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

[krj-1168]

I have the opportunity to get a custom made tank for basically any size I want (within reason) and have been in love with horn sharks for about a decade but have never had a tank to house one for its entire life. I have been bouncing detentions around and am leaning towards 96"X32"X24" or 100"X32"X24". It will be a mixed reef with nothing to crazy on fish or coral.

Cali Horns in a mixed reef setting - NO. Not a good idea. Such a set to harm the Horn or damage the reef.

Cali Horns should be in a tank with live rock (namely a place to hide). Also they really do best in water temps of 65-72 F.

An 96" x 48" x 24" would be okay for a Horn or two until it reachs 24-25 inches in length. For an averaged sized adult (about 3 feet) - I would suggest a pool about 8 feet in diameter. For a large adult (up to 4 feet) - it's better to go with a pool which would be at least 10 feet in diameter.

[sniceley]

A client of mine has a 6000 gallon octagon artificial reef. Presently it houses about 400 fish total. There are maybe 60 medium to large tangs, 200 mixed clowns and damsels, 6 large angels of various species, 3 large clown triggers, 20 mixed medium triggers, 30 dwarf angels, and some other oddball small to medium fish. The tank is viewable on all sides and has about 2 inches of crushed coral as a substrate.

I was thinking about suggesting the addition of some bluedot rays and epaulette sharks for the bottom.

Are there any concerns other than possibility of predation of smaller fish? The 3 big clown triggers are 12" or more so this is potentially already an issue, but so far we keep everyone well fed enough that is hasn't been a problem.

Also, are there any medication aversions of sharks and rays? We occasionally treat with prazi, chloroquine phosphate, and metro.

Thanks for the help. I kept and bred freshwater rays for years and think this would be a great setup for their marine cousins.

[danimallaminad]

I'm in no way a shark or ray expert, but I have read about having fine sand as the substrate because the coarser stuff can scratch their bellies and then they can get infected. Just something to think about.

[sniceley]

That was one thing I was concerned about. I pool filter sand for my freshwater rays and it was great. With the high water flow and floor drains on this system light sand is not possible. It used to have fine sand but blowing around scratched the lower areas of the tank over time as well.

[Zoodiver]

Blue spot rays aren't something I'd suggest. They tend to drop dead after a few weeks.

It depends on the other fish. Triggers can be aggressive towards benthic sharks. They seem to target the eyes of the sharks/rays. Angels, tangs and other 'grazers' will generally tend to do the same thing. That being said, with enough space and food, sometimes that can be worked around.

I'd suggest a benthic shark that was a little bit more aggressive and can hold it's own - like a brown banded bamboo or white spotted bamboo.

[eglinlotus]

What is the smallest Shark you can get for Aquariums. Also if you were to get an egg does the water temp have to do with it being a male or female?

[Zoodiver]

The best small tropical would be a coral or marbled catshark. Sex is genetic, not temp based.

[eglinlotus]

I have a 120 gallon that has been running for 2 months now and I want to get a single shark egg and was looking at the coral's but I also have a 180 gallon that is currently going through the nitrogen cycle how long would the 120 be good for and at what size could the Coral get before I should move him to the 180?

[alprazo]

The Bali catshark Atelomycterus baliensis will top out at ~ 20 inches. About 6 inches smaller than the coral cat. The Chain cat will reach about 24 inches but is a temperate animal and would do best in a tank similar to a lobster tank.

Captive raise Bali cats can be purchased from Chris - benthicsharks.ca
PM me if you have interest in the chain cats

I personally think that a 250 gal would be better.

[eglinlotus]

Originally Posted by alprazo

The Bali catshark Atelomycterus baliensis will top out at ~ 20 inches. About 6 inches smaller than the coral cat. The Chain cat will reach about 24 inches but is a temperate animal and would do best in a tank similar to a lobster tank.

Captive raise Bali cats can be purchased from Chris - benthicsharks.ca
PM me if you have interest in the chain cats

I personally think that a 250 gal would be better.

Hey thank you for the reply I think I will go with the Bali cats. Its the Foot print that the sharks need right not height?

[Zoodiver]

I always forget Chris has those CB Balis. Those are a great option!

[eglinlotus]

Does anyone else breed them? Or any other places that have them usually in stock? I called him and he told me he wouldnt have pups for a few months

[albano]

Originally Posted by alprazo

...

Glad to see you're back!

[sharkkeeper1]

Very good write-up, but it needs more detail (water temp., setup, etc.)

_________________
500gallon round

[alprazo]

Unfortunately, the answers to your questions drastically differ depending on the species of Shark. Fortunately or unfortunately there are many that are available for home aquaria.

The easiest answer to your questions is temperature. Look of the range of your shark at fishbase.org then go to http://www.sea-temperature.com/ and find out the temperature that your shark comes from. Very easy.

As for tank size, one considers foot print and not gallons when dealing with both benthic and ORV sharks. It also depends on shape. Round or oval is better than square or rectangular with the one exception being the eppies where it doesn't really matter.

What species are you considering?

[sharkkeeper1]

Do you have any knowledge of smallspotted catsharks? I want to add one to add on to one of my larger cold-water tanks (2000 gallon). Also, would it be compatible with a port jackson shark. I might even add a swell shark if the two are compatible.

[alprazo]

Not sure what side of the pond you are on, but here on the Western Atlantic they are definitely uncommon. That said, I hear that they are similar to the cooler water cats that make it to our shores from Japan, New South Wales and our own chain cats. They are said to be hardy and adapt well to aquarium life. Maybe someone will chime in with personal experience. You may want to take a closer look at the crested horns too. The temp range may match a little better. My blinds from NSW tolerate the 55f temps quite well.

[skinsncanes]

Greetings, I started a thread for a shark tank Im making but I started it in the 'large tank forum'. Was the right place?

I had a question about protein skimmers and sharks. Im planning a 280 minimum tank for a couple coral cat sharks. Possibly also a eel and ray down the road but fish only. Any aquarium/fish store ive called all said theres no need for the protein skimmer in a minimal fish only tank. I read online a lot that people say get it because theyre messy eaters. Isnt the scraps from a meal mostly larger and caught in the socks or live rock?

Ideally, please respond and follow in my thread

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2406786

[fishhuman]

Sorry for being a bit off topic here but has anyone kept cat sharks in an inflatable pool

[Cu455]

Originally Posted by fishhuman

Sorry for being a bit off topic here but has anyone kept cat sharks in an inflatable pool

I know people have used it short term. It will lose air over time. This is what I am setting up in a few weeks. I will let you know how it holds. There is something similar on eBay that is cheaper but doesn't look that sturdy. I am also using pond liner.

http://www.dreampond.com/show-tanks-viewing-bowls.html

[alprazo]

http://www.pearlsofparadise.com/Show%20Tanks.htm has been the gold standard for this type of pond.

[SantaMonica]

Good info: I'm asked more and more about what is a good starter shark.

The pool or holding tank idea seems very simple.

[mike_o]

Hey Alpranzo,

I saw your thread and you seemed to be very knowledgeable on the topic of sharks and was hoping you could help. I recently had two baby bamboo sharks in my tank, one was a couple months old, and the other was a month older that that. I hatched both in my tank. Recently, in the past two-three weeks, both sharks have died. The older one died about a week ago, and the younger one died today. Both experienced the same symptoms, but the younger one's symptoms happened right after the older one died. I went different aquarium shops by my house and no one knew what was going on, and did some research on my own as well. The only explanation I could find was a bacterial infection, but am not sure. The sharks would lose their appetite and would not eat. I could not find any red dots on their bellies, nor could I find a lump in the throat. In the tank I have a grounding probe and my levels were the same as they were when I set up the tank and normal throughout the period, as was the temperature. I was feeding the sharks frozen squid and octopus. All the sudden, the older one stopped eating one night when feeding. Before this, he had a very healthy appetite, but did not eat ever since. He would lay around, almost motionless. At times, it was almost as if he would swim in place. He started breathing heavily, and about a week and a half to two weeks after he stopped eating, he passed away. 2 days after the shark died, the other one stopped eating. The younger one was more outgoing to begin with, and during this time he would swim around, but lay in the sand motionless after. What I found weird was that the sharks would twitch while swimming around. All the other symptoms were the same as the older shark too.

In the tank I also have 2 tangs and a clown, all which are doing fine. Is there anything you can think of that could of caused this? I want to start over with new shark eggs, but am afraid to without finding a cause to the other sharks' deaths...

[griseum]

Alprazo should be around soon.

But in the mean time i could help out. The selling and buying of shark eggs is a tricky business, and not to preach, but something that I avoid and i think others should to! The success rate is horrible... as you have witnessed. If you consider what takes place in the wild, and the rate of eggs laid to hatchlings and then on to yearlings, the successful ratio of sharks to make it to a year of age is extremely low. This is one of the reasons why sharks have evolved 3 different reproduction strategies (egg layers, eggs kept internally, live birth), plus parthenogenesis in a few select species, where females produce clone offspring all by themselves!
So, by not purchasing a shark that is perhaps already a juvenile and eating already, you are taking on the natural risks that also cause juvies to not survive, such as deformities, birth defects, etc, in the wild.

You mentioned that the juvies were twitching while swimming. If I understand correctly, they were shaking their heads back and forth? This could indicate a parasite, or "fluke", especially on or around the gills.
You fed frozen squid and octopus... For a newly hatched shark, these are pretty large and dense (esp. octopus). How did you prepare it in order for them to be able to consume? Did you notice any type of bloating in the stomach areas?
The octopus is usually extremely rubbery and hard to cut, depending on which type or how you purchased it.
Did you QT the tangs and clown? If not they may have introduced something into the tank prior to the shark eggs. Tangs have been known to pick at sharks.

What size tank and what type of filtration and water movement do you have?

Hope some of this helps.

[mike_o]

Griseum,

Thanks for trying to help. I wouldn't say the sharks were shaking their heads, but more their whole bodies. It just looked like a a quick twitching when they would swim to find another place to lay.

I would cut the food in small pieces and soak it in a garlic solution. I have noticed a bloated stomach before, especially in the larger shark. I used squid at first, but when i wanted to buy more, they were out and I tried octopus. The other fish were in there before both sharks hatched. I noticed the tangs bothering each other at first but not the sharks.

The tank is a bit small, around 100g, because I was setting up a larger tank for the sharks at the time. For filtration I have live rock, a protein skimmer, and a refugium.