Shark balu - care and maintenance in the aquarium

Shark balu in appearance resembles a miniature copy of the famous predators. The fishes of the present breed group stand out among other residents of the water body, so it is worth considering them in detail. Otherwise, the representatives of the group are called a shark barbus or a shark ball. The represented family received its name due to the specific shape of the body; the fish and sharks are no more similar. Since the ball is prone to aggression, they are kept separately or in combination with other large individuals.

Description

1. For the first time, the fish of this group was described by Blicker, this happened back in 1851. Representatives of the family live in Asian countries, as well as on the Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra. Some data say that Thailand was originally considered the birthplace of fish, namely, the Mekong basin. But with the onset of 2007, it was found that there are no aquatic inhabitants of this breed in the river. Moreover, they do not occur in the named region.
2. The fish is listed in the Red Book as an endangered species. The thing is the disappearance of family members from their natural habitat. But there were no reasons for this. Most likely, this is due to the catch, as well as feeding of birds and severe pollution of water by industrial waste.
3. Those fish that aquarists start are raised on the farm using hormones. They are exported from Indonesia and Thailand. As for the natural habitat, fish prefer large and medium water sources. They inhabit deep rivers and lakes.
4. Balu is not considered a fish that prefers a certain level of body of water. The family lives in a lowland, middle, and also near a water mirror. That is, it is evenly distributed throughout the aquarium.
5. Fish is similar to a shark, but only externally and indirectly. Prefers fresh water sources. As for nutrition, in its habitat eats rotifers, small crustaceans, larvae and insects, vegetation, plankton.
6. Aquarium pets of this breed group are famous for their oblong little body, which looks like a torpedo. The eyes are large, rounded, constantly in search of food. The fin on the back is raised and pointed, high.
7. In aquarium conditions, the fish can grow up to 30 cm, which is very good. In the natural environment it reaches 35 cm in height. As for life expectancy, these pets will please owners for at least 10 years. The main thing is to provide proper care.
8. Fish are colored in silver, in the back area may be dark. The abdominal area, in contrast, is light. The fins are whitish or yellowish, bordered by black. When spawning originates, the female’s abdomen becomes rounder, but these are all the differences.

Content

1. The difficulty lies in the size, the fish require a very large water tank. And the more, the better. These pets grow in a short time.
2. If you start from the opinions of experienced aquarists, then the fish in its content does not cause problems. The main and main thing is to provide the ball with enough space. One individual has an aquarium of 300-400 liters. Moreover, in length it should be at least 1-1.5 meters.
3. It is necessary to keep fish in schools, so immediately get 5, and preferably 6 individuals. Accordingly, it will be necessary to increase the size of their home fivefold. For beginners, this can be a problem.
4. Systematic change of water. Each week 25-30% of the volume merges. Some aquarists make substitutions up to 50% of the total volume, see the contamination of the water.Since the ball requires a current due to its natural features, provide the aquarium with an appropriate external filter. It is also necessary to take care of the saturation of water with oxygen.
5. Other conditions are equally important. For example, fish require a temperature regime within 22–28 degrees. They also prefer to live in places with a neutral acidic environment.
6. These fish quickly destroy delicate vegetation, so you should do without it at all or plant options with a powerful root system and stiff foliage.
7. If there is no vegetation in the aquarium environment, it is necessary to install a filter to enrich the water with oxygen. Balu loves high thickets, but the fish swims quickly, so shrubs are located near the walls of the aquarium.

Feeding

1. Presented fish are picky in food and can eat absolutely any kind of food. In the wild, the ball is mainly eaten by larvae, small insects, plant particles and algae. As for the aquarium content, the fish will eat both live and artificial food without any problems.
2. In order for individuals to feel as comfortable as possible and grow well, they are advised to give bloodworms, brine shrimp and dry food of high quality daily. In addition, the fish eat vegetables and daphnia perfectly. To dilute the usual diet, pets should be given slices of fruit, spinach and green peas.
3. Larger individuals are strongly advised to give predominantly protein food. Among such, mussels, shrimp and various worms should be distinguished. As for the frequency of feeding, the procedure should be carried out up to 3 times a day. Servings should be such that the fish have time to eat food in 1.5-2 minutes.

Compatibility

1. As mentioned earlier, the ball belongs to fairly peaceful fish. Therefore, such individuals can easily get along with neighbors of a similar size. Although the balu is not a predatory species, it will eat fry and small inhabitants in any case.
2. Among small fish, it is worth highlighting rassbori, guppies, neon, zebrafish, microsorting galaxy. Therefore, the ball will get along well only with individuals of a similar nature and almost the same size. Due to the rather large size and activity, the considered species can irritate other inhabitants of the aquarium.
3. These fish are quite interesting to watch, but the ball is very shy. If you decide to start such individuals, at least 5-6 pieces are strongly recommended. The fish in question are used to sticking in flocks. In such a family, there will certainly be a leader. Also, in a school of fish, they show less aggression.

Breeding

1. In rare cases, it turned out to successfully breed the fish in question under aquarium conditions. Most fish come from professional farms located in Asia. Therefore, it is easier to purchase individuals in a store than to try to breed them.
2. Keep in mind that they reach puberty only when they reach a size of 30 cm. In this case, individuals are not recommended to be kept in containers with a volume of less than 500 liters. If you are going to contain several fish of this species, the aquarium should be significantly larger.
3. The ball is peaceful, despite its impressive size. But with breeding there will be certain difficulties. At the same time, it is rather difficult to distinguish fish by gender. For the same reason, they are recommended to be kept in packs.
4. As soon as individuals reach puberty, it can be noted that males are an order of magnitude larger than females. In addition, the latter have a more round belly. Keep in mind that you have to wait a lot of time before you can distinguish individuals by gender.
5. Often, even experienced breeders can not always determine the sex of individuals. To prepare for spawning, it is recommended to acquire an additional capacity of at least 250 liters.In this case, the temperature of the medium should be about 26 degrees.
6. Keep in mind that spawning is not recommended to be densely planted with plants. Balu need enough space for free swimming. Enough will be a few large bushes of algae, seated in the corners.
7. If you plan to grow fry in spawning, breeders recommend leaving the bottom of the tank clean. As a result, it will be easier for you to clean the aquarium and observe the development of eggs.

Many people wonder whether it is easy to keep fish of this family. In fact, difficulties should not arise if you follow the recommendations. Practically everything is consumed by fish, but they are greedy, prone to overeating, from which they die.

Video: aquarium fish shark balu