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im setting up my 180ltr tank just for bala sharks, ive got 3 young ones in there as ive read they like to be in small schools of 3 or more, in the tank there is a small amount of bog wood with two unknown plants attached and other rocks. How much plant do they require? and do they come out in the night time or day?

Because ive been told that i shouldnt have my main tank light on for more than 6 hours a day because it can cause algy on my plants, which they already have quite bad hair algey which im not sure how to get rid of. So i have some coloured LED lighting which goes on when the main tank lite is off.

Balas need a very long tank, as they can grow to almost a foot in length. You tank should be somewhere in the region of 10ft. if you really want a dedicated bala tank.
Balas are very shy, almost nervous fish, that require a lot of hiding spaces. Large bunches of soft plants will do best, but the problem is that they will eat them as well.
As far as light is concerned: in order to make plants grow well, you need some 12-14hrs of light every day. The fish don't really care; every fish likes a little bit of shade.

Given the right circumstances, balas are day active. In many tanks you don't see them in the day time, because the tanks do not maych their needs. That's where tales of being nocturnal come from.

Good luck in setting up the tank and be sure to post pics some time ...

Hi there,
Ok, the first thing you need to know, is Bala Sharks grow to be 16 inches long, or 40 centimeters in length.
Bala sharks are active, schooling fish that would need a tank of 125 gallons bare minimum, or 468 litres, with a tank of 250 gallons or 937 litres being best.
They need to be kept in groups of 6 and they need a HUGE tank.
Im Sorry to say this, but Return them to the pet store please, these fish will easily grow 7 inches in under a year, and be too big for your tank by that time.
I had this exact same problem when I started out, the pet store told me a 25g tank was big enough. Within 6 months they had outgrown that tank, and were moved to a 90g, where again they doubled in size. My biggest one was 9 inches, the other 2 about 7 inches, in just under 1 year of growth.
They simply cant be kept in a tank smaller than 125g, and thats not really even big enough for such a whopping huge powerful fish like this.



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I have never seen any BS longer that 8ins in a tank but that does not say they cannot grow bigger especially in the wild.

You tank will be OK but only for a very short time then you will have to go BIG in a BIG way if you want a tank of them. Some can be very flighty others very passive.

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

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
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Mine grew about 7-9 inches in one year, Keith.
Ive seen many whopping 14 inch specimens in pet stores that have been returned.
And a 48g tank that this fellow has is certainly not big enough for even 1 year of growth.
Putting these fish in a 48g tank is a disaster waiting to happen, In my honest opinion.


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Bala Shark
Bala
Here is an interesting link for you to look at.


SVS
My large ones seem to have stayed at the same size it could be the 5ft tank. Even when they were young they never grew that fast. How big is that tank and what did you feed them on? I would love to see a photo of one that size.

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

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

Mine were in a 5 foot 93g tank for most of that year,
and were fed the usual stuff, bloodworms, flake food, etc.

A guy in my aquarium club claims he has a whole school of 12-13 inchers in his 200g tank, I havent been to his place yet to check out.
My fave LFS is always having huge balas for sale that were returns from small tanks.


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i dont want a complete "tank" of them so to speak, ive got 3 and dont want any more than that. Currently all 3 are very small and when they outgrow it which im sure they will i will either donate to a pet store, or purchase a bigger tank. theres things for them to hide behind, and they seem happy enough at the moment, ive read in many places that they are happy enough in groups of 3, and if getting more than 3 they should be kept in odd numbers, what is true of that i dont know thought.

But thanks for all your input guys

Bala Uk,
They will be fine in a group of 3, though 6 would be better.
This is a fish best kept in the wild in my opinion, but if you can provide a large enough tank (8 feet long +200 gallons) for them to be comfortable in, then kudos to you!
Not many people are willing to shell out the kind of money required for housing these fish properly.


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im sure they are best left in the wild.

When i brought my fish tank from a local paper it came with fish already in there, and in it was a very large silver shark, probably around 7-8inches, and i fell in love with them after seing him, i donated the fish to a fish shop with a large tank all ready, and decided to get the 3 little ones. Mabye not enough thought went into it. But i will enjoy with untill they are too big and they will then go to a fish store if i cannot aquire a bigger tank for them.

i had bala sharks for a year and they only grew about 1-2 inches until they sadly died from ick

hi
woot woot woot woot woot woot

I also have hair algae. I was told that the only thing that would eat it were fish called Florida Flag Fish, also known as American Flag Fish. They don't get any bigger than 2". There was also a recent post about Florida Flag Fish on here not long ago. I plan on getting one male & 2 females.