Mike’s Fish Tank – Bala Shark

The Bala shark also known as the tricolor shark is a fish species of the family Cyprinidae. The species is not a true shark, but is commonly called a “shark” because of it’s torpedo-shaped body and large fins. It is somewhat endangered because the population decreased by 50% in the last 10 years.The bala shark occurs in the Mekong basin, Sumatra, and Borneo. They have big eyes to find and catch their prey.

The Bala shark will grow to a maximum length of 12 inches but takes a long time to do so. Bala sharks are found in mid water depths in large and medium sized lakes and rivers. Bala sharks are popular aquarium fish. They are generally peaceful and good companions to many other types of tropical fish. The Bala shark is a jumper and may injure itself on the lid of the tank. Be sure all openings are covered as they sometimes will jump right out of the tank. These sharks are hardy fish and will tolerate temperature changes as well as PH changes.

The water temperature should be in the 75 to 80 degree range. The Bala shark prefers to be kept in pairs but is not a necessity. In the wild this fish’s habitat is often destroyed making these fish more rare in the wild. A lot of Bala sharks are now captive bred and generally exported from Indonesia and Thailand. These sharks were over-fished and they decreased dramatically after 1975. Thankfully populations have increased due to captive breeding. Prices on bala sharks have gone up quite a bit the last few years but they are still available.

They stress out easy when young so watch for signs of ick and treat immediately if you see any.