This one causes irregular wart-like growth scattered across the fishs body. A good filter is vital in maintaining ideal tank conditions for your bala sharks. If this is seen, the fish often has a parasitic or bacterial infection and should be treated. Let the Bala Shark settle in and then add the Gouramis. Luckily, Lymphocystis isnt a fatal disease. The average lifespan of a bala shark is between eight and ten years. Bad water quality symtoms are darting, loss of scales, looking pale, gasping, laboured breathing, flicking and rubbing, red gills, purple gills, turning upside down, sores, red streaking. Just be sure to keep up with tank maintenance, and you should be all set. Come join the discussion about species,breeding, health, behavior, aquariums, adopting, care, classifieds, and more! Isolate the dancing pair and place them in a 60-gallon breeding tank. Remember to remove the carbon filter during treatment because itll absorb the medication, rendering it useless. Bala sharks can be purchased online easily, but the fish are difficult to find in small, local fish stores. When kept in an aquarium, they tend to eat just about any type of fish food including both live options and dried flake food selections. In that case, its usually accompanied by other erratic behaviors like excessive twitching, rolling, pitching, etc. These signs vary depending on the individual shark but can include changes in behavior, such as swimming in a different direction or staying close to the water's surface. Hi! Aggressive and non-compatible tank mates can make bala sharks stressed. The Bala shark does not even reach sexual maturity until it is around four inches (10 or 15 cm) in size, so Bala shark breeding can be difficult for . Replace the filter with an internal sponge filter that wont suck up the fry.Perform a 50% water change and add antibacterial solutions to the water. When a Bala Shark suffers from a fungal infection, it develops a fluffy growth that is usually white. It may be OK, or there may have been internal damage. Luckily, with early action, dietary improvement, and proper treatment, you can help your fish live a full life! It makes it easier to feed your bala sharks moderately sized meals at regular intervals throughout the day, instead of all at once, which can lead to overfeeding. As a shoaling fish, the bala shark feels most comfortable when housed with at least four other fish of its kind.Bala sharks are fast, active swimmers that dart around the middle of the tank. Bala Sharks can be somewhat vulnerable if their tank water becomes dirty or when the tank water level lowers. It may just be one of those behaviors that they adopted that has no purpose. The other one does not have this and I can't recall seeing it before on this one. In their native habitats, Bala Sharks are also known by other names that include Tricolor Shark, Silver Bala, Silver Shark and Tri Color Minnows due to their unique colors and markings. Ich is one of the most common skin diseases amongst captive freshwater fish. I dosed the water and am planning on dosing again tomorrow. How much space should you allocate to these active fish? The mollies may become food for the Bala! Provide a similarly varied diet in captivity with a combination of live and dried foods. Hi I have a Bala shark thats around 12 inches I started of with 4 but I gave away 2 of them after about 3 months as they were getting picked on and eventually another so Im only left with the one but a friend has asked if I can re home his mollies in my tank Im not sure with the Bala and a fully grown pleco any advice please? A member of the Cyprinidae family of fish species, they (Balantiocheilus melanopterus) prefer fast-flowing rivers and streams in the Southeastern Asia countries of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Fish owners should also be aware that these relatively frisky fish tend to move around and swim for hours. Some food types can make the balas sick and stressed.