sunil kumar

Tips on Bala Shark Care

The bala shark or Balantiocheilus melanopterus belongs to the family Cyprinidae and is the sole member of the genus Balantiocheilos. The name "shark" refers directly to its torpedo or shark-like shaped body. They have no relation to the shark family. The bala shark is also commonly referred to as a silver shark or tri-color shark.

Bala sharks are indigenous to Southeast Asia. They swim the streams and rivers of Thailand, Borneo, Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. The recent industrialization of these regions is threatening the Bala shark's natural habitat. Their numbers have diminished greatly in the wild over the past two decades. The bala shark does not normally breed in captivity. Fortunately, for their guaranteed survival as a species, they are commercially raised in Asia with the use of hormone injections.

These fish are typically sold is stores when they are young. Despite their size at the time of sale, bala sharks are actually quite large freshwater fish. An adult bala shark can reach up to 14 inches in length. They are shoaling fish. Meaning they are best suited to swimming in groups rather than alone. They are also very active swimmers as far as fish species go. Keep all this in mind when determining whether or not to add balas to your aquarium.

Very young balas are often kept in smaller tanks. But their size when fully grown, their schooling instincts and the rate at which they swim, they will need much more room than your typical 10 gallon aquarium. The debate continues on just what is an acceptable size environment to house bala sharks in. Some experts recommend a minimum of a six feet long fish tank. Still others contend that the bala is just too large and too active a species to be suitable for anything short of commercial aquaria. Indoor ponds are considered an acceptable environment to raise bala sharks.

This fish has little resemblance to its namesake in nature. They are a docile fish and are the perfect addition to a community fish tank provided you have a large enough aquarium to house them as adults. You want to raise them with other larger species to avoid them perceiving their fellow tank-mates as food. They swim at all levels of an aquarium. A note of caution: They are jumpers. They should be housed in a lidded aquarium.

One of the benefits of having bala sharks in your aquarium is that although they are not bottom dwellers, they do have scavenger tendencies. They will scour the bottom of your tank for bits of uneaten food. And they will do so without disturbing the substrate. If you are going to raise larger variety fish you might as well have ones that help clean house.

This species is tolerant of it environment. It can thrive in a wide variety of temperatures and pH levels. But their premium environment is a pH level of between 6.8-7.2, and a water temperature between 76-82 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bala sharks are omnivorous. They eat both plant and animal matter. A healthy diet includes a combination of both. They will eat tropical fish flakes, frozen, freeze-dried and live foods.

Five of the Best Poetry Books for Teens

Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets - Paul B. Janeczko

Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets may be a compilation of letters and poetry, including a quick biography and photo, of 32 established poets. The book is simple, direct, concise, inspirational, with fine guidance and encouragement for young people from poets who have "made it".

Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets will hold the interest of teens, and contains warm, sometimes humorous poems that will capture the interest of the aspiring poet.

The book is recommended as a gift for teens. Usually there are one or two teens in every classroom who have an affinity for poetry. Parents and teachers should be alert to those teens who love poetry, and help to build on that positive. Seeing the Blue Between can do just that for teenagers.

The Haiku Handbook -25th Anniversary Edition: the way to Write, Teach, and Appreciate
Haiku - William J. Higginson

Haiku poems are quiet, succinct and open up a new world in approximately sixteen syllables. The beauty of Haiku, is that it is the exact opposite of a fast-paced rapper, everything that has to be said, which is often profound, is concise and guarded. It forces the mind to slow down and ponder, shel silverstein poems like a stone thrown in the middle of a pond, that sinks to the bottom, the width or breadth of the Haiku poem is not the power of it, but rather the depth, that so much can be said in so little. The Haiku Handbook provides examples of master Haiku poets, as well as instruction on writing and teaching Haiku. Please do Haiku.

Voices: Poetry and Art from round the World - Barbara Brenner

This is a poetry book of world culture which opens the window to diverse cultures through poetry and graphics. This book can be read from 2nd grade through high school, and yes, by adults as well. It can be appreciated at many levels. The structure is simple and fast-paced. A great book for the classroom, home-school or coffee table.

Phillis Wheatley: First African-American Poet, - Carol Greene

Carol Greene introduces children and teens to the life and works of this former slave who became one of America's great poets, Phillis Wheatley. Wheatley earned her freedom through her poetry and had the pleasure of meeting the first president of the United States as a result. Wheatley's manner reflected humility and modesty and her story and poetry is an inspiration.

The Collected Poems of Hughes - Arnold Rampersad

Why should every teen in the United States read Langston Hughes poetry? Even as today's teens hang on every word of pop-music stars and rappers, some of whom are vulgar and rude, Langston Hughes, from Harlem, skillfully weaved words of delightful rhythm and poetic beauty, painting word pictures of reality and hope, that would be preserved for generations to come. Hughes' poetry should be required reading, and he is a fine role model for African American youth, and for all, on a hard-working writer who used rather than wasting his talents.

Hughes explores his African heritage, protests inequality, but does so without the rancor or hate. Some of his poems reflect his profound delight for God and spiritual things.

Teens enjoy learning to read, enjoy, evaluate poetry, also on write their own poetry. These five books can provide inspiration for the future generation of poets.