Beginner Bala Shark Questions

[lilbeanski]

I've just started my first freshwater aquarium. It's about 2 months old now. And I'm having a few issues getting the water just right.

First off, I have 3 baby bala sharks. They are currently in a 10 gallon tank, which I will be upgrading shortly to a 40-50 gallon and hopefully adding a few angelfish. I have a charcoal filter made for a 20 gallon tank, the temperature is 75 degrees F, and a bubble disc with an air pump for a 20 gallon tank. The sharks are fed once a day with rotating meals of bloodworms, flake food, and brine shrimp. In general, they are pretty happy fish, except they need more swimming room.

The problem is the water. I started with tap water with some stress coat and cycled this before the fish were introduced. Once they were introduced, a few days later the water became murky and some brown algae (silica algae) started growing. I added the bubble stone and cleaned the tank and the algae went away. But the murkiness stayed. I started doing daily cleanings and water changes which only helped a little.

Unsure of the water quality, I did a huge tank overhaul and saved about 1/3 of the original water and replaced it with distilled water. This was a huge improvement. The water stayed clear for a week and then returned to a murky state but not as bad as the previous time.

I bought some water testing strips. This revealed that the Nitrate level is at a very dangerous level, the water is very acidic and soft, and the alkaline was close to dangerous. I bought some Tetra products, EasyBalance with Nitraban, Water Clarifier, and Algae Control. I used the Water and EasyBalance but am unsure how often I can use these. Once a day? Once a week? And the Algae Control says not to use in tanks that are younger than 3 months. So I didn't.

At this point, I need some advice.

Should I continute using distilled water to do my water changes? And how often should I be changing this water?

How often can I use these products to achieve proper ph and nitrate levels? Are these the right products? If not, which would be more suitable?

Any ideas would be welcome. I really adore my fish, I just wish I could see them!

[Bettachris]

well lets start with distilled water. basically i wouldn't use it as it has no minerals that tap water would have for the fish. "Hint" i would only use distilled water for breeding fish(if you choose to breed later one, so it would be a good idea to keep a bottle around just in case)

-Tap water is ok for fish, BUT a de-chorline chem. should be added. From my personal experience i often hear people saying that tap water should never be used, But i have been change my water for 11 years with tap and never had a problem with it. I would get a product called Stress Coat, this is what i use with tap water. Like u have done b4, i wouldn't stop.

- The reason why your water parameters are going crazy, is b/c from what you typed, it sounds like you didn;t cycle the tank right. Did u have fish in the tank while you cycled? Or did u run the tank,filter etc..... for "x" amout of time?

Anyway, cycling is the process of adding ammonia to a fish tank. So to cycle, u need to put a few small hardy fish in the tank to take care of their bussiness. Than your water paramters should level out making it safe to add other fish.

-This can be why your water parameters aren't leveled.
-Another reason might be b/c your overstocked. causing the nitrites and nitrates to go up.

---anyway enough with the boring stuff---

How much do you know about bala sharks?

b/c i am sure you know that a 10 gallon or even a 50 gallon isn't enough room.

A single bala shark reaches about 14 inches long and are very powerful jumpers. But since they are cyinprids they like to school so while three is a good number, they will need a even bigger tank to hold these large fish.

i will be honest with you, really to provide the best for them i wouldn't go with a 50. u really need a 125 gallon tank at least. getting a 50 would just waste more money. If you love your balas, it would never be a good idea to stunt them, so i would really consider getting a 125 fast, as a 10 gallon is horrible for these fishes and their potiental size.

[lilbeanski]

Thank you so much for the reply.

I'll start using the tap water again with the stress coat if you feel the distilled isn't really doing anything. I was really concerned that it might be poor quality of the water. (I won't even drink it!)

Setting up the tank for me was letting the filter run for a week, adding a pinch of salt, and stress coat, while I got the temperature to 75 degrees F. There are no other fish, just the balas.

But I think you hit the nail on the head, overstocking. I knew getting into balas would be a long process. But I figured I could make stepping stones to upgrade the tanks and then use the other ones for various other fish. I'm serious about keeping them, so it looks like I'll take your advice and skip the 50 gallon and go straight to the 125 gallon for the first upgrade.

I'm curious.

With a 125 gallon tank, would I be able to add some other smaller fish with them or would it be best to keep it just with sharks?

Also, I know eventually I will have to make a custom tank, but would balas do well in a koi pond type of environment? Such as a large outside heated pond?

And as a side question, would I be able to use a freshwater tank for salt water? I'm planning to starting a small clown fish tank with the 10 gallon after the transfer. Any advice on how to set that up or just simply purchase a new tank for them?

Thanks again.

[Bettachris]

ok, it is good that you want to do the best for your fish. The reason why i would go straight for hte bigger tank is for two reasons. A)it would really a waste of money getting a new tank ,setting it up, and than in a few months needed to do it all over again. And for general fish keeping, a bigger tank is always easier to keep b/c u can make more mistakes than in a small tank. But anyway.

if u get a 125, it would be ok to get a few other fishes. balas aren't really known to be agressive. i wouldn't get a pleco, as a local fish store would suggest, as they will reach about 24 inches. Some good fishes would be angelfishes(like u want) silver pitcus catfish, and a couple of silver dollars.

here is what i would probably do: 125 gallon
3 balas,
6 angelfish,
2 silver pitcus,
6 silver dollars,

etc.. you can add otherfishes within reason. and of course i would be happy to tell you about any fish that you might want to add in the tank, so look around books, and petstores and remember the names.


I wouldn't add balas to a pond, even if it was heated b/c these fish will jump, and chances are that they will jump out of the pond.

--for the salt water questions can you please make a new thread, as it is a fairly common questions so it will attract other people who have the same interset in small saltwater tanks.

[Jonergin]

lilbeanski, give me a few days and I'll show you what some full grown Bala look like in a 125 gal tank. You'll be amazed.