bruinsbro1997
Aquarium Advice Addict
I have always heard that you will eventually need a nice, 10 foot by 6 foot wide tank for most sharks to be happy (from research, no experience, don't bite please ).
Would love to hear you explain how a 3.5 foot shark can live its whole life in a 2 foot wide tank. While it won't die immediately because of it. It certainly won't live or grow to its potential.
Its not so much the gallons of the tank, its the footprint of the tank. I'd say an absolute MINIMUM of 6'x3'. Sharks get big and need room to swim, thus the need for big tanks. If you don't want to hear people tell you they need one, either don't buy the shark or give it the appropriate sized ta
I have had several friends keep bamboo sharks in their tanks and have seen the rate at which they grow over several years, 1 of them is in 225G and is about 2.5 ft and is about 5 years old and will eat from is hand and is happy as can be.These sharks need a tank that give it suitable room to turn around and 2ft provides that at its full growth,IME a 180G will house a single bamboo shark for most of its life. I have seen a lot of sharks in peoples homes, some in HUGE aquariums and some in 200G+ i seldom have seen any sharks over 3+ and most don't grow that big or at a fast rate. Just keep the nitrates down, provide good water quality and feeding and your fine, i realize there are always people that will not agree with me, but frankly i really don't care, I'm just stating of what i have seen in this hobby that will work in my own experience, I'm just telling a hobbyist that wants a shark or has one that in fact he can have one, and doesn't need to take out a small loan to own one, because a bunch of know it alls on a forum tell him the sharks not happy and needs sea world in his living room in order to own one.
bruinsbro1997 said:I have always heard that you will eventually need a nice, 10 foot by 6 foot wide tank for most sharks to be happy (from research, no experience, don't bite please ).
Just because one person has done it, does that make it right? Confining a huge creature to a small space? Dont "settle" when it comes to sharks, or fish for that matter. If you buy it, give it adequite living conditions, not ones that will work in your opinion. Thats terrible!
ErrolP said:What you deem adequate can differ a lot between what other people feel is " adequate". A shark is not a HUGE creature, a shark can take years to obtain its full 3.5ft and it probably won't even reach that, most don't. Its not my opinion that I'm stating here, its what i know to work, and any PRACTICAL hobbyist that wants a shark that walks into a LFS to buy a shark I guarantee 70% will say a shark in a 180G+ will be fine for the entirety if its life, my professors of marine bio at my school have said they feel a 180G will be fine for a bamboo shark for most of its life. Let me guess you feel a 500G maybe fine for a baby bamboo shark?? or should we bump it up to a 1000G?? or maybe i can adopt a small beach and i can make one of those nets like in flipper and keep it in there...that way it will be happy?
Gboy66 said:+1
If you cant give it the proper sized tank, dont buy it!
ErrolP, how can it possibly live in a tank that it wont be able to turn around in as an adult? Thats like you living in a closet.
Granted, it will be fine for awhile, but dont ever assume that the 210 it its permanent home.
tarpon said:..a 3 foot shark could easily turn around in a 2 foot tank. It could probably turn around in a 1 foot tank. Their bodies are cartilage and very flexible. Not saying it should be kept in a 2ft wide tank though
And sharks curve their bodies when making sharp turns anyway
Psychocircus91 said:This thread is two years old
Again this is just a question.
Who's the experts and who is just giving opinion?
Brownbanded Bamboo Shark Profile - Information About Brownbanded Bamboo or Cat Sharks
FreshMarine.com - Black Banded Cat Shark - Chiloscyllium punctatum - Brownbanded Bamboo Shark - Buy Cheap Banded Cat Shark at Wholesale
Brown Banded Bamboo Shark, Chiloscyllium punctatum | REPTAQUATICS.COM
So who is right? Many more websites and experts say that the Shark can be housed in a 180 while everyone opinion is 500.