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I have a 36 gallon tank containing :
2 Balas 1 is 3.5 inches the other 3
1 3inch Angel
1 2.5 inch Red tail Shark
2 Blue Gurami
1 small tetra
1 other 3inch that I can't remember the name of
and a
Feeder Guy

Yes. Balas get REALLY large and are VERY skittish and need a long tank some say four feet at least. The angel needs a TALL tank because they get large vertically The red tail shark is extreamly violent and may attack some of the fish in the tank. The blue gourami will get to somewhere between 4 and 6 inches by themselves and tetra need to be in a school of at least 3 but are better in 6. In my opinion it is a bit overstocked. I am sure you will get other responses about this.

yep i agree with info above. balas are not for small tanks, and need a special set-up. balas will get very large, and jumpy. so when you look at it, your tank is overstocked.

Oh my yes! The red tail and the two balas need at least a 55, in my opinion. Also, tetras usually school and having a single one isn't good, they really need to be in a group. Your angel alone could fill up the tank easily though. I would suggest you upgrading to a 46 or 55 and doing this:

1 Angel
2 Blue Gourmie
6x tetras (same species)
1x Brittlenose Pleco, or a simular species that won't bother the other fish

If you stay with a 36 you may want to get rid of your sharks and choose between your gourmis or your tetras. Also, what kind of tetra is it? If it is a neon or other small species, your angel may eat it.

Inky

Well i am not exactly sure what type of tetra it is. Its greyish in color. I did have a school of tetras but one by one they died. My tank is 1.5 feet tall so I think its okay for the angel. Perhaps I should consider finding new homes for my balas... Where should I take them? How can I garuntee that a pet store will not sell them to someone with an equal size tank?

Thank YOu

i do know that the bala's get realy big so right there i know that the tank is over stalked already i dont think that even one bala should be in the tank that its in right now i mean when it grows its going to get hugh. i catn remember how big they get but last time i checked they where suposed to be in at the smallest a 70 gal and the red taled shark should at least be in a 50 at the smallest.

The Balas and thee RTS are only babies and will out grow that tank very quickly.

Either sell/return them or get a larger tank and keep all of them.

Also I am too sure of the Blue Gourami with the angels when they both fully grow

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

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The angel should be fine in that size tank. I too would be concerned about the angel and blue gourami. The gouramis can had personalities ranging from very peaceful to agressive.

The tetra-definitely should be in a school. Maybe check around your lfs to see if you can identify it and give it some needed friends.

By 'feeder' do you mean something like a cory or plec, or a feeder fish as in those you buy as a meal for other fish? If it's a cory it should be kept in a group of at least 5. If it's a plec it would be a good idea to get an ID on it, a common plec will grow too large for your tank. And if it's just a feeder fish it's probably best to return it to the store.

The other 3 inch...I'd be a bit concerned because at that size it's most likely not a tetra...again could you check around lfs and see if you can find out what it is? Or look thru fish books?

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Okay,

So I have upgraded to a 60 galloon but is the same lengeth. Just Taller and Wider. The 3 inch fish is a giant Danio. And recently I lost my feeder. I am thinking of getting rid of the giant Danio, 2 Balas and possibly the redtail. I enjoy all of these fish quite a bit, but I would really like a school of something.

It never ceases to amaze me how many dealers continue to sell ridiculously inappropriate fishes to people with small aquaria.

For the record, a Bala Shark will eventually reach 12 inches in length. Since the species is an active, fast swimming species, and a schooling species, they need to be kept in groups. The trouble being that to keep 6 fishes that size in a school and give them swimming room, you need a colossal aquarium to do them justice. Strictly speaking, they should be public aquarium material, unless the home aquarist has the space and the finances to sustain long-term a 250 gallon setup. Yes, you read that correctly - two hundred and fifty gallons is what it takes to provide Bala Sharks with an adequate long-term home.

Red Tailed Black Sharks are problematic. They reach 7 inches in length, and become markedly territorial with increasing age. Which means that they develop a less than pleasing habit of terrorising smaller and weaker bottom feeders if they're not integrated into an aquarium setup with care. While they are hardy and not too fussy about water chemistry so long as the water is reasonably clean and free of nitrogenous wastes (ammonia etc), they DO have specialised requirements because of their behaviour. they tend to leave Loaches alone because Loaches are equipped with a sub-orbital spine for defence, and Red Tailed Black Sharks live alongside quite a few Botia species in the wild, but small Catfishes could be in for a rough ride alongside them. Ideally, a Red Tailed Black Shark should be given a 55 gallon if it's the only bottom feeder, and 75 gallons minimum if sharing its home with other bottom feeders.

If you are looking for a suckermouth catfish to live in the aquarium, do NOT buy a Common Plec. This fish is a juggernaut that reaches TWO FEET in length when fully grown, and will outgrow all but the largest aquaria with frightening speed. There are MANY far better choices for the task, though sadly, these tend not to be as commonplace in daler aquaria and have higher price tags. Just remember, a Common Plec is big enough when fully grown to constitute a food fish for Amazonian native peoples if they choose to eat it! The world of Plecs is fraught with nightmares for the unwary, and you are advised to visit Planet Catfish and search their pages thoroughly for a better species choice. Take heed of the maximum sizes quoted - some Plecs, such as Acanthicus adonis, are behemoths that reach a metre in length and NEED a 2,000 gallon aquarium as a minimum setup for long term care ... on the other hand, there are a good number of nice, small species that you can choose, if you're prepared [1] to do the research and find them, and [2] locate a supplier. Worth the expense because in the long run, you'll have a much more compatible fish in your aquarium, and one that could provide you with years of valuable bottom feeding service into the bargain.

Characins should always be in shoals, 6 minimum, ideally more, unless there is a compelling reason to keep them otherwise (e.g., Piranhas!). Most (indeed almost all) of the popular aquarium Tetras are shoaling fishes in the wild that congregate in shoals numbersing tens of thousands of individuals for physical and psychological safety, so keep them in decent groups. The same applies to Corydoras Catfishes - they perform much better and provide a much livelier display if they're kept as decent sized groups of one species, instead of being 'pick and mixed'. My 14 Pandas are an eloquent testimony to this - they're providers of non stop comedy slapstick antics and Animaniacs-style mayhem that make them delightful to watch - and they spawn at a rate of knots too!

I've written several pieces for this Board which should act as a useful guide vis-a-vis general principles, but the first one I'm going to point you at is this one. It's a long read, but persevere, because you'll be glad you did.




Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Its funny you know. When I bought my Balas the pet store said nothing about them being in a big tank. In fact they did not even ask me. After, finding out that they grow so large and could stunt I decided to ask around. NONE of the pet stores seemed to think the balas were an issue. The Giant Danio was the same thing. That fish has grown huge. The redtail seems not to have grown at all. I never see him chasing anything. Who knows? My concern about taking these sharks in would be the petstore just selling them to someone with a tank smaller then mine. I have had these guys for two years.

That's one thing about my LFS - he's responsible.

He asks what size tank you have before selling things such as Black Ghost Knife Fishes and Bala Sharks. If you tell him your aquarium is anything under 6 feet long, he adivses you to choose a different fish, and warns you that these fishes grow to be tank busters in time.

He DID get in a Black Shark - Labeo chrysophekadion - as a special order, but the guy who ordered it has a 300 gallon aquarium for it. That's 300 UK gallons, which is 360 US gallons. That aquarium is massive - it's 10 feet long by 2.5 feet wide by 2 feet deep. Needless to say it's in a basement on a concrete floor ...

Don't think the Black Shark is going to feel cramped in an aquarium that size.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Just found out that my guy is a rainbow shark not a red tail. They are similar, but the redtail grows slighty bigger.

You'll have similar problems with the Rainbow Shark though - they're territorial as well. And, as befits a closely related member of the Genus Epalseorhynchus, it's a similar sized fish as an adult.

Oh, by the way, I just found an example of what NOT to buy ... while browsing a Singaporean site, I found this ... if ever there was a fish that should never be sold on the open market to any Tom,   or Harry, this fish is it.

Arapaima gigas is a gargantuan tank buster. That site says it reaches 3 metres (around 10 feet) in length and tips the scales at 200 Kg. Those figures are, if anything, an underestimate. Arapaima gigas has the capability of growing, if given sufficient space (and for this fish you'll need a LAKE, not an aquarium!), to 17 feet in length - it's one of the world's largest feshwater fishes. This fish can tow a boat with ease - there is NO way on Earth that this fish will ever be a candidate for a home aquarium.

I bet someone will be mad enough to buy it though ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Okay, so I have tried to find a pet store that will garuntee that if i give them the Bala sharks they would ensure they went to a larger home. No one will. So, I guess I need to find a home on my own.