth of the Shark compared to the Oscar. At 3" the shark is too large for the Oscar now but may not be if the shark grows very slowly and the O does not.
Also, since you have been so kind as to ask the questions, will these fish when grown be too much for this tank? And do you think the Bala will be ok with only barbs to run (swim) with?
And - could this tank support another Bala?
I'm running a 90g with:
1 - 8" Oscar
1 - 7" Pleco
3 - ~5" Tinfoil Barbs
1 - ~3" Bala Shark
I know the Bala likes company but I was afraid two might be pushing it as these are all large fish. (I'd love a larger tank but getting the 90 required months of sucking up as it was)
My thought was that the Bala would hang with the Barbs and it does. They often school together.
My main concern was with the rate of growth of the Shark compared to the Oscar. At 3" the shark is too large for the Oscar now but may not be if the shark grows very slowly and the O does not.
Also, since you have been so kind as to ask the questions, will these fish when grown be too much for this tank? And do you think the Bala will be ok with only barbs to run (swim) with?
And - could this tank support another Bala?
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I've only kept a small group once in an 80 gal. They got to about 5" within a few months, then have grown more slowly over time, but are nowhere near full size.
I think you would be better off returning the bala and getting an extra tinfoil barb. Thos eschooling fish do best once in larger groups and when that oscar gets larger and more aggressive the larger school of barbs will do much better.
ive had 3 balas in a 90 for 2 years and cant say they have grown all that much...still about 3-6 inches
