So you want to buy a shark? (Shark primer)

[griseum]

I can answer some of your questions. I apologize if you only want to hear from Alprazo

EDIT: I should have thought of this originally, especially after deducing the sharks are in a reef tank. Reef tanks commonly have much more ELECTRICAL equipment associated with them compared to FO, on average. You should make doubly sure that there is no stray current. Sharks have an affinity to detecting electromagnetic fields and electric current through the use of their organ called Ampullae of Lorenzini. This organ can detect the the magnetic (electric) field given off by other living things a.k.a fish and other prey items in their surrounding waters. In aquaria, the use of electronic devices such as powerheads, perhaps not vortechs where its mostly external, may drive a sharks sense wild resulting in erratic swimming. There is some debate as to whether the use of a grounding probe is beneficial or not. Some say it gives stray current exactly what it needs to create a circuit, whereas others say the sharks/fish are better off without the probe because they (sharks) are not grounded themselves so they wont feel it. But it does get picked up by their AOL. Something to check, thats all. May actually nullify everything below.

IME sharks lay in front of pump outlets and powerheads because being that they have evolved with the ability to not have to swim in order to breathe much like "swimming sharks" or obligate ram ventilators that must stay in motion to pass water through their mouth and out there gills. The bamboos take advantage of the pumping water to help aerate there gills as they lay motionless. Its not a complete mechanism of breathing but it does aid.

Your second question:

I have noticed when i move larger sharks into smaller tanks for Quarantine. The erratic swimming pattern and Im guessing you may also see the shark roll over as he swims forward? I believe this to either be a DO problem, a PH problem, a lack of space OR the original reason they were being QTed and that is parasites (Keep reading...). When the large sharks were returned to there original dwelling, the behavior stopped.

You also mentioned flitting or flashing? This might indicate a gill fluke or nematode, a parasitic copepod, or basically just some type of villain. An external parasite may also indicate the rolling or abnormal swimming pattern. He may be trying to rid himself of something on his dorsal or pectoral side. If this is the case than i would dose him with Praziquantel immediately. It sounds like you have him in a reef? I believe in my experience that prazi is reef safe. I recently dosed it on my big shark breeding system, which has Macro algae tanks that contain soft corals and a plethora of Inverts Ive been collecting with no harm done, not even a closing of polyps on the softies. You may not want to take that risk, but if flukes are in your tank, and this has been going on for a while, than a tank bath may be best. Otherwise QT the shark and dose Prazi as directed for 3-5 days, then do a 100% WC and if he needs another treatment, do it for another 3-5 days. This has eradicated plenty of parasites in my experience and it usually shows instant relief. But during this treatment make sure to provide plenty of aeration if you do it in a QT. You must shut your skimmer down and remove carbon. Shutting the skimmer lowers your DO and the viscous Prazi lowers DO/ORP slightly as well, so adding airstones is a must, as well as surface agitation by aiming a Powerhead at the surface to create some turbulence for gas exchange.

In retrospect, its best to purchase yearlings, rather than hatchlings and eggs. This is due to the fact that soo many eggs end up not hatching, or they hatch and never take to food, which ends in a long term force-feeding that even still sometimes ends in death. The other reason not to purchase eggs is based on factual data. So many sharks make it through the hatching phase but are not suited for living. As is the case with human babies and all sorts of live-bearing and egglaying animals. Look at the mortality rate with egg laying fish! Some fish eggs only have a 10% success rate of making it through metamorphosis and into juvenile stages. It may be an abnormality internally thats only viewed through a necropsy, or just some genetic abnormality period. As you said, it seems like your bamboo shark is not seeing correctly, has this always been the case? or is it morre recent? Some flukes and parasites can also attack the eyes. Is there anything visible on the eyes? Are they cloudy?
Do you have a very rigid photoperiod? Too much actinic light? A majority of actinic lighting over your tank, can damage any animals eyes permanently, (in general lol)

Please explain a little bit more about your system including tank length and width and tankmates, etc, as well as parameters and your source for the eggs? Also, do you have a suitably sized QT that you could remove the sharks into for treatment if thats what you decide to do?
Thanks.

EDIT**: I answered a lot of my own questions, ie., photoperiod, actinics, etc,etc by deducing that you have chalices and acropora, which would indeed indicate a reef tank. In addition there is a very good shark forum out there on the vast Interweb. PM for the address. A lot of experienced shark/ray keepers and a lot of your questions may already be answered there.

Even though you are upgrading to a 240, this will not house the sharks for very long. The species you happen to have, grows to a very large average adult size. Give or take they become three feet long and have a very large body mass. Even at around 2 feet they weigh more than a tank full of large bony fish combined. Just something to ponder, how much longer you will be able to care for them and if you have the option to purchase a larger tank. Check out that other website Im referring you too for tank size recommendations.



Good Luck

[G4546]

Crunched for time, I just wanted to express my great appreciation for your response. Thank you very much griseum I'll have a little more time to respond after this day is completed Thank you again mate!

[griseum]

PM replied! No problem.

[alprazo]

. I will second the recommendation that you treat with praziquantil. Absolutely correct about oxygenation issues and treatment. Either add an airstone or turbulent flow. Like a power head, at the surface.

[G4546]

Hey, sorry for the delay... long holiday Treatment will be prep'd as you both suggest. Yes I do have a QT that would hold them for the duration of the treatment, question... If there is no need for the treatment and we go through with treating them, is there any negatives to that? Other than some stress? The seeing, it has always been the case I would say. I obtained both eggs from a wholesaler about 2 months between eachother. One hatched naturally and one was helped. Both waited between 6-8 days before eating, they are fed daily, small amounts. I do not notice anything on the eyes though, they are not cloudy or seem to have anything on them. Like a cats eye in the mid days sun though, that little slit My photo period I would assume could be considered rigid, 12 on 12 off 175MH. Now another question would be this, the aquarium that the eggs were placed into had been fallow for 7 to 8 weeks they were the only introduction. Is it possible for them to obtain parasites within the egg while developing? Interesting if so. The 240 is just a stepping stone, as a "large" tank was to you Grim and Alprazo before building one I also need to PM you further on something Grim, if ya don't mind. I do greatly appreciate your time, thank you.

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G

[alprazo]

Fallow works for obligate parasites like ich a velvet that have short life cycles. Monogenia, Cestodes, nematodes, Trematodes, and pods, though parasites can often live past the typical fallow period for ich. Look at the Cimex lectularius (bed bug). They feed solely on blood. We kept one alive in a jar at work for nearly a year without a meal.

I used to treat all of my new sharks with Dimilin to kill amphipods and Copepods. I can't find it anymore though.

As for Prazi, all meds pose a risk. I believe that it is a safer one.

[SantaMonica]

I need to spend much more time reading about fishes. A walking shark? The PNG guy looks amazing.

[griseum]

So I checked the sexes of my gray bamboo breeding group now that they've officially started to reach maturity. I was very surprised by what I discovered. The two biggest in the group are my males while the three smaller are my females. I thought the whole time that the females were the bigger ones because of their bigger average length! I am thought they'd be the ones growing faster and wider.
So now with that info on hand it looks like the ladies have some growing to do. But I've had them all now for 18-24 months and purchased them all at at least 12". So that would indicate they are all almost three years old which means they should be sexually mature going by age and size.
I'm stumped. The claspers aren't calcified and the females are def not big enough to carry eggs, I don't think. But I will keep the temp up and keep feeding them healthy and a varied supplemented diet. I bet by the end of the year now I'll have hatchlings. Some reading I did stated similar sized Chiloscylium arabicum eggs hatch in 70-80 days. Much less that C. punctatum at 120-180 days. I'm guessing the eggs must be much smaller as well.
We shall see.

[RayL]

I hope this is a good place to post this, my LFS has a Black Tip in a 1000G tank and the sharks fins are starting to curve as he is clearly cramped. I told them they need to relocate this shark and they said they dont know anyone that wants it. I thought i would ask you guys. The store is in toronto, so its probably a little far from most of you however they said their would be no charge for the shark as long as it was going to a good home. Do any of you want the shark or know someone that might, I hate seeing this shark suffer. They said they think it is a female.

[tatuaje08]

Since racetracks can be expensive, I've been wondering if anyone has converted a square tank into a racetrack? Maybe use inserts in the corners to create curves?

[tatuaje08]

Hmph...... After reading the inital post over and over, there doesn't seem to be a diurnal swimmer that stays reasonably small. Correct?

[jsherm]

I am hoping someone may have good advice on some options or recommendations for me. I have 250g rectangular tank and a brown banded cat/carpet shark that is about 2.5 ft long. I’ve had him for about 2 years, and unfortunately think I will be moving to a condo downtown and can’t take the tank. I just want to make sure he goes somewhere good, preferably to a larger tank. I live in North Florida. What are my best options; would he be able to survive if I released him? Would an aquarium want him?
Thanks.

[alprazo]

DO NOT release it into the wild.
http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/201...an-threat?lite

I would suggest calling around to LFS.

[alprazo]

Originally Posted by tatuaje08

Hmph...... After reading the inital post over and over, there doesn't seem to be a diurnal swimmer that stays reasonably small. Correct?

The Atlantic sharpnose would fit your description. I would argue however that they would require more space than the blacktip reef shark. They should also be kept in groups.

[Holyhands22]

Alprazo can you talk about quarantine for new sharks. I know they do terrible with copper i use a 30 gal. Tank for quarantine and i want to quarantine before i introduce him. I want to be informed as possible. Do they do well in hypo salinity?? Will the 30 gal be ok for a newborn shark just so i can observe and make sure he is ok. Sorry i learned my lesson about not using a qt. i have a Lionfish battling ich right now from a new fish i got with using a qt. any thoughts would be appreciated.

[griseum]

Hypo is not the best way to treat sharks. They are very sensitive to changes in salinity. They have a different type of Osmoregulatory system than bony fish. It is said that sharks MAY be able to carry ich but not become infected, so the only solution would be to keep the shark in the QT tank for a long enough time for any Crypt cysts, free floaters or parasites to die off, if they were introduced with the shark. Sort of like letting a tank run fish-free or fallow after an Ich outbreak, only having the shark be the only resident. From what I know, Cryptocarryon irritans needs a bony fish to feed off of, I believe that the sharks dermal denticles and tough skin would prevent the parasite from feeding. This is what makes me draw the conclusion that a fallow tank with just the shark will ultimately eradicate the parasites. If some new research indicates that Crypt. can host on sharks, then you will need to use one of the following drugs: Quinine and Chloroquine. There are several public aquariums that have used Seachems Cupramine on Eppies, but with rigorous monitoring and testing. Some have experienced a complete loss of appetite whereas others had complete success!You would also be well off to use this time in the QT to treat the shark with Prazi. This will remove any ecto-parasites and or worms. Many sharks can be hosts to different types of nematodes or parasitic copepods, which this takes care of, as well as internal worms and such. Prazi can often be a shark keepers best friend.

However, do not Combine any medications! Check for Contra-Indications wherever you can. I believe there are several webpages on Manufacturers websites listing there meds and what not to ever mix with it. Its always best to do one at a time, even just for stress reasons as well.
Good luck!

Apologies if you only wanted Alprazo and Im sure he will be along shortly to help you as well. Just my experience.

[Holyhands22]

No your info is good i just needed to be prepared. So prazi pro with the shark by itself. I have never used prazi pro but is it like cupramine do less than the recommended dose. The shark was born today so im gonna get him sometime in the next couple of days after i get another qt setup. Are sharks fairly resistant to disease because of their regulatory system.

[griseum]

If the shark is that newly hatched, I wouldn't treat it with any medication. Its hard enough getting newly hatched sharks to eat as is. You don't want to stress such a small animal even further. I would give it weeks before even considering meds, a simple QT with just the shark in it, and observation should be fine. Use a small enough tank so that you spot feed the little guy when hes ready to eat, usually after a week of being hatched, sometimes longer, sometimes never and they starve to death.

I assume its a Brown Banded Bamboo shark, and if so, I hope you have a fairly large tank. They average above 3 feet in length as adults, if well cared for, sometimes larger. I would consider not purchasing the shark, unless you already have. These are very care-intensive animals, which require specialized set-ups and extensive Life Support Systems. Keeping them along with bony fish increases difficulty because you cant use many medications on the bony fish with shark present in the system. I would do a lot of reading, Bob Fenners website is full of baby shark Q&A's and FAQs. Browse through that site and see what many people have gone through time and time again.

If you happen to have a 1000 gallon tank, then I apologize.

[Holyhands22]

No i don't have a 1000 gallon tank should i reconsider my purchase. I have a fairly nice sized tank its 130x25x25. I assumed this was big enough its newly acquired should i not go with this size

[RayL]

I am no expert, but if the shark grows to 3 feet and your tank is only 2 feet in depth, I dont think this will be a suitable long term home for the shark

[Holyhands22]

Yeah i didnt think about that.

[alprazo]

I would not treat a newly hatched shark unless there is a problem.

Personally I use a 40 gallon breeder for the neonate pups. Your tank would provide enough room for several years, but is not big enough for the life of the shark. Your tank is also too big to best take care of the pup.

A two foot height of the water column is adequate for the life of the shark IMO. Many touch exhibits use this depth and the benthic sharks your talking about live and thrive for many years in these pools.

[Holyhands22]

Well i have a 20 gallon breeder or a 30 gallon tank that have no fish in them he would be by himself.

[tatuaje08]

Originally Posted by alprazo

The Atlantic sharpnose would fit your description. I would argue however that they would require more space than the blacktip reef shark. They should also be kept in groups.

Yeah, I want a smaller species. Have your pngs bred yet? Will the neonates be for sale?

[griseum]

Holyhands- With the dimensions of that tank, the Atelomycterus spp. tropical cat sharks would definitely enjoy the length, and of the three trop. spp. the biggest averages 24" so the width wouldn't be as much of a problem. I believe you will enjoy their more active nature. The will love swimming that 10ft+ length!
A. marmoratus = Coral catshark - most commonly available.
A. macleayi = Marbled catshark
A. baliensis = Bali catshark

There are also better suited Bamboos and eppies.
As posted above The PNG (H. hallstromi) eppie.
The Gray bamboo (C. griseum), Arabian Bamboo (C. arabicum/confusum), Hasselt's Bamboo (C. hasselti - Not recommended), and a couple other species that are never seen in N. America for some reason, however.

So don't choose just the most popular, the Brown Banded, because of its availability. If you can find some videos of adults of that species, they get long and thick and look like Nurse sharks!! Nothing like that cute little black and white guy that comes out of that four inch egg case. lol!
Good Luck