3 foot law?

[pYrOmAnIaC]

ok iv read places that it is illegal to purchase a leapord shark that is under 3 ft yet i have read about people purchasing leapord sharks 12" and less! please help me for I AM CONFUSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[madasafish]

I don't know anything about this issue specifically. However, I can guess that if the law seems to be applied differently in certain instances, it may be contingent on the state of purchase... e.g. California may have more stringent laws on this matter than Texas.

I can see the logic of the law, also. 1) Federal law often prohibits catching fish under a certain size so that the young, possibly breeding-age, fish in a population are not depleted. 2) People often buy these sharks when they are small, and don't appreciate how large they can grow. These could be 2 reasons for the law...

Why did you want some under 3 ft? I thought you wanted to breed them and eat them

All in all, I don't think this would be a good choice for you. I hope you aren't planning to buy one with out a 500 gal at the bare minimum round tank.

[fishfreek]

Contact your local fish and wildlife office for laws pertaning to your state. As Sixline has mentioned it seems like you hvae been asking a ton of questions about sharks as of late and the impression I get is that your wanting to keep them. If this is the case then get that idea out of your mind because their care reqruirements are very specific and the money it takes to keep them in the proper enviorment will be quite high.

Sharks should be left in the ocean.

[duaumun]

Leopard shark? wow. Hope you are a millionaire and can afford the monteray bay aquarium. Leave those sharks alone. Oh, and a 500 gal system would kill them in months. Please, tell us the size of your planed tank so we can make a 'shark' suggestion, if possible.

As Fishfreek stated, sharks should be left in the ocean. Only the largest aquariums are suitable for them.

[pYrOmAnIaC]

im thinkin of a 718 gal tank that is 24"Hx72"Wx96"L. where can i find filtration for a tank this size or would i have to make my own filtration?

[fishfreek]

And how would a 15year old afford such a setup? The electricty to run the pumps alone would proably be close to $100/mo.

Large tanks like that often have custom built sumps, and skimmers. Large scale skimmers are often 5' or 6' tall for example. Other things to be concerned over would be evaporation control and humidity control within the house itself.

[duaumun]

Pyro how come you never check your posts? You never reply, as if you refuse to admit a mistake or ask for help. Really now, i am 7 months younger than you and i still ask and admit. C'mon, your persistance with sharks should stop. 240 gallon tank is what you are saving for? Hmmm, need a lot of money, time, and a long temper, especially with sharks. You could barely keep a banded cat shark in there for a year or so. In reality you could keep any shark that you could afford. The real question is if you are being humane.

[pYrOmAnIaC]

fishfreek-wow a $100 a month? i think ill turn it down a notch
duaumun-lol sorry if i got u all confused about the tank size im gettin i just keep on finding different things or different ways to build an aquarium, oh and sorry if i dont reply to my posts...

oh yeah and i just remembered ill b out of the house and into college in 3 yrs so i think sharks r out of the picture cuz they live too long and im not sure my lfs has ne tanks big enough to take in a shark over 3 ft.

[duaumun]

No problem, it just was getting a little strange. LOL, $100 a month, plus the cost of a ton of salt!!!
Oh, and if you are doing DIY, make sure you check out garf as already suggested

[fishfreek]

Large tanks are expensive to operate. The $100/mo was just a quick estimate based upon what I have seen from my own tanks. I have two tanks one a 80 gal tank and one a 75 gal tank and those to tanks alone account for about $50/month in electricty. While mine are reefsetups with high output lights a large tank would need large pumps. Large bodied animals will produce alot of waste resulting in either a very extensive filtration system or frequent water changes. Those water changes require water and unless you have a well you have to pay a water bill for your town. So thats money plus the cost of salt.

Its nice to see a young person so energetic about the hobby but I also feel its important to start small and work your way up. If this is your first saltwater tank then I would suggest a 55 or 75 gal tank to start with. If your saving up you can start with this size and it will give you a fair amount of flexability in doing fish only or reef. And if you go with fish only you can elect to do a preditory type setup or a more docile setup.

[pYrOmAnIaC]

yeah i think ill start with a 55 and then ill see how that works out for me. thanks.

[packfan2204]

Originally Posted by pYrOmAnIaC

im thinkin of a 718 gal tank that is 24"Hx72"Wx96"L. where can i find filtration for a tank this size or would i have to make my own filtration?

for any huge aquarium, you'd prolly have to make your own filtration system, probably using a few good sized sand filters used for pool applications. You also can't forget that on a shark tank like that, a UV sterilizer or ozonizer of the right size would almost be mandatory, and they're pretty expensive even for a small setup