# Big enough..



## nasomi (Apr 20, 2011)

Well, I started my 2 tanks, a 72 and a 75, only to find that my desired fish, a bala shark, is not comfortable in something that small. So I found someone on craigslist who had a 125 that wanted to downgrade, was selling their complete setup for 1200, or trade for a smaller tank plus some cash. So I offered a pile of cash and my 72gal and it's going down this weekend. It'll be a fun project, and I have the perfect place for a 72" display tank. I'm pretty excited.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

A used 125 with stand and light should go for no more than about $5-800. And even that better have mutiple well-known brand name filters and light. I paid $600 for a 125, stand, canopy, and light. On a different one, I paid $750 for the tank, filter, light, stand, plants, complete CO2 system with 20lb tank, about 25 fish and he drove 3hrs to deliver it to me.

I would think you can get it for much cheaper. You can go all brand new for cheaper than that I think.

Just a fyi.


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## nasomi (Apr 20, 2011)

By pile of cash i didn't mean very much. It has 3 Rena 3 canister filters, 2 heaters, powerheads, full sand and ornaments, lights, canopy, the works, and a pile of mature fish, but i don't need the fish since I have other plans for that. I've priced things, i know the 1200 asking price was way high for something used. There's a bare system with no substrate but pretty much everything else for 275, which is a great deal, but the stand is not very nice and hte whole system looks to have been in storage for years. it would be a decent restoration project though.


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## DocPoppi (Mar 4, 2011)

Just how big is the bala you want?
They are not fast growers, they should be kept with at least 3 as they are shoalers, and they are supseptable to ich. I'd be happy to give you more info on them...
I think the price may be a bit high too... I've acquired a really nice 100gl with stand, filters, light, established substraight, and a 150gl for free on CL. Depending on where you live, they pop up often. Even the $ ones there are always people with better deals... just check every day for a week maybe to, and you'll get what you want for less than $500 easy....


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

My Dad used to have a 65g tall FW tank and he had about 2 Bala sharks in it. He had them in that tank for many years before they started to grow large, (in fact, he took the tank down and gave them away before they got big and I had no clue how big they could get until I saw some at the zoo..... so yeah, they are kinda' slow growing). He got them at about 2-3 inches and they were maybe 4 - 4 1/2 inches when he gave them away.

Anyhoo, I'm glad you are excited about your new set up - it's always fun to get a new project. I now have my Dad's 65g tall tank, but we can't set it up until we move.... which is still a few years away.... *sigh* I shall have to content myself with our 10g for now and just live vicariously through the people on this forum and their tanks, lol.


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## nasomi (Apr 20, 2011)

Everything I read said bala's grow fast, 6-8mo to become full size, so they reccomended tanks at 125 minimum. I didn't want to have to deal with having to deal with taking everything apart and switching tanks in 6 months. I was going to start at 3", 5 of them because I read they were a schooling fish. I read that they like to dart, so longer is better to avoid crashing into the glass.


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## DocPoppi (Mar 4, 2011)

No they are not really fast growers. We have several, they do like to chase and play but I've never seen them bonk into the glass... Actually when I hear that about fish, I have to wonder, unless the fish is panicking or certain ailments, they will not run into the glass of their tanks.
Like clown loaches (and many other fish) I have seen people keep them in inappropriate sized tanks. But I would say Bala's will do fine in a 75gl tank for a very long time. One of my fav. LFS has a couple Bala's that are over 10" long. They are housed in a 90 and they are over 8 years old...
Just to reinterate... One of mine is a rescue and about a year old(from purchase date) and is still about 3" the other to are just a tad smaller, and they are fine in my 100gl, but they were in a 40. I also remember a bar I worked at in Austin, we had a Bala in there that was about 4/5 years old, 40gl tank and it was only 5or6 inches.


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## rtbob (Jul 18, 2010)

Make sure you see the tank in person full of water. Hate to see you (or any of our members) get ripped off.

I have read a couple horror stories about used tanks leaking. Fortunately all mine have been fine. I do always request to see the tank full of water before paying.


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## nasomi (Apr 20, 2011)

The tank is full now. I'm leaving in a bit to get it. I'm taking in my 72gal, setting it up, siphoning from the 125 to the 72, and transfering fish, hten packing up the 125. Leaky tanks are a paint, but the tank is in very good condition. It's pre-drilled, so I have the option to go salt down the line at some point. I also should mention that I was planning to add a fire eel as a tank mate. However now if they have that different of a rate of growth it could be a problem, I wouldn't want the fire eel to get large quickly and the bala's to take their time, or they'll become food.


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## nasomi (Apr 20, 2011)

This is what I was looking at:
Bala Shark Care



> When you first buy Bala sharks they will be only a few inches long, but they will quickly grow to their adult size. If you do not provide them with adequate space they may become aggressive towards the other fish in the aquarium.


The ph, dh, and tank size requirements overlap for the bala's and fire eels, and I read that the fire eel will generally leave anything larger than 8" alone even fully grown.


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## Cat696 (Apr 27, 2011)

Never rely on one source of information regarding fishes and their habits or growth rate.. 
A Bala shark is NOT going to grow up in just a few months. They only things that reach full growth in less than a year that I know of are those species that only live for 1-2 years. 
BTW.. I am very excited for you, this sounds like a really cool project and you can do SOOO much with that tank. (Planting, or other decoration). K kinda jelous that I can't jump right into my own project right this second, but mine will take patience.
But I do agree with what has already been said. You will have more than enough room in that tank for many years to come. And in the interim, you can make it more interesting for viewing. They will not reach the kind of growth that the quote you put up claims in the time that it claims. It will take years, not months. So you might want to do a little more research on the fire eel and see if anyone on this forum has the experience to help you with that. I'm afraid that is one of the species am unfamiliar with, and I would hate to see anything happen to your Bala Sharks if the eel outgrows them.
Good Luck!! Can't wait to see it!


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## DocPoppi (Mar 4, 2011)

So my best advise is do a not more research, I read the link you posted. And there was good info there, but also some inaccurate. All of my books have a little bit different info on the fish they cover, the same rings true with online info. Except most online info is not crosschecked or verified prior to publishing. Fire eels are really cool, we had one for a little while... (sadly it died, long story) but I was able to get it to feed out of my fingers. Most will do this, espessialy if you get them young. They do tend to grow fast, and they will go after anything as big as thier head.
Best of luck and enjoy


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