Need Help with my Bala
- Thread starter cody_21
- Start date
hi cody, need more details to further ensure a correct answer 
...
When you purchased the fish, if you quarantined it
How long you've had it
Your tank perameters, the other fish in the tank
The size of your tank, if you do regular water changes and stuff.
The more details you can put up about your tank, the easier it will be to figure out why your bala shark is sick
...
When you purchased the fish, if you quarantined it
How long you've had it
Your tank perameters, the other fish in the tank
The size of your tank, if you do regular water changes and stuff.
The more details you can put up about your tank, the easier it will be to figure out why your bala shark is sick
I've had him for about 3 months, and he was one of the first fish in a new 20 gallon tank. I also have a goldfish, 2 rainbow sharks and an albino cory. I know its too small for all the fish when they are grown but for now they are all still small. He started off as my biggest fish but since has become very thin. I believe that he is not eating enough, I have been using fish flakes, freeze dried bloodworms and even shrimp pellets but he doesn't seem to fond of the pellets. The other food is quickly eaten by the goldfish. Is there a way to save my fish that doesn't involve getting rid of the goldfish. Or is there a bigger problem than just being under fed.
Well, even if the fish are small it is a huge stocking issue that you have. The bioload of the goldfish may just be too much. Also, you should only have 1 rainbow shark per tank, no more. Multiple rainbow sharks can result in territory issues (this rule also applies to redtail sharks). A Bala shark needs AT LEAST 50G to start and when it gets bigger it could use as much as 100G of space. Balas can grow very big, and the small size of your tank may be stressing it out, because they need a lot of swim room. The goldfish are pigs, and they will eat everything before it can get to the Bala too, so to fix that issue you might want to try putting food on both sides of the tank, or whatever works so your Bala can get to the food before the goldfish. The goldfish will keep eating even when full so it might be tricky at first.
Aside from stocking issues, you also have the COLD VS TROPICAL issue. Goldfish are coldwater fish, they prefer much lower temperatures. All your other fish are tropical, they prefer temps btw 68-82F... the Goldfish will prefer temps below 68F....
Sadly if you want these fish to live to their full potential, you cant keep them together because of the temperature needs initially. Goldfish also need lots of tank space because of their bioload (15G per goldfish is the rule). So 2 in a 20 is pushing it already.
I'm 90% sure the rainbows should not be kept with their own species, and other bottom feeder sharks. 1 rainbow would do okay though with a school of Balas.
The Bala shark would do much better in schools and they have potential to grow >>> a foot long, that is why large tanks are recommended.
This is the downside to putting small fish that grow in small tanks; you hamper their growth rate and they dont grow properly, and die prematurely... or they just die. In some cases they might just GROW, and then be too big for the tank. It's your fish you make the call
You'll be fine for a year or so maybe, but I would make room for a larger tank sometime soon, or reconsider what kind of fish you keep. There are lots of fish that can be housed in the 20. None of the ones you have except the Cory are really meant for 20G tank. GL and welcome to the tank. You will get tons more advice throughout the week
so it might be tricky at first.Aside from stocking issues, you also have the COLD VS TROPICAL issue. Goldfish are coldwater fish, they prefer much lower temperatures. All your other fish are tropical, they prefer temps btw 68-82F... the Goldfish will prefer temps below 68F....
Sadly if you want these fish to live to their full potential, you cant keep them together because of the temperature needs initially. Goldfish also need lots of tank space because of their bioload (15G per goldfish is the rule). So 2 in a 20 is pushing it already.
I'm 90% sure the rainbows should not be kept with their own species, and other bottom feeder sharks. 1 rainbow would do okay though with a school of Balas.
The Bala shark would do much better in schools and they have potential to grow >>> a foot long, that is why large tanks are recommended.
This is the downside to putting small fish that grow in small tanks; you hamper their growth rate and they dont grow properly, and die prematurely... or they just die. In some cases they might just GROW, and then be too big for the tank. It's your fish you make the call
You'll be fine for a year or so maybe, but I would make room for a larger tank sometime soon, or reconsider what kind of fish you keep. There are lots of fish that can be housed in the 20. None of the ones you have except the Cory are really meant for 20G tank. GL and welcome to the tank. You will get tons more advice throughout the week
I'm sorry to hear about your Bala Shark....
Sounds like he could have a swim bladder problem. The swim bladder controls at what level a fish wants to be in the tank and controls his overall equilibrium. So if something goes wrong with the swim bladder or if it is affected by other problems, the poor fish can lose total equilibrium and have little control over his movements.
The most common cause of Swim bladder problems is with foods. Dry foods like flakes and pellets, when consumed, can absorb water in the fishes stomach--so much that it often presses against the swim bladder, causing these problems. There are other causes, such as bacterial infections--but the type of food seems to be the most common.
~The first thing you should do to help him out is stop all foods you are feeding currently as they may be the problem. Make him fast (no feeding) for at least a day or two to help him clear his system out fully. Then if that still doesn't help, give him a thawed out and shelled green pea. It must be completely room temperature and shells and preferably mashed up for easy eating. Most fish crave peas. Usually it only takes a matter of about 2 days for a Swim bladder disordered fish to recover fully.
I have seen this in many fish, most notably bettas and goldfish. Not all the individuals of those species get Swim bladder problems, it seems some are just more susceptible than others.
*~*After your Bala shark is better. You need to do some detective work on the foods he is eating. Maybe it's too much of a certain food...more likely he is consuming dry foods too quickly. In that case, you'll need to soak any dry food until it's well absorbed with aquarium water before feeding to prevent future problems.
Also check your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate if you can....The first two levels should always be a Zero. And nitrate can be at a moderate level. As always, when in doubt, do a 30% water change to cross out the possibility he may be suffering from poor water quality. Remember to always dechlorinate and equalize the temperature of the replacement water to that of his aquarium.
Good Luck!
Sounds like he could have a swim bladder problem. The swim bladder controls at what level a fish wants to be in the tank and controls his overall equilibrium. So if something goes wrong with the swim bladder or if it is affected by other problems, the poor fish can lose total equilibrium and have little control over his movements.
The most common cause of Swim bladder problems is with foods. Dry foods like flakes and pellets, when consumed, can absorb water in the fishes stomach--so much that it often presses against the swim bladder, causing these problems. There are other causes, such as bacterial infections--but the type of food seems to be the most common.
~The first thing you should do to help him out is stop all foods you are feeding currently as they may be the problem. Make him fast (no feeding) for at least a day or two to help him clear his system out fully. Then if that still doesn't help, give him a thawed out and shelled green pea. It must be completely room temperature and shells and preferably mashed up for easy eating. Most fish crave peas. Usually it only takes a matter of about 2 days for a Swim bladder disordered fish to recover fully.
I have seen this in many fish, most notably bettas and goldfish. Not all the individuals of those species get Swim bladder problems, it seems some are just more susceptible than others.
*~*After your Bala shark is better. You need to do some detective work on the foods he is eating. Maybe it's too much of a certain food...more likely he is consuming dry foods too quickly. In that case, you'll need to soak any dry food until it's well absorbed with aquarium water before feeding to prevent future problems.
Also check your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate if you can....The first two levels should always be a Zero. And nitrate can be at a moderate level. As always, when in doubt, do a 30% water change to cross out the possibility he may be suffering from poor water quality. Remember to always dechlorinate and equalize the temperature of the replacement water to that of his aquarium.
Good Luck!