Bala Shark

1 Breed Profile

The Bala Shark is native to Thailand, and Sumatra and Kalimantan (Borneo) in Indonesia. Its silvery color and pretty form make it popular, and being robust it is not hard to keep.

Chinese name: Bala Shark

Binomial: Balantiocheilus melanopterus

Also known as: Black-finned Shark-minnow

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Osteichthyes

Subclass: Actinopterygii

Order: Cypriniformes

Family: Cyprinidae

2 Appearance

The Bala Shark has relatively large eyes, and males and females are hard to tell apart by appearance. Because it is robust, gentle, and active, it is popular. Young fish can be kept with others, but when grown it is best kept alone or with similarly sized fish.

The adult can exceed 30 cm and is sub-fusiform. All fin tips are pointed; the dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins are triangular, the caudal fin deeply forked. The body is silver with a whitish belly and faintly yellowish fins. Its clear hallmark is that the outer edges of the dorsal, pelvic, anal, and caudal fins all bear a broad black border, inside which lies a pale gray band – very striking.

3 Husbandry

Adults exceed 30 cm, so a suitably sized tank is needed. Robust and easy to keep, it only needs stable water and balanced food to stay healthy.

The fish is robust and relatively easy to keep. When young it can be kept with small fish; adults should be kept alone or with similarly sized fish. It likes weakly acidic to neutral soft water, suiting a planted tank with driftwood. Not demanding about water, it prefers 22-26 C and also tolerates lower temperatures. It swims fast, is lively, and likes to leap, so the tank must be covered.

4 Feeding

Easy to keep, even beginners can manage it. Besides stable water, balanced food is important.

Feed live food, bloodworms, or general flake. It is omnivorous and leans herbivorous. Beginners can try it. It eats a lot, grows fast, is robust and easy. Use a large tank with a cover to prevent jumping. Gentle and active, it likes schooling. Young can mix with others; adults alone or with similar-sized fish.