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'ello, 'ello!

I'm new here currently I have two 25ish gallon tanks, and a 4 gallon BiOrb. I also about two weeks ago got a (totally free!!) 55 gallon tank, stand, filter, bunch of food, heater, hoods, pretty much everything.

So since the boyfriend and I have been more limited with the smaller tanks, once we got that big one he immediately wanted bala sharks. We have one in there right now, by himself, and he's probably about an inch, definitely no bigger than two though. We have a dinosaur bichir (dinosaur eel, plus a million other names it can go by) in one of our smaller ones and while he's about 4 - 4 1/2 inches right now, I'd like to move him into the bigger tank just because I know at full size he will not fit comfortably in that smaller tank.

Would it be alright to house them together? He's been housed with a few mollies, a clown loach, and a rubber lip pleco, who are all of either equal size or slightly bigger than the bala, and I've never seen him give any of them a second glance, but I have also heard that they can be pretty aggressive.

So I'm asking all of you fishie experts what to do. I can certainly stock the 55 with a few more fish, whether it be balas or whatever first, if that'll help anything. I just don't want to put the bichir in if he's highly likely to try to munch the bala. My boyfriend is very attached to both fish, I have a feeling it would not be a good day if that happened. XD

apandaepidemic,

I hate to break it to you and your boyfriend but a 55 gal tank is not large enough to house even a single full grown Bala shark who can grow to be over a foot (12";30cm) in length, since it is not even wide enough to accommodate the entire length of a full grown specimen. That being said it could accommodate several juvenile Bala for the time being but I only recommend this if you are already planning to purchase an aquarium large enough to house them as adults.

As far as the compatibility for the bichir and the Bala I don't see a problem. I would definitely get more balas though as they are social fish.

Good deal on the 55 gallon aquarium!

Unfortunately, it's not just that the bala shark is a big fish, it's that they are active and social. In a 55 gallon, I would not keep a fish over about 10"; however, such a fish would have to be very inactive, such as like a Chaca catfish, a marine scorpionfish, or the like. Balas should be moved out of a 55 gallon when they reach about 4-6". When I had balas, I was even worried that the 125 gallon they were in was too small, and they weren't more than 7-8". Since then I haven't purchased any active 12" fish for my 125 gallon, although I have some inactive fish that may potentially reach those lengths.

Bala sharks are the opposite of aggressive; they are extremely timid and shy, and they were consistently on the bottom rung whenever I had any fish remotely aggressive (for example, once I had a 2" Leporinus dominate both my balas when they were 5-6". You may be thinking of black sharks or red-tailed black sharks, both of which are territorial to aggressive.

A bichir won't eat a bala provided the bala is big enough. You should more or less be able to see if the bichir would be able to fit the bala in its mouth (although, bichirs do have surprisingly large mouths). If there's any doubt, do not put them together.

I forget how fast balas grow, but if you want to keep the bala for the entirety of its life, you should probably be looking into getting a 6' long tank at least (ie. a 125 gal) within the next two to four years.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Well, I don't really have anything to add to the discussion as I have no clue about eels or Balas, lol. I just wanted to wish you well and welcome you to the site!

Woops! Forgot to mention we ARE planning on going bigger. I have a co-worker who has a 125 g. that is looking to downsize at some point, so we've been discussing arrangements for eventually trading tanks. It's just right now our apartment is way too tiny and we have too much crap to fit something that size. But our lease is up in two months and I'm thinking we'll move the bichir into the larger tank, as well as the pleco and clown loach and just get rid of the 29 gal. Thanks for the info though! I was more worried about the bichir.

Also, my next question is, since that bala is so tiny in a big tank, should I worry about whether or not he's getting enough food? I've been feeding him Nutrafin Max and he'll never get to it while it's floating on top or sinking, so I'm hoping he's eating it off the bottom? I also gave him some frozen brine shrimp and it floated right past him and he was like, 'eh.' Should I be worried??

I would not worry about the size for that short time I have kept them for many years 4 & 5ft tanks and my largest would be about 7ins. Beware they are very spooky and can jump out very easy. They do like plenty of plant cover.
Have you tried the frozen Blood worms mine love them.

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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