Home from LFS

[BigFishSmallPond]

=] Just got back and i got a small bala shark and a couple more malawi cichlid! woohoo! =]

 

[Raechal]

I just got back about an hour ago! This is what I got:

1 female blue ram
5 glass cats
2 glofish
1 black moor goldfish
15 ghost shrimp


I will be getting these fish on the next trip in maybe a week or two:
male ram and female ram
20-30 ghost shrimp
5 neon tetras
9 glo-lite tetras
5 cories

 

[BigFishSmallPond]

Nice. I was told the bala makes a good community fish and would do ok with the gouramis =] so hes quarantined in the 25 for now. The cichlid are all playing together nicely. Pictures up asap. =]

 

[Mr Miagi]

Why so many ghost shrimp recheal?

 

[Raechal]

Why so many ghost shrimp recheal?

I like them AND they clean the leftover food scraps off the sand so I don't have to gravel vac everyday. Although the black moor is eating most of the flakes off the ground. All the shrimp seem to be doing is hiding and clinging to the filter. They are rather small though, I am worried that my bumblebee catfish may make a snack out of some of the smaller ones tonight.

They are 10 for a dollar so we got 10, but the guy gave us like 15 since they are so hard to catch one by one, he just scooped up some and threw them in a bag. They are feeders I believe. I am going to pick up some more probably next week or the week after that.

 

[yvez9]

yes, ghost shrimp are feeders

BigFish, bala sharks are schooling fish so you should at least get 3. They do get quite big too, like 12-16 inches. I hope your tank is big enough

 

[BigFishSmallPond]

doh ya lfs told me it would b ok by itself (which dont make sense since i was willing to buy another if i had to, so he would have made the sale) but ya i am aware of the size tis why i grabbed a small one, as i read it can take 5 years to get to 10 inches. He'll be in the 25gallon for now and when he gets bigger guess thats as good an excuse as any to get a new big tank (plan ahead ) heheh Thanks for the heads up =]

-ak

 

[yvez9]

it will probably be ok by itself, but it will probably be happy with 2 or 3 friends

but in a 25 gallon, it might be hard to even keep one. They are big swimmers and jumpers. I believe he will grow faster than what you stated too but maybe i'm mixed up with other species!

Honestly though, bala sharks should be kept in no less than a 90 gallon tank... Will you be able to house it in such a tank in a near future?

 

[BigFishSmallPond]

Ill do whatever needs to be done
no cruelty to fish here =]
If I have to i'll take it back tomorrow (if its a major issue to keep it in the 25 for now) but otherwise i'd rather not stress it by transporting it again =]

 

[Dwarfs]

Actually bala sharks should be kept in a 125g, with several others of their own species. They grow to a fairly large size and are known as "Tank busters" because of their size and potentially destructive way of swimming.

 

[BettaMomma]

I've also seen balas do some hood bonking.
They're strong little beasts, especially when they get a little swimming room to get their speed amped up before they leap.

They are beauties, though!

 

[BigFishSmallPond]

Guess he s going back to the lfs again and i gotta talk to the manager again about employees misinforming customers...

 

[Blue Lobster]

Ok, I have had balas for more than 10 years so maybe I can shed some light.

Here is a pic of my old balas, they were 9 years old in this picture. They got ich while I was away on business. Cheech and Chong.

They lived in a 35 gallon till about 6 months before this picture. I didn't know about the one alone or more than four or five rule, and in retrospect the bigger one always did bully the littler one. They jumped out of the tank about 5 times in 10 years once over 10 feet. I would scoop them up off the floor, toss them back in and throw in some stress coat.

A tight hood is essential, if they can jump out they will when startled. They startle easy and will hurt themselves on rocks when on the move. Luckily, they are good healers. They are SLOW growers, maybe an inch a year give or take. Mine were not "Tank Busters" as Dwarfs said but anything is possible. In a long tank they can gain amazing speed, I have seen my new ones take off like rockets.

Overall one will be fine, a good community fish but eventually it will need a bigger tank. I would say it will be fine in a lightly stocked 25 for a few years provided you got a 3" one that is common size in the LFSs.

I have 5 now in a 110 and look forward to seeing them reach full growth.

Balas are my favorite Freshie, I will alway have some in my tanks. They eat scraps out of the bottom, they are hardy and when the light hits them right they look

 

[BigFishSmallPond]

great post. Ya hes about 3 inches got him out of the "small bala shark" tank. there were bigger ones in another tank. Thanks for the insight, sounds like u have MANY years of hands on experience. Cant beat that. Talked me into keepin my bala. Im glad cuz they are nice fish and i have had em before =]

 

[Blue Lobster]

great post. Ya hes about 3 inches got him out of the "small bala shark" tank. there were bigger ones in another tank. Thanks for the insight, sounds like u have MANY years of hands on experience. Cant beat that. Talked me into keepin my bala. Im glad cuz they are nice fish and i have had em before =]

Raise your right flipper and repeat after me.



I, Bigfishsmallpond promise to buy a 55 gallon tank when my bala hits 6 inches and a 100 gallon or bigger when he hits 9 inches.

Say that and you can keep him.

You should be good for at least 6-8 years before you need to go up 2 tank sizes.