Sharks are considered to be giant-sized marine creatures, and when you think of petting a shark, there are only a few species that come into your mind, and one of them is known as the Bala shark. But how big do Bala sharks get is always a first question that aquarium owners enquire about, and rightly said, size matters when it comes to putting a shark in captivity.
Considering this, here we are going to look into this and will also see other necessary requirements that you should know when bringing Bala sharks to home. But, before we get into anything else, let’s get to know about the size, and then we will continue with other details.
Bala Shark’s size
On average, an adult Bala shark grows to a length between 10-12 inches; however, they can grow to a maximum of 14 inches long, making them one of the relatively large size freshwater fish for an aquarium.
With that said, it is common to purchase Bala Sharks at small sizes of around 1 to 2 inches, and if given the right environment, they can grow up to 14 inches in length.
The size of their tank affects their growth, so they will never reach their impressive potential if the tank is too small. You will know about the ideal tank size in the later section of the article; right now, we are going to see how fast the Bala sharks grow, so we got an idea, and we chose the right size water aquarium.
How fast do Bala sharks grow?
Typically, a shark’s growth rate is slow as compared to other marine creatures, but it also differs from species to species. There are over 500 species of sharks dwelling throughout the world’s oceans, and each one of them has distinct features, qualities, and characteristics.
Unlike most shark species, the Bala shark grows quickly. Growing from one to four inches per month is possible if they are kept in the right setup. This makes it more important to provide them with the right habitat and, more importantly, the appropriate tank size. Tank size determines their growth, and if the tank is too small, they will stagnate.
Other than the environment in which the Bala sharks are kept, what they eat is the second factor that has an impact on their growth rate. Keeping and feeding your Bala Sharks correctly is key to ensuring they reach their full potential size.
The same is applied to life expectancy. It means that if taken good care of, the Bala sharks are expected to last as long as 10 years in a house aquarium, whereas, if requirements are not met, it may result in early death.
Do you know that great white sharks die in captivity, and it is one of the reasons they are not put in the closed boundary?
Moving forward, a lot has been talked about the tank requirements for a Bala shark; however, we need to look for the correct information. For that, continue to read as we are going to explore it down in the below section.
Bala shark tank requirement
Now, as we know that the Bala sharks can grow up to a size of 14 inches maximum, we need to plan out the tank size and other considerations accordingly.
It is, in fact, true that Bala Sharks are schooling fish who prefer to be grouped with at least 4 others. Keeping this in mind, you will have to provide all of them with enough space to make them feel comfortable.
Typical home aquariums cannot accommodate the maximum length of an adult Bala Shark, which is 14 inches. You will usually find the Bala Sharks rushing around the tank for the majority of their time, as they are an active species. So, talking about the least requirement, in order to keep a small group of Bala Sharks, you will need at least 125 gallons of aquarium space, but the larger the aquarium, the better it is.
When it comes to water chemistry, Bala sharks grow well in water that ranges from 24°C to 30°C, with a pH level ranging from 6 to 8.
If taken care of, you will surely see the Bala shark growing to its full potential.
Bala sharks diet
It is generally believed that sharks eat anything and everything that can fit through their mouth, but that isn’t exactly true; instead, it depends on the species. In terms of eating habits, Bala sharks are considered omnivores because they can eat both plants and animals. A variety of food can be found in their natural habitat, including insects, plants, small crustaceans, and algae.
When kept in an aquarium, you can feed them with pellets, flakes, or even live food. All in all, you can feed Bala sharks pretty much anything, and they won’t turn it down.
Check out what a shark’s diet consists of in general.
Conclusion
Since they are usually sold in pet shops as young juveniles, potential owners typically assume Bala sharks are suitable for all aquariums. As this fish grows up to 14 inches in length, it is only suitable for aquariums with a very large capacity. In particular, this is crucial because Bala sharks are schooling fish and must be kept with other fish of their kind.
That being said, Bala Sharks are stunning to look at and will brighten up any home aquarium, but do take care of their requirements, particularly about the size.
