Sand and balas
Hi guys and gals,
<A gal for ya today - Sabrina here>
I found your site looking for info on Balas and got sucked in.  Here it is three hours later and I'm still reading, wonderful site!  
<Thank you for the kind words!>
I have two questions.  1. What is the growth rate of the Bala is there is one?  
<Depends upon health, feeding, etc.>
I've had one for about a year with some silver tip cats and a pleco in a 20g tall.  He is doing fine and has grown to about 3.5 inches and I want to put him in his own tank with some other Balas. I read they should be in groups of at least four.  
<'Tis a good idea, they are definitely schooling fish.>
I want the tank to last at least three years, what size should it be
<I would aim for 75 gallons or more, if you can swing it, for a handful of these fish>
and how big can I expect him to be by then?  
<In three years?  Again, depends upon several factors, but assuming all is well, I would think that he may be fully grown by then, at or around a foot in length.>
Secondly, this may sound dumb...I love the look of sand but don't know much about it.  Would the average play sand at Home depot stay on the bottom of the tank and not cloud the water?  
<I don't know that I'd trust just any average play sand....  Talk to a good fish store in your area and ask if they carry sand in bulk.  I know one of the sands that I used to use in Kansas was marketed as a sandblasting sand, but was ideal for aquarium use, strangely enough.  Steer clear of aragonite sands, as that will alter your pH.>
Balas are pretty quick and I'd imagine with the filter's currents and all sand would easily get blown throughout the tank.
<Well, depending upon how large of a grain it is, that could be a huge issue, or none at all.  In your case, I'd probably try to find a sand that's very large.>
Is it a hassle?
<It can be.  It is my substrate of choice for planted aquaria (along with some other stuff), but in an unplanted aquarium, it will compact and create some water quality issues if it's not well stirred occasionally.  Try to find something that suits your tastes and is a large enough grain size that you can vacuum it easily.  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina.>
JayS

Temporary Fish Housing (12/23/2003)
Hi-ya thanks for any help you can give me. I am wanting to move my community tank upstairs as a larger tank has been bought for the living room to host Discus. The tank currently running is a 35 gallon community tank. With around 15 fish, biggest of which are silver sharks ( a pair ) around 3-4 inch in length. <Are these Bala "Sharks" (Balantiocheilos melanopterus) or Hemiodus? Either of these will get bigger and need a bigger home. Depending on the projected adult size of your 15 fish, your tank may be overstocked.> The other tank is a 75 gallon which is not set-up as yet. It will have a Eheim 2026 pro II for filtration. I am wanting to move the fish into this larger tank temporarily. So I have a couple of weeks to clean out and replace various parts of the old tank. Just  wondering how quickly I can move the fish into this new tank without risking their health. I will start with just a couple of the more hardy fish like the mollies and the green tiger barbs. The tank is quite large for the fish going into it. <not really> How long should I leave the tank before any fish go in? assuming its free from chlorine. <Seed it with water & filter material from the 35, it will cycle very quickly and you should be able to start after just a few days transferring a few fish every few days. And how quickly should I add the rest? <No clear-cut formula here. Maybe 1/4 of the fish every 3-4 days. If you can get some Bio-Spira (check Marineland's website for info), you can cycle the tank instantly.> I will then of course have to slowly move them back to the original. <Consider Bio-Spira> Would greatly appreciate any tips or hints you could give me, in this stressful time for my little friends!! <Your "sharks" would be better off in a 55G tank than a 35--they need the swimming room of a 48" long tank. Good luck, Steve Allen>

Balas in a 75?
I have written several times recently about setting up a 75-gallon FW community. Your advice has been invaluable. I'm at a turning point now, I think. I started with three little Buenos Aires Tetras and I have added three little Bala "Sharks." I've had the Balas for a couple of weeks and I have a question about tank mates/tank size. I thought I would get a Rainbow Shark and a couple Clown Loaches and a Cory or something similar. But I'm afraid the tank is too small for that group of fish. Is my tank even big enough for the three Balas?
<The Balas will easily reach sizes of around 12” each so you won’t want to add more than another 15-20” of adult size fish to this tank, less would be better. The Clown Loaches can reach an adult size of around 11” each so these are not recommended unless you do get a bigger tank. The Corys and Tetras stay pretty small so should be OK if you go with just a few of each. The Rainbow Shark can get to around 6” so that one is kind of iffy.>
I sort of wish I had made the tank a community of African Cichlids, but on the other hand the Balas are the reason I decided to keep fish in the first place. I'm looking for a bigger (used) tank. I'm considering putting the Balas in a bigger tank and converting the 75 to Africans. Does this make sense? Any suggestions? The Balas are only about three
inches at this point. Thanks. --Charlie
<Putting the Balas in a bigger tank and going with Africans would be a perfect solution. Ronni><<I would not place minnow-sharks with African Cichlids. RMF>>

Bala Sharks In a Planted Tank  - 03/12/2006
Hello Again, I wrote about this time last year with questions about filtration for 150 gal aquarium in which I was overwintering my 2 pond fish, a 12 in goldfish and 15 in koi.  I was (and still am) using a Magnum 350 canister, a HOT magnum filled with bio-media, an Emperor 400 and 3 400 gph powerheads pushing the UG filter.  I siphon 50 gal of the water each week using a python gravel vacuum and stir up the gravel so the filters can take out the suspended waste.  When I wrote last year I was complaining about not being able to keep up the amount of waste generated by the fish.  Bob Fenner suggested I clean the filters more often and add a couple of box filters and an air pump to aid in filtering the debris.  I added the filters and a Luft air pump.  When the weather warmed up enough to take the fish outside, I decided they were too big for my 400 gal stock tank so I gave them to friends who had in-ground ponds and I got a couple of smaller goldfish.  Naively, I figured my filtration set-up would be able to handle 2 goldfish.  I brought them inside in Oct. and have been faithfully cleaning the tank and the filters as described above (I swear) and am back with the same problem, I cannot keep up with the waste from the goldfish, they are between 6 to 8 inches.  SO,  I have decided to give up on keeping the goldfish in the aquarium over the winter.  I may give these fish to my pond friends and get some 'mosquito' fish for my stock tank.  Now I'm getting to my question - I have thought for a long time that Bala sharks are very attractive fish but never had a tank I thought was big enough to house them.  Several years ago I had a 75 gal plant tank with lots of tetras and had good luck, and since I have decided to forego the goldfish I am considering a tropical freshwater tank again.  But before I invest in more lighting and live plants, would you tell me whether 3 Bala sharks would create the same trouble with waste as the goldfish.  I have been thinking about  having a school of 12 to 15 rasboras, several Siamese algae eaters and 12 - 15 kuhlii loaches with 3 Bala sharks.  But I don't want to get it all set up and not be able to keep up with the waste.  I  kept tetras for many years and really do the maintenance I have described.  However, with the goldfish, the pleasure factor is greatly outweighed by the unsightliness of the waste.  Would you be willing to give me feedback about this plan or modifications that would make it feasible?  I'd sure appreciate the help.  Thanks a lot.  Kerry
< Bala sharks get big. I have seen them personally up to 18". These of coarse were very old but very well cared for fish. They would be like a bull in a china shop disturbing the planted tank just by their movements. A better choice would be some roseline sharks. They have a similar body shape but a nice red streak to the body. They don't get too big but make a very nice addition to a larger planted tank. they are expensive but the prices are coming down. They would definitely be easier than a goldfish tank.-Chuck>