bala sharks
- Thread starter ramman
- Start date
Whats a good type of food for balas? I have one, but he is too shy to eat because i have an oscar in with him. I been using flakes because they fall to the bottom, eventually, and my O doesnt eat them.
these bastards are skittish as hell when first introduced, and they are suceptable to disease when first intoduced becuase of the stress.
but after they settle in theyre pretty much bulletproof
but becareful they jump
but after they settle in theyre pretty much bulletproof
but becareful they jump
Bala Sharks (Balantiocheilus Melanopterus), are probably one of the easiest fish to maintain. And for the most part, is one of the most peacefull as well, never really bothering anything else. Bala Sharks are typically very active fish, and need plenty of space to thrive. They need long tanks with lots of open swimming space to cover distances in fast bursts. They tend to do best in water temps. ranginf from 73 to 79 degrees F. You should maintain your PH between slightly alkaline to neutral. The only "bad" thing about these fish, is that they do get large, and need a lot of space, especially when kept in groups. This is usually the main problems with home aquariums, as the owner doesn't always plan ahead. Taking into consideration the adult size, and thriving space needed, one should always START with a tank big enough to house the fish at maturity. As far as feeding is concerned, Bala Sharks really have no specific feeding requirements, and will accept flakes and even bits of meaty food left behind from others. They have also been noted to accept supplemental live foods once larger. When it comes to breeding Bala's, they can be extremly difficult, but not impossible.They are classified as egg-scatterers, and do not isolate to a "nest" as others do, so keeping those eggs well cared for can be a job in its self!! It would be wise to be well read in particular methods, and suggested preps. before taking on such a task. However, with proper care, and education of the topic, it's not unlikely you could end up with a good fertalization/fry ratio. But the bad part is, that baby Bala's are much more susseptable to ailments and infections than some others. Another thing to point out, as other have mentioned, is that Bala's are quite the little jumpers, so make sure you have a tight fitting cover or hood, with few openings absolutly necessary for equiptment, and such. Something else to consider, is that one of their natural biotopes include rivers and streams in South East Asia. Here in the wild, they are accustom to swimming in currents, so addint a power head for current is a good idea. Most likely they will enjoy swimming against the flow, and this can also be beneficial if your tank is lacking in length. They can grow up to 14", but seldom do they reach this size in captivity as usually, they are not kept in a big enough aquarium to max out their potential. There is much much more, but I think this will do for now, hope some of it helped.
--EMI
--EMI