Ive got a full grown bala and he is just a complete idiot! He is SO jumpy, you walk over to the tank and as soon as he sees a person he just shoots off like a rocket usually hitting the glass so hard he knocks some scales off an rearranges the decore. Why are these guys so jumpy!? Im consitering giving him to a friend. Id like to replace him with a black shark. I love my RTBS and Ive always wanted a black shark. What do you guys think?
Most simple question is, how big is your tank?
Bala's are skittish, its normal for them, id expect this kind of behaviour since he's still getting used to his new enviornment.
Is your tank decorated with plants? One thing you could do i fnot, is get some plants abunch of them, put them on one side so he has sort of a hiding spot, he feels more secure.
I have 3 balas, all babies of course, they are skittish but they relaxed abit after a week or so.
Anyway questions to answer before i myself can lend any more help:
Tank Size
Decoartions
Water readings (you can go to your local LFS to get this test, if you werent aware)
Another thing is, for the future, buy aquarium salt, the kind for fresh water, it reduces stress. Balas are extremely prone to ick, stress is a big factor, and he seems pretty stressed.