Any shark owners here? I need info

Matt spivey

Matt spivey

Member
Hi I've just bought a 120 gallon aquarium and saw a few people online that have cat sharks in their aquariums like bamboo and coral sharks. I have always wanted to breed a fish and my LFS guy and close friend has had a few mermaids purses before and hatched them. I have a "sea-life centre" aquarium 4 miles from me that take donations.

Would it be possible to hatch and keep a bamboo or coral shark in a 120 gallon 4x2x2 aquarium until it is about 1 foot long then donate it to sea life? They have marine biologists that would facilitate the rehousing of this shark. I've always had an interest in this niche area of fish keeping.

Thanks


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
D

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Owning a shark is not recommended unless you have a tank or pool that is big enough. A bamboo shark can grow to 48 inches, a coral cat shark to about 28". Sharks need about 1 1/2 times their length so they can turn around. This means you need a tank or pool about 4 feel long on all sides for a coral cat shark and about 6 feet long on all sides for a bamboo shark. This is far larger than your current tank.

You are also going to find that virtually all aquariums are well stocked with sharks, and they are not interested in yours. If you don't believe me, check it out on the net, or better still give your sea life center a call and ask them about it.

It's expecting a lot of a public aquarium to put the time and effort into taking care of your "donation" after it outgrows your tank. They are going to have to quarantine it, house it, and feed it. I should point out that with a few exceptions, sea life, once kept in aquariums, should never be released back into the wild.

Unless you are prepared to put together the size system needed to house the animal and keep it for it's entire life, I'd say forget about keeping one, since you would be doing the animal a great disservice.

Sorry if this sounds like I'm blasting you. I don't intend it to be personal.
 
Matt spivey

Matt spivey

Member
I know what you're saying and I knew someone would say it but you say I need a 4 foot long tank which I have, if you scroll up I asked about a 4x2x2 aquarium 4 foot long by 2 by 2.

Also our local sea life readily accept most large animals, my LFS guy has a mate who works there and gives him a call when someone brings something in that he can't take back and asks if it's ok to donate. They usually take sharks or large triggers, rays etc.

I also live 40 minutes from "the deep" which is another public aquarium and charitable centre for marine research. They boast about having 7 species of shark and 2.5 million litres of water so stocking shouldn't be a problem.

A lot of people have coral sharks in a 4 ft long until they absolutely max out their growth whereas I would be able to facilitate 2 rehousings with marine biologists on hand. I don't need to give them a call as I know it's possible, I wouldn't consider this without prior planning so no need to tell me how big which species grow etc


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Wrangy

Wrangy

Acropora Nut
RS STAFF
PREMIUM
I'm going to have to agree with Dave here, I don't quite think you got what he said though. What Dave is saying not only is the minimum tank length for a coral cat 4ft long but also 4ft wide and 4ft high and 6x6x6ft for a bamboo to allow for enough swimming and turning room for the shark. You also need to be aware of and be capable of handling the exceptionally high nutrient and bio-load that sharks have, they're messy predators so they require serious feeding and a properly balanced diet!

Personally I would be having a thorough discussion with your marine biologist buddies and also both aquriums before you even set the tank up so that you know, 110%, certain that they would be happy to take the sharks and care for them and what they recommend about doing with sharks. I know I wouldn't be getting one unless I'd spoken at length about everything including contingencies, sharks can be fragile creatures and need to be treated with a lot of respect. Now I'm not saying that you aren't capable of all of this or anything like that and I'm sure that you could quite capably raise some sharks but I also tend to feel that it sounds like you might be a little under prepared here, I think that's why Dave said what he did because I'm guessing he's thinking the same way.

Sharks like Moorish Idols and a lot of Butterflyfish are rather abused and not taken care of properly due to people having no idea what they're actually buying into. I'm sure you've done your research and could be prepared for this but things that tend to suggest otherwise (which you can prove wrong :)) are the fact that both sharks have 300 gallon plus tank requirements and you're offering half that, you don't have a lot of info on your plans for the tank, at least in your post and like I'm sure is the case with Dave (please feel free to jump in if I've made any incorrect assumptions here Dave :) lol) I'm also worried for these animals not because of you as an reef keeper but due to the mistreatment that sharks get. I'm really not having a go here, I'm just trying to help out and getting some more info from you about your plans and all of those kind of details would help put me at ease immensely :) If I've come across as offensive I am terribly sorry but at the same time sometimes things like this have to be done bluntly.

I'd love to hear your plans further though, sharks are incredible creatures :D
 
Snid

Snid

Active Member
I don't need to give them a call as I know it's possible
Click to expand...

I'm no expert on salt water fish, let alone sharks, but I can say this much about any type of pet, aquatic or not... It's not ideal to make assumptions, even if you are 99.9% sure. Unless you actually communicate with the third party directly, you simply don't know. We are talking about a living creature, and you'll be taking the responsibility of its life into your hands. Also, if you are able to do this, which is really cool and I completely understand the fascination with it, wouldn't one of the best resources for information be the place that will ultimately end up hosting the shark for the long haul? If they'll host it, doesn't that means they'll probably know best how to do it and what it ultimately needs? If I had such an opportunity as you may here, I'd be all over not only talking to the "sea-life centre", but also requesting a more direct and private tour of their facilities if it were possible. If they are as interested as taking in donations as you say, they'd probably welcome the idea of sharing their knowledge with the breeder beforehand.
 
D

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Wrangy said:
I'm going to have to agree with Dave here, I don't quite think you got what he said though. What Dave is saying not only is the minimum tank length for a coral cat 4ft long but also 4ft wide and 4ft high and 6x6x6ft for a bamboo to allow for enough swimming and turning room for the shark. You also need to be aware of and be capable of handling the exceptionally high nutrient and bio-load that sharks have, they're messy predators so they require serious feeding and a properly balanced diet!

Personally I would be having a thorough discussion with your marine biologist buddies and also both aquriums before you even set the tank up so that you know, 110%, certain that they would be happy to take the sharks and care for them and what they recommend about doing with sharks. I know I wouldn't be getting one unless I'd spoken at length about everything including contingencies, sharks can be fragile creatures and need to be treated with a lot of respect. Now I'm not saying that you aren't capable of all of this or anything like that and I'm sure that you could quite capably raise some sharks but I also tend to feel that it sounds like you might be a little under prepared here, I think that's why Dave said what he did because I'm guessing he's thinking the same way.

Sharks like Moorish Idols and a lot of Butterflyfish are rather abused and not taken care of properly due to people having no idea what they're actually buying into. I'm sure you've done your research and could be prepared for this but things that tend to suggest otherwise (which you can prove wrong :)) are the fact that both sharks have 300 gallon plus tank requirements and you're offering half that, you don't have a lot of info on your plans for the tank, at least in your post and like I'm sure is the case with Dave (please feel free to jump in if I've made any incorrect assumptions here Dave :) lol) I'm also worried for these animals not because of you as an reef keeper but due to the mistreatment that sharks get. I'm really not having a go here, I'm just trying to help out and getting some more info from you about your plans and all of those kind of details would help put me at ease immensely :) If I've come across as offensive I am terribly sorry but at the same time sometimes things like this have to be done bluntly.

I'd love to hear your plans further though, sharks are incredible creatures :D
Click to expand...

The only point is the height of the tank need not be 4 ft or 6 ft high. A depth of 2 or 3 feet would be ok. They need room to turn around.

I've already said most of what I have to say on the subject, but I have a few additional comments.

I have seen a few cases where people have setup an outdoor pond type setup, indoors on a concrete or similar floor. With a pond liner you can get the necessary space.

A juvenile shark will grow fast. You could possible start it in a 100 gal tank, but you better start building it's new home right away.

I would also highly recommend that the op actually contact those aquariums were he plans to "donate" his shark. Just because they are large, doesn't mean they have additional room. Also, the op needs make sure the aquarium is not going to accept the shark, and then just dispose of it.
 
Last edited:
reefer gladness

reefer gladness

Well-Known Member
I'm of the opinion if we aren't prepared to keep the fish through it's adult stages of life it's best not to keep them in our aquariums.

Moving and acclimating is stressful, in addition to making sure you have a guaranteed home for the shark that doesn't involve shark-fin soup it's also important to have a plan for transporting the shark to it's new home.
 
Matt spivey

Matt spivey

Member
Nice of you all to chime in with your concerns. Maybe I should've made it more clear that I've researched this for weeks, contacted the aquarium, have a close relationship with my LFS owner who has hatched raised and sold 3 bamboo sharks. I realise I'm not well known or an every day poster on here so I'll just explain I wouldn't take something like this lightly or without planning etc as it isn't fair on the animal. I wanted another challenge as an aquarium owner and with a 125 gallon being built I thought this would be a better opportunity than any other.

With regards to the facility as Snid pointed out.. My LFS guy has had a tour around the facility when he raised the previous sharks, they even have a mermaids purse exhibit in the aquarium with learning facility for kids to learn the life cycle of the shark. The facility is undergoing a renovation slowly and their tanks are slightly bare at the moment. They have a seal hospital, otters, penguins etc that they have rescued. I have been to the sealife in London and it has a different set up, that's more an aquarium and this is more an aquarium/learning/rescue facility it's pretty good and only a 10 minute drive away! Lucky me.


The main reasons I queried this were because my LFS owner has done it and suggested that if I gave it a go he would have a keen interest in it and support me, I am fortunately in the position to live 10 mins away from an aquarium and 40 mins away from another massive one.

Also because it's a challenge and I have seen plenty of people that have done it on forums and YouTube and haven't been absolutely flamed for it.

It was just an idea I thought would be doable and a life experience, I didn't just want to say yeah I have a shark and chuck one in. It would be a project.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Matt spivey

Matt spivey

Member
Also don't worry about being frank, I won't be offended. Especially as I agree with you all on your points.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Matt spivey

Matt spivey

Member
To anyone that's still here or cares the sealife emailed me back saying they would be happy to take the juvenile shark off me when the time is right and will help facilitate the move! you don't ask you don't get I guess


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Matt spivey

Matt spivey

Member
My LFS says they're on his list from TMC most weeks so they're readily available. I'm not sure yet I need to ask him about compatibility first. There are quite a few people on YouTube who have them in 100 gals or just a bit more and housed them with tangs or foxface even some dwarf angels.

I read if you hatch them and raise them then they tend not to eat other fish and take frozen food well because it's all they know and if they're fed enough it will suppress their predatory instincts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
Any update? Any purchase yet? Did you find answers to your questions on what fish they can be housed with?
 
Matt spivey

Matt spivey

Member
No I called my LFS guy and he said they aren't always guaranteed to take 4-6 months to hatch, he had one that hatched after 2 weeks after it came in so I'm waiting till the new tank arrives and cycles.

Apparently if you hatch them with small fish in there they are usually okay and feed well but if you buy them in they can be a little bit trickier. Needless to say I'll continue reading about them until it's time to make a decision
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top