Tropical Fish Keeping banner

bala sharks

6K views 18 replies 7 participants last post by  mHeinitz57 
#1 ·
do bala sharks do better in pairs or no
 
#3 ·
A very large tank is recommended. Tank size lower than 55 gallons will not permit 3 balas. Balas need plenty of room to roam around. They will not appreciate cramped spaces.
 
#6 ·
well yeah its not like a set rule that they will definitely pick on a fish if they are by themselves. Some schooling fish will not feel safe if they are not in a school and will compensate by being more aggressive towards other fish. I rarely consider a bala an aggressive fish at all but some people have had aggressive balas when they only had one or two and they solved the problem by adding more balas. A more familiar version of this is with tiger barbs. Tigers are known fin nippers that will chase fish around a tank but in a larger school they will often leave other fish alone. They may chase eachother around but its not as aggressive and hostile. I have never heard that balas dont need a school as they get larger. I imagine that they would school as adults in the wild too. They are a relative of the minnow which we know definitely swims in large schools.
 
#16 ·
rather than starting a new thread I thought I would ask here instead. I have a 55 gallon tank that has been circulating with four small fish for a while now, that I am looking to start adding fish to once I get my check cashed. I have been seriously considering getting a few bala sharks. I want enough that they aren’t lonely, but not too many they over crowd the tank. Basically, I would like to know roughly how big a bala shark would get in a 55 gallon tank so I know what to expect before he gets full grown. I know they are capable of getting up to 12 inches or better, given they are provided the room, but since that requires 200+ gallons I know mine wont get that big. Also, I was wondering if they would do good in a small pack of three. I was hoping it would be good enough they would feel safe together but still few enough I have enough room for more fish.

please let me know what you think. thanks
 
#17 ·
generally the smallest group they will school in is 3, so you would be okay with that. They can still reach full size in a 55, they just wont grow as fast. 3 full sized balas is quite a bit for that tank though as they are such active fish so personally I would only stick with those 3. The "inch per gallon" rule really only applies to small fish so if we are talking adult sizes, you wouldnt have much room for other fish.
 
#18 ·
mHeinitz57 said:
generally the smallest group they will school in is 3, so you would be okay with that. They can still reach full size in a 55, they just wont grow as fast. 3 full sized balas is quite a bit for that tank though as they are such active fish so personally I would only stick with those 3. The "inch per gallon" rule really only applies to small fish so if we are talking adult sizes, you wouldnt have much room for other fish.
even in a stocked 55 gallon tank? i dont mean to in any way challenge what you are saying, i am simply asking for future reference for my self. i have been told that if you add a fish (shark in this case) to a stocked tank they will only grow to a size they can happily live in the room they have. i am not saying this is absolutely correct but i heard it from someone who has kept fish for almost his whole life, who even has kept bala sharks in more than one tank. thanks 8)
 
#19 ·
well I wouldnt say they will only reach the largest they can happily live. If you lived in a 4 ft box and could only reach a height of 4 ft, would you be happy? Fish will be "happiest" when they can live full lives and grow to full lengths. In a 55 gallon tank a single bala can grow full length, even if it grows slower than it would in a 200+ gallon tank. In a group of 3+ you stilll have to treat each bala as an individual and yes, they will grow full length and no, they probably won't be happy about it. Generally a larger tank increases the rate at which a fish will grow but if there is space, a fish will generally grow full length or get lethargic and die trying.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top