I have a bala shark and when I was cleaning 29 gallon tank it jumped out. It took at least a minute to get it back in the tank.It happened around 2:00. It was fine until around 11:25 . Now it is acting funny swimming close to top of tank and labored breathing and it was swimming on back for a few secs. I put cycle in the tank after I finished cleaning it and I put aquarium salt in just a few minutes ago. Is there anything else that I can do?
2006-07-02 16:34:48 · 4 answers · asked by Ultimate Trip 3 in Pets ➔ Fish
If he was on his back you may be in trouble. Do you have any Melifix? It is an all around med. Stress coat could help but it sounds like he damaged himself and if he starts to float and still is alive the kindest thing you can do is to put him in a baggie with water and put it in the freezer. It is quick and far better than the tolite where the water is full of chemicals that burn. I am very sorry if you loose him. We have all lost fish, some very special.
2006-07-02 16:43:23 · answer #1 · answered by rubystandingdeer 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Well....one thing you have to remember is that Bala Sharks jump (you've aparently found this out) and you need to make sure your tank is covered sufficiently. Also, Bala sharks reach a length of about 1 foot and will soon outgrow your tank. In order for it to be healthy and happy it requires a minimum of about 125 gal tank. They also prefer to be in groups and it's best to keep no less than three together (again for their happiness)
Now as to the issue you are facing currently. It sounds like he went into a bit of shock from his ordeal. In my opinion and experience "cycle" is not an effective water conditioner although it does claim to remove chlorines etc from tap water. It's possible that chlorines in the water could be affecting him as well. If you can get ahold of some stress coat (an excellent product that is a water conditioner with aloe vera in it. It removes chlorine and chloromines form tap water and the aloe helps replenish the natural slime coat to protect them from disease and help them recover from stress) I would recommend using some. Other than that, there isn't a whole lot you can do but wait and hope he recovers.
2006-07-02 16:58:36 · answer #2 · answered by Ginger 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
About the only thing I can think of is you can pray for it. I've had similar things happen with fish I've had and most, but not all, of the time they ended up dying because of some internal damage as far as I could tell. But I'm not a fish doctor so maybe someone else will have a more helpful answer.
2006-07-02 16:40:24 · answer #3 · answered by Martin S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, put it in a larger tank. A bala need tanks of over 125 gal to be happy, they gro to 14". Also, they are schooling fish and needs to be in groups of over 6.
2006-07-03 11:44:22 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋