sharks

[swiftwing7]

i am interested in keeping a shark in the tank i don't have yet, but i would like to know i fnaybody has some advice on keeping them if its wise. Also will it grow to its normal size or if it is in a small tank will it stay small. Example if somebody put a baby blacktip in their tank (about 6-8 inches) and fed it shrimp and normal shark food would it grow to be 6 feet long or would it get bigger but not outgrow the tank. i just lke the idea of having a shark and other carnivorus fish. it sounds cruel but it would be cool to watch it eat

 

[fishfreek]

Quite honestly the advice I would give would be to find something else you like to keep. Cool or not you should plan on having a tank that is several hundred gallons in size and the tank should be shallow and should be rounded in shape. Sharks dont need alot of vertical water column but will need the most surface area you can manage.

If you put a shark in a small tank the growth will be stunted but it WILL outgrow the tank. When it does then what are you going to do with it? Public aquariums are allready overwhelmed with donations of outgrown fish by hobbists. Releasing it to the wild is not humane and not safe for the public wildlife and should not be consitered.

 

[swiftwing7]

i knew it was a bad idea. i wasn't going to go through with it until i knew more. i wouldn't want to have to deal with a shark (as i have before from fishing) and to throw him in the ocean would msot likely kill him so, no more shark. unless there kinds of sharks that stay small that you can keep them? like minature sharks, bonzi sharks? oh well, it probably won't happen

 

[liquidelusion]

you could check out wobbygong sharks, they only get like 4 foot and are really cool looking IMHO. i do believe they are hard to care for though

 

[swiftwing7]

you could check out wobbygong sharks, they only get like 4 foot and are really cool looking IMHO. i do believe they are hard to care for though

wow 4 feet, the local hammerheads i was considering only get to be about 3 feet long, of cource in captivity they could get bigger

 

[lando]

I agree with fishfreek. Do not attempt to keep a shark. These are best left to the ocean or LARGE public aquariums. Most sharks that are "marketed" for the home aquarium do not really do anything anyways. They just sit on the bottom of the tank and don't really move. No shark is a good choice for the home aquarium.

 

[Atari]

Anyone else have deja vu?

 

[lando]

I was thinking the same thing, Atari. [/quote]

 

[Epaulette Shark]

Sharks

The only way that you can keep even one shark on 3' or smaller is this formula. There is formula on how to determine the tank size. I believe it is 3 times the length of the shark full grown and 2 times the length for the width of the tank. As for the height it is something like 36" and up.

With this formula that I found, this is what you get for ONE shark.

36" tall
108" long
72" wide
Gives you a grand Total= 1,211 Gallons

Provide cave and ledge hiding areas


This is what I know, Hope it helped
Epaulette Shark

 

[melosu58]

I`ll tell you just like I told someone today on another thread. An experienced aquarist is someone who provides excellent care for his tankmates. The responces that you have recieved have shown that you will not be providing that. All that I ask of any person that has a tank is to be responsible individual including myself

 

[Hara]

I am locking this thread, it was started in July of 2004. Please do not rehash old topics. If it is something you need to discuss, start a new thread.
Thanks.