Bala sharks

[ickyfishywishy]

hey all, i bought 2 cute tiny bala sharks, not even 3 inchs long, and i know they r shy fish and dont like sudden movements around them, but they seem to not go to the food, they try to catch whatever is floating around the bottom and whatever algae they can find on the rocks, is that normal or do i need to get a few more so they feel comfortable,? they r the 3rd smallest fish i have is that a problem? thanx all

[briggs]

If I'm not mistaken.. these things grow to like 12-13 inches !! Theyw ont be that small forever! Unless there is some runt species that doesnt get that big.. but i havnt come across them

They probably just arent use to being fed that way yet so give them time, they are use to finding food themselves probably.

How big is your tank? I think they love to swim around ALOT and the bigger the tank the more active/faster they grow. They can jump like 6 feet too I've read..

But thats just the reading research I've done on them.. so I'm no expert.

I wonder how well they would do with a betta in the tank.. I think they are only aggressive with eachother when theres just 2.. sorta like the female betta thing. They may not be as aggressive toward other fihs.. though they do eat everything.. and swim pretty fast too.

These things are actually kinda neat. When i can afford it and have th eroom I think I'll get a big tank with them!

Edit: Dang. I've been trying to find small sharks that i could put in a 5 or 10 gal, but it looks like the smallest these guys will get is about 6 inches.. and most will get alot bigger.. (sharks in general). To bad, I wanted a little 2-3 inch shark.. they look like torpedos . Sigh, cory catfish it is then I guess :\

[ickyfishywishy]

hii hi thanx for ur reply, well i have an 85 G tank and some fish in it, i know they get huge but i guess it will take some time, whats this u say about them being aggressive together!?!?!? i was watching them last night and they do this realy intresting thing together,
they would swim side by side stuck to each other slaping tails and rubbing theyr scales togther! it was realy cool to watch them do that! and i have 2 only, should i get one more maybe? they dont mind every1 else in the tank, they just mind theyr own business. thanx:)

[briggs]

From what i've read 3 are better then 2 to have, because sharks can get aggressive with eachother usualy but not other fish (unless they think they are food).

They have a "pecking order" also i guess or wahtever its called.. so the more you have the less 1 gets picked on.

This is what happens when I spend to much time reading about fish I don't own.. lol though i was on a mad dash to find some small ones that stay small but no dice :\

[ickyfishywishy]

thanx for the heads up well why dont u get some rainbow sharks? or red taled sharks? they seem to be good? iv allways seen them as small sharks but not a 10G tank friendly small... u know , i do some tto0o0o0oo much reading myself, i got myself so worked up before buying my tank for like 4 months just reading and waiting, till i went nutz and couldnt wait no more! i wanted a 100G tank but cuz i was soooo excited i could only afford an 85 g which im happy with lool see i talk too much! thanx briggs! hope u find urself that miniture shark!