# Can a Bala Shark and RBP get along?



## Paytheplayer (Dec 14, 2007)

I know this sounds ridiculous, but I atleast have to know for sure. My local Pet shop sells Bala Sharks, and Colombian Sharks for just a couple bucks right now. I know the general rule is, in the long run, everything becomes dinner for RBP's. But I mean, I was told that about snails. I had 4 different colours of snails survive. I put 4 Zebra danio in there, they ate 2 and the other 2 have been in there for 2 months.

So anyways, I was wondering, maybe if I got the Bala to about the same size, could he survive? Or maybe a Colombian Shark since I think they are a tad bit more aggressive? Has anybody tried this?


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

That's pretty likely to end badly. They could survive, but it's unlikely.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

They'll get along as nicely as the top sirloin I've got on the grill and I'll get along here in about 5 minutes!

And trust me, as far as I'm concerned, that sirloin and I are gonna get along great!


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## Paytheplayer (Dec 14, 2007)

I tried a dojo loach before, and for those of you who haven't seen it, it was probably the most aggressive I have ever seen my RBP's. Those were also on sale for 2 bucks, so I got 2, put one in my community tank and one in the RBP tank. They immediately chased him down and he was gone in literally 15 seconds.

So Im guessing maybe more of the same with the Bala or Colombian is what you guys are getting at?


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

Paytheplayer said:


> I tried a dojo loach before, and for those of you who haven't seen it, it was probably the most aggressive I have ever seen my RBP's. Those were also on sale for 2 bucks, so I got 2, put one in my community tank and one in the RBP tank. They immediately chased him down and he was gone in literally 15 seconds.
> 
> So Im guessing maybe more of the same with the Bala or Colombian is what you guys are getting at?


No doubt. Not all Ps are snail-killers as a rule, so the fact that your snails made it through doesn't surprise me, but sounds like your ps have already told you their intention towards future tankmates of legitimate size. (It also doesn't surprise me that they'd let smaller fishes go...)


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## Paytheplayer (Dec 14, 2007)

Well its weird, theres actually a silver goldfish that they never ate. I gave it to them 3 weeks ago, they approached it a few times, and then eventually left him alone. So I put in 2 goldfish a couple days later, they ate those ones after about 15 mins, and once again left the same silver one alone. So I put 2 silver ones in a week later, and they actually make a point not to eat this guy. Now, once anything else enters the tank, even this goldfish thinks hes one of them now and starts nipping at things.

Thats sorta where I got my idea to try a Bala Shark. Only because they refuse to eat the one goldfish.


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## fishguy1313 (Feb 19, 2007)

you are more than welcome to try, but in the end it will be eaten/killed. we wouldn't lie to you. most of us have tried it, or seen it done poorly. good luck!


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## PDOGGY (Apr 17, 2008)

fishguy1313 said:


> you are more than welcome to try, but in the end it will be eaten/killed. we wouldn't lie to you. most of us have tried it, or seen it done poorly. good luck!


Oh fishguy1313 will lie to you, just check the thread called "whats the point". A proven liar!


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## Paytheplayer (Dec 14, 2007)

PDOGGY said:


> you are more than welcome to try, but in the end it will be eaten/killed. we wouldn't lie to you. most of us have tried it, or seen it done poorly. good luck!


Oh fishguy1313 will lie to you, just check the thread called "whats the point". A proven liar!
[/quote]
What about Chichlids? I think I saw a guy on here claim that his rbp and chichlids co exist. Have any of you tried it? Im desperately trying to have something else in the tank as you can see lol.


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## PDOGGY (Apr 17, 2008)

Anything is possible man! If you keep your setup long enough with something you have mentioned in it, you may see a loss! I have had piranhas live with other piranhas that are said to never be able to live together for long times. Never did I have a loss thankfully, but I did sell some before anything happend. Try what you want as long as you know you may lose something! Take the risk man, have fun with it!!!


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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

plecos work for some of us.
and once ur Ps get big enough, dither fish will co-exist, because they arent seen as a meal.


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## fishguy1313 (Feb 19, 2007)

Paytheplayer said:


> Anything is possible man! If you keep your setup long enough with something you have mentioned in it, you may see a loss! I have had piranhas live with other piranhas that are said to never be able to live together for long times. Never did I have a loss thankfully, but I did sell some before anything happend. Try what you want as long as you know you may lose something! Take the risk man, have fun with it!!!


This probably isn't the greatest advice for a new piranha owner, but do what you will.


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## Paytheplayer (Dec 14, 2007)

I actually have a dwarf pleco in there. He basically eats what he wants, and pushes them out of the way to get food lol. I tried to put another pleco in there, but same old story, he was a head in about 2 minutes. I was thinking maybe if I rearranged everything, and then put him in. Thats how I got my 2 to allow for a 3rd. They ate the 3rd twice, until someone on here told me to change their hiding places and the whole look of the tank. Ever since I did that, the one I bought grew larger than both of them and theyre all fine.


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## fishguy1313 (Feb 19, 2007)

eventually, they are going to get used to their surroundings again, and you are going to have the same problem. I would try some neon tetras like a previous poster said.


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## dalyhawk (Apr 30, 2007)

Go with something smaller like tetras... I've cohabed 15 tetras along with 5 reds together for about 3 months without a causualty. So i guess summing up what everyone else has said.. Be careful and know that one day you might wake up with a fish head stuck to your filter b/c of the introduction of your fish. Move your tank around, that never hurts. It just establishes new surroundings for your Ps, and less likely for them to eat whatever is in there with them. It also depends on the size. Like Nick said, some fish work with certain personalities of your shoal than anything. I've kept a lot of different fish with my reds and have only had sucess with 1 out of 2 plecos, and my school of tetras just now b/c they're too big for them to consider the fish as food. Now if they're hungry i slowly walk up to the tank and put my finger @ the top of the water and if at least one or more start blatently staring at my finger like they're going to attack it if i keep it in there for another 20 seconds, i'd be going to the hospital. So like nick said, it all depends on their personalities and whether they're big enough to where they don't view the other fish as being "deemed" as prey.


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

One of you needs to look up the term "derailing". Please stop doing that...and especially stop doing that with personal attacks. fishguy1313 was joking when he posted that pic. (Responding to this part of my post in this thread would also be derailing, so please don't do that, either.)

I agree with people who are mentioning smaller fishes...those would be your best bet, because they might not be seen as "worth it". Plecos are kind of hit and miss, as you've seen...but they usually wind up dead. As for cichlids, it's worked in the short term for some, but have we had any recent updates from the folks who attempted to cohab those animals?

The best advice, though, is to not take the risk.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

PDOGGY said:


> Anything is possible man! If you keep your setup long enough with something you have mentioned in it, you may see a loss! I have had piranhas live with other piranhas that are said to never be able to live together for long times. Never did I have a loss thankfully, but I did sell some before anything happend. Try what you want as long as you know you may lose something! Take the risk man, have fun with it!!!


"Anything" is not possible.
To say that "Anything is possible" is to say that "Everything is possible" which simply is not true.


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## NexTech84 (Jan 19, 2006)

Paytheplayer said:


> Well its weird, theres actually a silver goldfish that they never ate. I gave it to them 3 weeks ago, they approached it a few times, and then eventually left him alone. So I put in 2 goldfish a couple days later, they ate those ones after about 15 mins, and once again left the same silver one alone. So I put 2 silver ones in a week later, and they actually make a point not to eat this guy. Now, once anything else enters the tank, even this goldfish thinks hes one of them now and starts nipping at things.
> 
> Thats sorta where I got my idea to try a Bala Shark. Only because they refuse to eat the one goldfish.


I truly believe that many carnivorous fish have a preference to brightly colored prey, such as the orange of a goldfish. It's funny, I've recognized similar behavior on more than one occasion in some of my Pygo tanks. When I would put in a mixed batch of bright orange and dull silver goldfish, it seemed as though the P's were initially attracted only to the bright colored ones, and left the others alone. This doesn't last long though, and sooner or later, at their discretion, the silver ones would slowly disappear. The same will eventually happen to anything you try to keep with them in my opinion. Piranhas are extremely unpredictable, and it's only a matter of time.


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## Paytheplayer (Dec 14, 2007)

NexTech84 said:


> Well its weird, theres actually a silver goldfish that they never ate. I gave it to them 3 weeks ago, they approached it a few times, and then eventually left him alone. So I put in 2 goldfish a couple days later, they ate those ones after about 15 mins, and once again left the same silver one alone. So I put 2 silver ones in a week later, and they actually make a point not to eat this guy. Now, once anything else enters the tank, even this goldfish thinks hes one of them now and starts nipping at things.
> 
> Thats sorta where I got my idea to try a Bala Shark. Only because they refuse to eat the one goldfish.


I truly believe that many carnivorous fish have a preference to brightly colored prey, such as the orange of a goldfish. It's funny, I've recognized similar behavior on more than one occasion in some of my Pygo tanks. When I would put in a mixed batch of bright orange and dull silver goldfish, it seemed as though the P's were initially attracted only to the bright colored ones, and left the others alone. This doesn't last long though, and sooner or later, at their discretion, the silver ones would slowly disappear. The same will eventually happen to anything you try to keep with them in my opinion. Piranhas are extremely unpredictable, and it's only a matter of time.
[/quote]

Thats exactly what I was thinking too. Somebody mentioned neon tetras before. I actually tried that before also, I bought 3 and put them in there. They were gone after 2 days, and I figured it might be the colour thing. When I put a few gold and silver goldfish in there before, the seemed to pick off the gold ones first, before gobbling up the silver ones.(with the exception of the one still)


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## freebird21 (Dec 3, 2004)

NO! lol very doubtful sound like snack to me!


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