Bala - Silver Shark Question

[mr_bump_uk]

Hi i bought 3 silver sharks for from lfs at the weekend... two of the fish look like you would expect.. but the third is a different colour.
He is almost white... rather than silver but has the same shape as the others..
does anyone have any ideas why this could be?

Thanks

 

[Matchu]

Could be an albino, is he pure white?

How about some pics??

 

[mr_bump_uk]

hes not white all over.. his tail and fins have the black strips like the normal sharks , only a little lighter.....

 

[Matchu]

Maybe its a result of stress? or has he lost all of his scales??

keep an eye on him over the next few days, does he look sick in any way?

 

[WILDER]

Could be stress due to the move, how big is the tank in gallons.

 

[mr_bump_uk]

he was like that in the shop/./... noticed him before we bought him... he seems happy. swimming along fine and eating.... been in the tank a week now

 

[WILDER]

How many gallons is the tank.

 

[mr_bump_uk]

How many gallons is the tank.

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err is a 200 ltr tank... sharks are not big yet so will be ok in there for now

 

[OohFeeshy]

For now maybe, but they do get to 14'' or so and are VERY active. They need a tank at least twice the size of yours TBH.

 

[sylvia]

Just because it was already like that at the LFS it doesn't mean he wasn't already stressed. That is the most likely explenation and I'd keep a close eye on all of them. 200 litres is about 50 gallons which is realy inadequate for balas. 125 gallons is the minnimum. TBH with you, unless you actualy have a tank large enough for them, you should return them. I know you say it'll be fine for a while - and I do agree - but what will you do with 8" balas down the road? It'll be rather difficult for adult balas to find new homes and it's unfair on them to force them to move when they've settled down and grown up in your tank. It's a very stressful thing to put these nervous fish through. It would be much kinder to return them to the LFS where someone (hopefuly) will come along who has the tank for them.

 

[WILDER]

I must be honest and agree with sylvia on this.

 

[mr_bump_uk]

o you guys! thanks for the tips! But the answers easy ! When they get big I get a new tank.. im sure they will cope with a move!

 

[RedShark]

Just try and put yourself in that Bala sharks fins...

Would you like living in a 6ftx3ft closet?

 

[Synirr]

Just try and put yourself in that Bala sharks fins...

Would you like living in a 6ftx3ft closet?

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I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if I were less than a foot tall

I don't have a problem with temporary tanks since my beautiful 10" oscar actually started out living in a 29 gallon when he was 4"; just make sure it's very temporary

I'm guessing the colour is due to stress or illness, but if he is literally white instead of just pale it could be a random mutation effecting colour, like the white tiger shovelnose my LFS. A picture would help...

 

[xamdarb]

no offense or anything fish are fish and thats all they will ever be i mean no offence i have fish and there pretty interesting but still you dont have to make them all spoiled haha but honestly returning fish to my lfs is worse than most beginers that buy there fish with out knowing how big it will get my tigers were kept in a 7 gallon tank with a bunch of them and same goes for every thing else in the lfs near here