Aquarium fish shark ball: description, compatibility, keeping and breeding

Bala Shark - aquarium fish, whose looks like a shark. She acquires from aquarists increasingly popular for easy maintenance, attractive appearance, energy, peacefulness. The scientific name of the fish - blacktip balantiocheilus. The view belongs to the Carp family.

Habitat

The ball First shark in the wild was described in 1851. Did this Dutch naturalist Pieter Bleeker. Fish found in waters of Sumatra, Borneo, South East Asia, on the Malay Peninsula. The ponds where they live, are pure streams and rivers.

The Number of fish is decreasing every year. The main reason lies in the pollution of the environment. Another reason is the catch for resale. This species of fish recorded in the Red book. In Russia they were imported EN masse about twenty years ago. Although the first specimens have been found earlier.

Appearance

Description shark ball is to start with the body. It is narrow, compressed laterally. Eyes and mouth are relatively large. Scales large, its silver-grey colour with a dark border. In certain light, the body becomes like a mirror.

The Fins have their own features:

• Chest – almost translucent, hardly noticeable on the background of the body;
• Spinal cord – located so as most shark species, that is, perpendicular to the back;
• The dorsal, anal, caudal, ventral – painted in a light gray or yellowish tone, have a black border.

Its name to shark the ball owes the dorsal fin. His behavior sounds like the predator.

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To Distinguish the gender of these fish is almost impossible. There is information that males are larger than females. Other special characteristics.

Size and life expectancy

In their natural habitat the fish grows up to forty inches in length. In terms of aquarium size shark the ball a little more modest – twenty or thirty centimeters.

He Lives long enough. The average – ten years, but individuals who live longer.

Behavior

Shark ball, purchased at a pet store, most likely was caught from a natural pond. Therefore, it takes a long time to adapt to the artificial habitat. Do not be surprised if the fish will behave inappropriately, trying to jump out of the aquarium or to beat my head against the wall. After a month she needs to calm down.

It is Important not to scare the ball and give him time. High levels of stress he can die, so it's best not to create unnecessary noise and do near-capacity sharp movements, until after a period of adaptation.

Shark barbs – pack animals. They will be more comfortable in the company of five or more individuals. To watch the flock will be very interesting, as the group builds up a strict hierarchy.

The Conditions in an artificial environment

The contents of the shark's ball does not cause much trouble. The fish is quite hardy and sturdy. However, there are some requirements that need to be done to your pet to be comfortable to live.

First of all, the flock of the ball the necessary reservoir of considerable dimensions. Its length should be a meter and more. The recommended amount of – four litres. Fish need a lot of space for play and growth. If you put them in the tank is insufficient, they cease to develop normally, will be susceptible to disease, can die.

The Plants and other decor elements is better positioned along the walls of the aquarium, so they do not interfere with high-speed movement of the barbs. To plant better zhestkolistnye types of greens, for example, anubias or Linum. You can limit artificial decorations. Soft plants with tender leaves, these fish will quickly harm.

The Ball required living conditions close to natural, so the filter should not only enrich the water with oxygen and remove harmful compounds, but also to create a strong current. The water should be clean. The pH and hardness can vary considerably. Water temperature-22 to 28 °C.

Water changes should be performed once in seven to ten days at a third of or half the volume of the tank. If the aquarium is filled with four liters, it is necessary to replace 130-200 liters.

Food

In their natural habitat representatives of carp have a fairly diverse diet. Therefore, the aquarium fish Bala shark for the full development necessary to support such diversity. She willingly eats live and dry food. It can be fed with Artemia, Daphnia, chopped mussel meat and shrimp. Of vegetable food, suitable lettuce, spinach, nettle. You can give green beans and fruit. But from bloodworms is better to refuse, because the ball poorly digested chitin.

Food should be given two or three times a day in small portions. Fish should eat it all in two minutes. They are quite voracious and prone to overeating, and for most aquarium inhabitants it is bad.

Breeding

Representatives of the carp Breed in captivity reluctantly and rarely. And to breed shark ball aquarists do not want. This is due to the high cost of the huge size of the tanks.

This does not mean that in an artificial environment they are not bred. There are special farms. They are located in Asia. It created the conditions as close to the wild.

For spawning in a tank of fifteen hundred gallons otkazivaetsa one female and two males. Water is soft and slightly colder than usual. On the bottom is placed a layer of Java moss. This is where the female will spawn. Fish reach sexual maturity by four years.

During the breeding season the female should be fed mainly vegetable foods. Males should have a live feed with high protein content. Spawning is stimulated artificially, by introducing into the pituitary gland of fishes of special injections.

The Female will produce up to ten thousand eggs. After that, the adults resettled. After two days the eggs will become larvae, and a day later they begin to swim. The fry will stay with the flock. The first food for them – the living dust. If the conditions are met, the small ball will grow rather quickly.

Diseases

With proper maintenance shark the ball resistant to the main diseases. But in a crowded aquarium where water changes are carried out in a timely manner, the fish may be ICH. The disease affects many aquariums. In common parlance it is called “semolina disease” for small whitish specks, which give the body and fins of fish.

The disease does the activity of the ciliated infusoria. Celled in the water are not uncommon. In trace amounts they are present in many water tanks, getting there with live food, infected with a newcomer. Disease manifests itself, if the animal is in constant stress, contained in poor conditions. The disease is treated with modern medicines.

The ball has a predisposition to Aeromonas. In common parlance it is called “rubella Karpov”. The causative agent is a gram-negative Bacillus Aeromonas of hprofile. Patient specimens ruffled scales, inflamed skin, there are foci of hemorrhage. Treatment depends on the stage of the disease. For starters, you can try salt baths. If they do not help, you should use chloramphenicol, methylene blue.

Compatibility

Shark ball is not related to aggressive fish. He gets along well with individuals of the same size. It is possible to settle with a larger aquarium inhabitants.

A List of ideal neighbors:

• Gourami;
• Donaciinae;
• Catfish;
• Tetras;
• Minors;
• Representatives of the barbs.

But that is not recommended is to settle it with small fish that fit at the ball in his mouth. He just eat them. Therefore, talk of the neighborhood with neon and Danio can not be. It is also hooked to it aggressive cichlids. Although in size they are close, but are able to drive the ball to death.

If the barbs live in the aquarium in a pack, to them is not necessary even to briefly hooked vualehvostki fish. They will not be able to resist and will just eat through all the long fins. This is common to almost all Karpov.

To Acquire the ball should not spontaneously. These fish, though unpretentious, but require a lot of space. In addition, they...