I work at a petsmart and i try so hard to educate ppl on how big some of the fish really get. Often times we don't even sell appropriate sized tanks for Balas and other fish we sell. I agree with you, Bala sharks and other 12" fish shouldn't be sold at commerical pet stores. It's difficult to live in the reality of ppl buying something for the cool factor not the fact that it's a living thing that needs care, the only thing to really do is educate
I have 3 Bala shark, absolutely love them, such placid personalities, and get on with all my other fish. Luckily I have a 5 ft tank but they seem to have stopped growing at 6-7 inches at 2 years but no I wasn’t told their adult size when I bought them which is ridiculous.
First fish I bought was a little more than 12 years ago and was a 2.5” Bala Shark and started him off in a 170 gallon tank. Within the first week of getting him, I added 5 more Bala Sharks in with him, all of which were also about 2.5”. Also, added a striped Raphael catfish, 5-6 tiger barbs and a few other fish. I fed them everyday, 3 times a day, using a high quality flake and pellet food, as well as frozen options 3-4 times per week, such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, and daphnia. When they got to about 6” I added finely diced chicken/turkey livers to their diet. Well, the last of the 6 Bala Sharks just passed away about 2 months ago and measured 15.11 inches (38.4 cm). His girth was 8.8 inches (22.35 cm). He was the largest of the 6...
I have a 6' wide, 125 gallon tank. I've always kept Bala's in it. Once I had 8 of them. Got them as babies and the biggest one grew to 7 maybe 8" over several years. Most stayed about 6". They would chase across the tank... sometimes too fast and slam into the glass, killing themselves. So 8 became 4 or 5 over 10 years.
Thanks for the video! We wanted to add a big pretty fish to our 36 gallon with a bunch of black tetras in it. I thought that fish grew to the tank size, we will make another choice. Thanks again!
My biggest problem with a chain pet store selling them is that they don't tell you that you need to have more then just 1.... I used to get so frustrated with the Bala Shark because I loved the way they looked and how active they were. The first few times I had them, I only got 1 or 2 and I could never keep them alive for more then a year. Now after a few years and more research, I found out that they need to be in a school. I've got 3 massive ones now that I've grown out and they are doing great. When I got them the Petco store associate was like you don't need 3. But they school together and are healthy almost 2 years later.
I've got 3 with 3 Oscars. I got them all at the same time. One is only about 3 inches long and the biggest is about 6 inches long. I feed mine shrimp pellets and they clean up the mess from the Oscar feedings too. I actually had them in a 55ga octagon until about a month ago when I got a 125g off Craigslist. Since I put them in the 6 foot tank, I swear they have all grown another inch! They are much happier in the long tank, they have never been able to swim full speed side to side in the other tank. They look like kids running and playing in the yard, it's awesome!! What I like best about them is their mouths. They always look like they're chattering at me.
I own Bala Sharks, and in my experience it depends on the fish’s personality, for example, let’s say you have a Bala shark that is very hyper and is non stop darting around the tank, you should definitely have a very large tank. But if your Bala Sharks are chill, you could manage with a large but not massive tank. My Bala Sharks are hyper, but also chill after a few mins of darting around the tank.
im new with fish. i of course had goldfish and betta as a kid. but im 14 now and ive kept lots of animals. from scorpions to birds and snakes and rats. i now want to try aquariums, like keep a good looking healthy aquarium. my first fish i got for my tank was two adult red belly piranhas. now people say dont get piranhas because they arent really active, they are kinda boring or they arent the monsters from the movies. but i love predator fish so i dove right into the research on them, tank size, temp, tank mates, what to feed, everything, and i bought them. gorgeous fish ive had them quiet some time. recently there was an incident while i was gone and the female died. the male is still super healthy, and great shape. i recently got a 125 gallon tank and i didnt want my 11 inch pleco and my one piranha in there all alone, so i hooked up a deal with someone to get more fish. two silver dollars and a pleco, and a 10 inch bala shark. i knew that the piranha cant be in the tank with the bala so i moved him back over to the 45 gal. he is doing great. i now have lots of plecos and other fish in my tank, even some ghost shrimp and loachs. but i dont know what bala sharks eat, i know he eats bloodworms, brineshrimp, crustasions and anything small enough to fit in his mouth, but im worried because he hasnt eaten any of the food i put in there. i got some tropical pellets, the previous owner fed him that. but is there any sugestions? what to buy for him?
That's something I wusnt told either when I baught 2 of them the only thing I got asked was "is it a tropical tank you have?" Thankfully I did do my research first just like any pet owner should do if they have no nolage of the pet there getting
I would say that people should only buy them if they have at least a 4ft tank 60 gallons, knowing they have a place to put it when it gets bigger. Great video
Yes you are right i had a paco in a 125 gallon tank and it was small for him even though my tank was 72 inches long my fish had a hard time swimming in it he was the size of a 15in speaker couldn't turn around really well in the tank he die later on !
My opinion is that they can be sold, but should not be sold in large pet shops where most of the people buying from there have no idea they have a 1 foot fish in their 40 gal. Like the other large fish, if they are kept properly (150 gallon minimum in my opinion), they can live perfectly happily.
I bought four of them this week, but then I have a tropical pond, so the size is not a problem... in fact I checked it out before I bought them and knew that they can grow big...
While it belongs to the same family as minnows that family also includes carp, barbs, and barbels. And the Bala Shark falls within the barb sub-family (barbinea), and not the minnow sub-family (leuciscinae)
I take care of the fish tank we have at work. In about 2 years ago the manager bought 3 bala sharks and three red tail shark among other fish to put in the 75 gallon tank. When I asked her if she realized how big they will get her reply was they will be okay in a 75 gallon tank it's big enough. I just had to shake my head. They are all between 5 and 6 in Long currently. We are just playing the game of wait-and-see. Also another point I would like to make two one of the things you said. I do not think that people realize how many offers of oversized fish that zoos get. Although the zoo's may have bigger aquarium's for their exhibits they can still only accept so many fish. so more than likely your donation will be refused. Just sayin'.
I have 5 ballas in 75 gallons take since march they slowly double in size...my first ballas grow to over 10 inches in over a 5 year span so from my experience how you manage or take care of them you wont actually have to worry about getting a bigger tank unless your pushing for the massive size.
I have a lot of the larger fish that most people say shouldnt be sold (2 redtail cats, bala sharks, ocars, tinfoil barbs, arowana) The main thing is the pet stores. They have the size that the fish gets to and all, but they never really go into depth about the tank needs of the fish. So you have a lot of these beautiful large fish being sold without the owners knowing the proper housing they will need for them. On top of that others know how big the fish gets and how much room it needs and say they'll get a larger tank when the time comes. Issue being is the price of tanks. Many people still don't know that they can easily make a tank with viewing ports for about 40 cents a gallon which can also solve this issue. If you are one of these people that has a fish that will be too large for your tank as it grows, check out The King of DIY, and search for his vids on diy tanks.
I got Bala sharks because they get big And I wanted and actual shark but that’s cruel 😂😂 planing on getting a 120g for 2 sharks with no other tank mates but they are only 2inches atm so I have them in a 75gallon
I’m 15 and I have two balla sharks in a 10 gallon tank...right now there small and watching videos I’m not sure on what to do...please give me suggestions
Honestly speak for your self let people but what fish they wanna buy I'm pretty sure people know what there doing not every is a rookie with fish not trying to sound rude just saying
I was thinking of getting an adult, this dude wanted to give it away because it had gotten too big. I could just put him in my 60gallon tank with my two huge oscars. My oscars are super chill with one another, idk what will happen with another fish of a different species. The bala shark is also really big, almost as big as my oscars.
I want a huge in ground pool so i can have some arapaima, i think its good they sell these fish but the max size should be listed right next to the name. I mean you can buy banded cats and banded cat eggs for next to nothing and iv seen those in 50gal reef tanks so people are going to do whatever they want sadly. I'm over here wondering if my feeders have enough swimming space, healthy food makes healthy fish.
My dad had a pacu, n even at 9, i knew it was too big for its tank. It stayed in like a damn 40 gallon. Now that i think about it, many of my family whi had fish had tanks too small for them. Im the only one doing things the right way n people looking at me crazy. I have 4 red blood parrots, 1 gold severum, n 1 oscar in a 125 gallon.
oh man. i want to keep some silver sharks soo bad. i just don’t have any room or money for a 400-gallon tank, and i’m not keeping fish that i can’t have, even if i really want to. i’ll stick with my neon tetras and betta, they’re beautiful. i’ll admire my dream fish from afar.
Okay I got a bala given to me just one and I recently bought another one but my first one has already become very jumpy he’s at least 8inches (I know they r known for that) but how can I help it I dont have a back ground but every time anyone walks past the tank ( it’s in basement ) he freaks and bangs into the side I feel so bad and want to help him
I was in southern thailand, Ban Tai resort. There was huge fish in a 30 gallon tank. Kept near the restaurant for customers to look at. The water was dirty for my taste, but the fish was healthy and very interactive. Not sure if you really need a big tank just to take care of one large fish. If raised in the same tank since a fry would it know any better?
Yes, you absolutely do need a large tank, even for a single large fish. The last part of your question is a little absurd. Just because the fish doesn't know any better, its internal biology will still make it grow too large for a small tank. It can only adapt so much.
I love big fish. But I live in an apartment so a 20 gallon is as far as I can get. I researched all my fish I put in my aquariums to make sure they will live there best life. Bala sharks are on of my favorite fish. They are beautiful but I admire them in videos only because I don't have a way to keep them myself. Perfect example of a new fish keeper I know had bought a 20 gallon tall tank and bought 5 silver dollars, 5 angel fish, 2 cichlids, and a pleocstomus . The person wondered why the died as they got bigger 🤦 . The situation is now the person has two silver dollars and asked a friend , a long time fish keeper to take them because they are the only ones left alive and cleaning the tank is not high their priority list. 🤦 So now the friend that is caring for them only has a standard 20 gallon to keep them in. The friend feels bad for the fish but the owner will be taking them back when it's convenient for them. These fish are getting bigger as the months go by . They can grow to 6 to 8 inches. Poor things they are very fast swimmers and the friend feels bad because these fish can't swim the way they want to. It's like putting a grayhound in a play area made for cocker Spaniel . There is not enough room to run.
I got a tank and I went to the pet store. I had a few fish in mind that I wanted. Due to the virus I couldn't pick out my fish myself. The young ladies at the store gave me a hard time about wanting a few cichlids green terrors to be exact. Anyways I allowed the girl to pick out my fish because she treated me like I had no idea what I was doing. So she brought me out rosey tetras which im cool with. But she also brought me out A clown laoch and THREE silver sharks. I didn't realize that silver sharks are bala sharks. I knew bala sharks got big. I would've told her to put them back. i toldthem my tank size and told them I didn't want anything that got to big. So, now I was 4 fish that will get to a foot long. I feel like such an idiot for allowing these little girls at the pet store working their first job to make me doubt what I wanted for fish. I was treated like I knew nothing about fish and that they knew everything. They actually told me these fish dont get very big like no more than 6 inches. I love my fish so I'm going to do everything in my power to give them the best life possible. I just have to agree with the guy in this video saying that these fish shouldn't be sold in the hobby.I'ts just so unfair. So now I've set up another savings account to go towards tank upgrades for when these fish get bigger.I guess my best advice to people who want to keep fish is do your research and don't let little girls at the pet store boss you around.
Bala shark are extreme jumpy you most move slow while work in the tank or they all over the place. Like them have them for almost 5 years its good size on them now but i want to switch to rainbow fish they not so jumpy and am ready try something new..
I have a question? I have a 50 gallon tank and I want to put sharks but when I watch the video I don't think I can put more than one? I would like to know what kind of fish can be put with sharks. Thank you
Hi I love your knowledge I've been given a tank with 4 bala shark in one red tail shark and two plecos I've uploaded a video if you can view it you will get an idea I want to improve it to improve my fish life so could you advise me thanks
I have a 8-9 inch Bala and it outlasted every other fish. I tried to put other fish in there, but this big fish just isn't having that. What kind of algae eater can I put in there with it?
Yesterday I just bought a tiny silver shark and I thought it would grow, but not to big as the shopkeeper said, now I’m trying to learn how to take care of my fish now and in my house we can’t really fit tanks so this was a suprise so I was also wondering can we set it out?
Personally I believe that the bala shark is still possible to keep however I think some fish like red tail catfish are just overkill and you would need a 1000+ gallon tank and let’s be honest none of us have that kind of tank but I think things such as bala sharks and tinfoil barbs stuff like that is all good but things like pacu and arowana shouldn’t be sold
bala sharks do fine in 400+ gallon tanks in shoals of five or more(if you’re doing more than five, definitely go with 500+ gallons). they’re definitely doable as pet fish, and besides keeping water temps warm are easy to take care of. they just need a lotta space.
Hello I used to have a big 8ft long saltwater aquarium and had lots of big fish and I sold it 6 years ago and I'm looking to getting back into it and I was wondering do you think I could house 1 or 2 smaller bala sharks in a 4 or 5 ft tank ??
My tank is a 50 gal under gravel filter octagon 12" - 14" wide by 6' tall the 1st time i set up my tank and my bala, black ghost, a convict, and 3 other fish that grew living well with each other but the bala shark only grew to 6" to 7" that's it. This time I had the tank set up with the air pump going for over a week. Buy my B. Shark is acting strange swimming upside down sideways is there enough air ? The other 3 fish seem to act ok....? What do you think is wrong with him?
So mine are about 8 inches and had them for 6 years. Love them and still have the space for them. Do they continue growing till they die or are mine now fully grown? I see that I commented a few years ago lol about the same question....am still asking so I guess I better find out somewhere else 😅
My favorite animal is a great white shark and I know that bala sharks are minnows and I have one in a 10 gallon and I know it's to small but I will get a 20 gallon tall in the summer if I don't get it I will give it to a local fish store by me so then it has a bigger tank
im new to fish keeping, i just got a 75 gallon to start. while im starting the tank cycle im learning so much. im glad i saw this video because the 1st thing i was going to put in there was 3 bala sharks.. i know there not sharks. but they are sweet fish. Is there a normal thing to do when ur fish gets too big? is donating it to the zoo actually a thing? That's a valid question since there one of the most commonly sold fish in pet stores. What happens to all those fish? i mean, im sure my 75 could hold them for a while. lol
Most zoos or aquariums would not take them. Sadly, when bought in stores and kept in tanks that are too small, their growth gets stunted, and they die much sooner than normal. So yes they are bought very commonly, and most of them all die.
Just started with a 75 gallon. Awesome! I’ve been doing fish keeping for 2 years and all I have rn is a 20g and a 5g and I’m moving up to a 55-60gallon
True but also laws in society for humans are different from other countries or states so I Mean we are in a no win situation as it is I believe for humans it’s called quality of life same go’s for the fish a 8ft is optimal anyone can buy them and throw them in a 55Gallon is it animal cruelty? Well that’s debatable same go’s for humans
True but also laws in society for humans are different from other countries or states so I Mean we are in a no win situation as it is I believe for humans it’s called quality of life same go’s for the fish a 8ft is optimal anyone can buy them and throw them in a 55Gallon is it animal cruelty? Well that’s debatable same go’s for humans
Yes. You tell ignorant people who have a 20 gallon tank no that’s to small for this animal, it’d cruel to them. and move on. I was looking into a rainbow shark but not anymore. My tank isn’t gonna be big enough
I bought a Bala shark 2 years ago and he is still only about 3 inches long and I’m keeping him in a 20 gal tank. I realize this is exactly what you’re talking about in terms of it should have never been sold to me. You mentioned that they can grow 11 inches in a year... I’m now worried that he’s stunted and that his internal organs are messed up. If I give him away (there’s a local shop that may be able to take him) is he doomed?
Hopefully you see this. What happened? I literally just bought 2 bala shark's and I told him i have a 20 gallon tank. I asked to these get big he said no they won't grow bigger because they are in a 20 gallon tank. So annoyed. Would love to know if they are still around and okay. Thanks!