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Post by nickidml on Oct 21, 2016 16:34:20 GMT -5
I have a large Bala shark, probably around 9 inches that I have decided I must give up. I initially had adopted this guy as a pair, unfortunately about 1 year ago his buddy passed away. Ever since he has never been the same. He seems sad, has no other friends in the tank and tends to hide in the corner all the time. The past few months he has also become very "skiddish" and startles very easily when you approach the tank too quickly. He'll jump right up out of the water and smack himself very hard against the glass top (poor thing). Aside from all this he's just simply getting too big for my tank and deserves a better home. He is currently in a 90 gallon tank (4 feet long) that contains mostly livebearers and a turtle. He is the biggest thing in there and nobody bothers him, and he doesn't bother anybody. I've never even seen him going after any my newborn fry. He is by far the most peaceful fish in my tank (aside from the jumping). I really don't want to get rid of him, but it's not fair to him to keep him. I would love to see him go to a new home with other large (closer to his size), peaceful, community fish that he could bond with; ideally, other large Bala sharks. His destination tank must be at least 6 feet long and it must be covered. I'm willing to give him up for free, but I am open to trades. I would accept any and all livebearers from anyone. I'll take anything from newborn fry that are overpopulating your tank to adults that are growing too large for your tank, and anything in between. I'm open to coral frags too. I also have a large (5+ inches) chinese algae eater and 7 inch common pleco that I might consider giving up if anyone is specifically interested in them as well.     |
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Post by ryansweatt2004 on Oct 21, 2016 16:38:49 GMT -5
Damn, I love ball sharks. Wish I had a freshwater tank big enough for it.
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Post by spotfin on Oct 21, 2016 17:37:46 GMT -5
What does it eat?
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Post by nickidml on Oct 21, 2016 19:12:02 GMT -5
Generally bala sharks are known to eat just about anything from flakes to frozen foods. I don't feed him directly. Bala sharks tend to have a reputation to be aggressive feeders, but mine is not at all. He's the "clean up" guy who waits in the corner for everyone else to finish their meal and then comes through for the scraps and he'll eat whatever it is that's left. Over the course of the week my tank gets fed tropical fish flakes, tropical pellets and granules, turtle sticks and pellets, dried krill, algae wafers, and fresh plants/greens. I fear if I feed him directly and more protein diets that he'll continue to grow to quickly.
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Post by ponygirl91 on Oct 24, 2016 1:36:46 GMT -5
Dang! I so wish I had a bigger tank set up for him I would gladly take him ASAP if I did bummer! Hope he gets a great new home! I couldn't help but notice u got a painted turtle in the tank too. I thought the wild caught were illegal to keep as pets?
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Post by herefishyfishy on Oct 24, 2016 9:27:58 GMT -5
I have one that is about the 6-7 inches long. We have a 50 gallon corner tank that is covered. I know it isn't ideal but he would have another like sized/species friend and a bunch of other friends. I am not sure where you live (we are in Gardiner), but we would be willing to give him a home if you thought it would be good. We feed primarily flake and cichlid pellets with occasional blood worms.
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Post by nickidml on Oct 24, 2016 10:32:24 GMT -5
Dang! I so wish I had a bigger tank set up for him I would gladly take him ASAP if I did bummer! Hope he gets a great new home! I couldn't help but notice u got a painted turtle in the tank too. I thought the wild caught were illegal to keep as pets? The Maine laws regarding turtles can be confusing, but are mostly designed to prevent the export, sale, or other commercial purposes from happening with certain species. Specifically, endangered or non-native species for the purposes of protecting the endangered ones and prevent the accidental introduction of non-native ones that could survive if released into the wild. Painted turtles are not on the "unrestricted list" of species which means they can't be exported, sold, or used for commercial purposes. But since painted turtles are also not endangered (thus not protected) and there are no hunting/fishing regulations on turtles in Maine, there are no laws regarding personal use or take of them or how they ought to be harvested. That's means painted turtles actually can be taken from the wild for personal use as long as they are not exported, sold, or used for other commercial purposes. Furthermore, my turtle was found in the ocean, where she ultimately would have died. Simply relocating her to a fresh water location would not have necessarily improved her condition or saved her life. She required rehabilitation, which included slowly reacclimating her to freshwater as well as rehydrating her and getting her to eat again. Her shell was also deteriorated making her prone to infection, so I was not comfortable releasing her until her shell healed. During her rehabilitation I was unable to provide her the opportunity to socialize with other turtles and it was difficult to limit human contact to prevent her from relying me. She also refused to chase and eat live native fish and other natural food sources she normally would in Maine unless it was dead. Therefore, I felt releasing her back into the wild was not a feasible option for her, and she now lives with me permanently. I have named her "Salty." I know she is happy since that last 2 years she has laid eggs for me on/around Easter! This website does a good job outlining Maine's turtle laws www.nauti-lasscritters.com/state-maine.html. I have backed up their facts by reviewing Maine's Revised Statutes. A good place to start reviewing the laws can be found here legislature.maine.gov/statutes/12/title12sec12159.html. There's additional rehabilitation laws that could apply to my situation as well. |
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Post by nickidml on Oct 24, 2016 10:41:02 GMT -5
I have one that is about the 6-7 inches long. We have a 50 gallon corner tank that is covered. I know it isn't ideal but he would have another like sized/species friend and a bunch of other friends. I am not sure where you live (we are in Gardiner), but we would be willing to give him a home if you thought it would be good. We feed primarily flake and cichlid pellets with occasional blood worms. Thanks for your consideration. Unfortunately, I feel like that shape tank is not adequate. He needs the length to swim as he's always bumming his nose. I'll keep you in mind knowing you'd have a friend for him if I don't find anything else. BTW I'm in Chelsea, so just across the river from you. |
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Post by spotfin on Oct 24, 2016 21:18:42 GMT -5
Not to derail, but I remember reading on a different forum about a painted turtle that was found out in the middle of the ocean. I believe the person who found it was on a whale watching boat and the turtle happened to wash up on the stern while the boat was idle. Is this the same turtle by chance?
I have a large enough tank, but not sure if I want to add more bioload with the shark. Recently lost a breeder male severum so am thinking about replacing him.
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Post by herefishyfishy on Oct 25, 2016 7:22:02 GMT -5
Thats a really cool story about Salty. Would make a great children's book!!! I have never written one cause I have a hard time with imagination (and as a teacher, I never had time) but I bet we could do a great job telling a real story in a kid friendly way.  |
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Post by nickidml on Oct 25, 2016 9:41:23 GMT -5
Wow spotfin that's creepy. I don't recall having shared Salty's story on another forum so I'm inclined to say no, it's a different turtle. BUT, here's a few more details about her story for you to decide: I actually work on a whale watching boat! I found her one morning clinging on the the side of the dock trying to get out of the water. She happened to be in the space pinched between the dock and the boat (but near the bow not the stern). Had I left her there, she could have been crushed by the boat. While my crew mate secured the boat to keep it from drifting in and crushing my arm, I reached down and grabbed her. And here we are today.
Herefishyfishy, I never thought of that but it does seem like it would make for a good kid's book. Especially since I also have a pet rabbit too and it's the turtle who's given me Easter egg hunts and not the bunny! hehe :-P
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Post by spotfin on Oct 25, 2016 14:57:20 GMT -5
I distinctly remember the whale watching boat, but floating out in the ocean I may have been off? I was corresponding with a fellow on the other forum and he said his wife found the turtle. The forum is no longer in existence.
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Post by nickidml on Oct 25, 2016 17:33:44 GMT -5
Wacky coincidence then. It's definitely a different turtle cuz my husband is not involved in the hobby at all.
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Post by spotfin on Oct 25, 2016 19:25:22 GMT -5
Wacky for sure.
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Post by nickidml on Jan 25, 2017 12:43:35 GMT -5
BUMP! Still looking for a new home for my Bala Shark. But more importantly and urgently is I must rehome my pleco ASAP. My pleco is probably over 8 inches now and is becoming aggressive to my turtle. (S)he does not bother any of the other small fish. (S)he still does a great job keeping the algae down, but unless your tank is completely overwhelmed with algae, (s)he will need to fed regularly.
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