Black Tip Reef Shark!

[tpk212]

Hey guys,

I have been keeping fish for almost 6 years now both fresh and salt water!
my final challenge and the thing i have always wanted the most is a shark that actually looks like a shark!
i have decided a black tip reef shark as they dont grow as big as most other sharks!
if anyone has any information about keeping sharks or exp they have had i would love to hear from you! but if you are one of those people who tell me i need a big tank please do not post in this thead! i already no i need a massive tank! haha
also whats the deal with everyone saying sharks are really hard to care for with water quality?

Thanx tpk212

 

[molsen187]

i'm no shark expert but i would imagine the water quality concerns would be because the shark would be a messy eater like other aggressive fish. i say go for it and just make sure you have a massive skimmer that is rated higher than your tank requirement.

 

[tpk212]

i'm no shark expert but i would imagine the water quality concerns would be because the shark would be a messy eater like other aggressive fish. i say go for it and just make sure you have a massive skimmer that is rated higher than your tank requirement.

Thanx mate!
that actually makes alot of sence! and would you think i go huge on both skimmer and filter? by huge i mean abovee the requirments for the tank?

 

[molsen187]

like i said i'm no expert but i would imagine bigger is better for this kind of a set up. you want your water to be a clean as possible so i would go bigger on both than needed. i'd rather have more than enough than not enough and have to spend the money on something bigger.

 

[Jeremy0322]

You will need alot of open space, sharks are swimmers thats for sure so a typical "reef" setup will just get in the way of its swimming space. With that being said you will need a stellar filtration setup, they produce ALOT of waste, thats one of the biggest downfalls with most shark tanks that I have seen is they simple cant filter out what the shark is putting in the water, which destroys water quality.

 

[AndtheBonus]

I really don't know anything about sharks in our tanks buttt I would like to see pics once you get this thing going!!

 

[proenca]

sharks, or so I've been told ( never kept one ), require minimal aquascaping ( live rock ) and fine substrate : to avoid lesions of their skin... and swimming room space.

big skimmer is a must : they are messy eaters, messy poopers.

im no expert in fish tanks when come to filtration ( reef systems are much simpler in that regard ) so your best bet would be to ask in someone with a predator tank or something like that.

good luck !

 

[l3fty999]

Well, sounds like you intend to have a proper setup, just do the research on your shark. It seems like they're sensitive to copper based medications and if it needs treatment of any kind, you'll need to be careful. And do post pics when you get your shark tank up and running!

Aaron

 

[tpk212]

thank you everyone for your word of advice and interest in this topic! i see where everyone is coming from and i have no intention of going in this half arsed! all the tanks i hav kept hav been either over filtered or have had a backup filter just in case of any malfunctions,
i was on youtube the other day and was having a look at some of the setups with blacktip reef sharks and they seem pretty cool! there is one that really caught my eye that had and actual coral reef and fish lined through the middle with the black tip circleing it! was amazing but i dont think i will bust the budget out for that kind of set up straight away!
as i want to see how much care and love one of these sharks need! as everything i read says you need really good quality everything but my head says they are pretty hardy fish!
i will keep you all updated on this adventure should i find the right specimen!
thanx again!

 

[Jeremy0322]

Here are some of the specifics I can give you to, and this was taken from bluezooaquatics.com as well as WetWebMedia


Price Tag = oh so lovely 1600 dollars

Scientific Name - Carcharhinus melanopterus
Reef Compatible - No
Care Level Expert-only
Disposition - Aggressive
Min. Tank Size - 1200 gallons
Mature Size - 78 inches
Diet - Carnivore
Range - Indo-Pacific


Regularly scheduled (same time, place, types of foods) of small fishes, squid (though messy, do clean, offer just the mantles) in an upper part of the tank (not by hand, use tongs) are advised. Daily amounts are best in my opinion, experience, for such small sharks. Some keepers, and all public aquariums that I'm aware of, insert vitamin supplements into these foods ahead of offering.

 

[tpk212]

yeah it is a bit pricey but for something you love! you dont need to worry about that kind of thing!
i lernt that the hard way when i use to take short cuts on cheap products that dont last!
and also scratched second hand tanks!
thanx for the info!

 

[Jeremy0322]

yeah it is a bit pricey but for something you love! you dont need to worry about that kind of thing!
i lernt that the hard way when i use to take short cuts on cheap products that dont last!
and also scratched second hand tanks!
thanx for the info!

I was just amazed that the shark was that much to begin with, thats intense. And its going to be a huge tank, you are looking at something 10 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 4 feet tall. Not saying dont do it, but knowledge is the best weapon, this is something you need to know EVERYTHING about before you go into it.

 

[tpk212]

yeah true that hey!
well i think im at the good end of the stick when it comes to price of a blacktip reef shark as i live in australia! you can get one around $100 a pup!
so thats all good! the only thing thats going to blow me out will prob be a stand and a skimmer! and maybe lighting!

 

[tangsgalore2oo9]

wouldnt think u would need much light. skimmer is going to be expensive though. build it urself to save some. i would say that tank is going to be killer

 

[tpk212]

haha! yeah true that! how do you go about makeing a skimmer? is there any forums i should look in that maybe have one already posted?
and i hope by tank is going to be a killer you mean in a good way! haha

 

[jellyman]

Unless you have the means to build a tank that is at least 2500g with rounded corners(basically a large oval), I would not attempt to keep a free swimming shark. Seems like alot of space just to set up a cramped shark display even at 2500g. It might seem a OK if it is a 2' pup but not for a full grown black tip.

 

[Jeremy0322]

There are a bunch of skimmer build threads scattered around the various forums, there are a couple really good ones right here on RS, you should browse the DIY section and see what you can come up with.

 

[alovely]

I think if you are really interested you would be best off going for eggs instead for one because it is cheaper and easier shipped. Some LFS will sell them to you if you order them directly from them or if you want I think liveaquaria is selling some. Like someone said earlier not that much live rock because it is hard on them and I was reading somewhere that they prefer shallow tanks.

 

[jesse92]

for an animal that can reach a size of up to 78 inches and is an almost constant swimmer a tank 10 ft by 4ft by 4ft just wont cut it. sharks are an amazing group of animals that require alot of respect and when it comes to keeping them as pets you really need to consider how the animal feels. i wouldnt like to spend my life in a 6ft cube and im pretty sure sharks are more active than me......sounds like an awesome project and wosh ypu all the best with it, but make sure the animals you keep are happy and healthy

 

[Cloudburst2000]

And also, make sure that your house can support that much weight. Just the water alone in a 1200 gallon tank would be 10000 lbs. You need to make darn sure that you aren't going to be doing structural damage to your house. It'll be like having an elephant standing in one spot of your house. That is the first thing I would check before I even started worrying about the tank set-up. If your house can't support that much weight in one spot, you might be looking at doing some expensive structural fortifications to your house like adding extra joists, etc before you ever start even spending money on the actual tank set-up.