Shark egg

mitzel

Active Member
Guzzler : I noticed in the first picture there is no sand around your rock but in the pic of the ray there is sand . I'm just wondering if this was done by you for a reason or if your fish did this? I was just thinking if you had kept the sand on one side so the sharks wouldn't rub on it and iritate their skin? I have a 300 in the works and was just trying to see how others have kept their sharks happy. I only plan on having on in the tank, along with a ray and maybe a few top swimmers.
 

gasguzzler

Active Member
mitzel- The sand bed was at least 2" around the tank. The larger shark in the picture had a problem with the way I would arrange the rock so she would change it EVERY NIGHT for me. Nice of her huh? The sand was displaced when she would pound her tail and move the rocks around with her snout. Funny to watch but a pain in the posterior to fix every morning so I just let her have it her way! The rays loved it though.
cartman- Yeah that was when they were in the 125. I had the male bamboo for maybe 8 months and the female just over a year. The two rays and the lion went out at the same time with the shark due to my leak and having nowhere else to put them.
 

cartman101

Active Member
would you think i could keep a shark or ray in a 125gal for about that same time maybe a month longer? What would be the better bet, the ray or shark? Did your ray/shark ram in to your lion before? do the rays make a big mess in the sand, making the nitrates go up? Could i also see the full tank picture?
 

gasguzzler

Active Member
Those are the only picture I have left. I needed room on the computer for work stuff. I think rays are easier to care for in the long run due to the fact that they dont need as much space as sharks on the average. The do stir up the sand quite a bit, but I looked at it as a good thing. Most of us cant say that they can take a handful of sand from the bottom of the tank, turn it over and not have some kind of cloud or debris in there. The rays were constantly turning the sandbed over not allowing the nitrates to become trapped in there. It makes larger water changes a must, but there is no potential for a spike.
As far as you keeping one, not to REALLY sound like a total jerk, but they are a very demanding animal and take a lot of experience and research. Just wanting one doesnt count as research either. I spent many many nights and weekends reading books, searching zoological sites and speaking to the local public aquarium before I even decided if I could truly care for one. I think that you need to sucessfully care for a few tanks before you attempt this project.
 

cartman101

Active Member
I do have books about them, i have been researching, and i had another tank before. Not to argue, i would really love to have a ray, which was my first thought, then i switched to coral cat shark since they dont get bigger than 2ft. But now i would love to have a ray. If you can tell me what you had for filtration that will help a WHOLE lot!!
 

gasguzzler

Active Member
It wasnt really that extravagant. There was an Amiracle wet/dry (I do not recommend them) with 2 Mag Drive 750 returns, a CPR dual overflow (dont recommend overflows either- get a drilled tank, so much easier!!!) and 2 Fluval 404s. I had skimmer running on its own pump with a small UV sterilizer rigged in-line that I set up. If I were to do it over, I would have the tank drilled, use 2 1000 gal/hr pumps, an All- Glass sump, and a stand- alone skimmer and be done with it. Live and learn I guess.
 

aw2

Active Member
The gestation of shark eggs, primarily Banded Cats (which you most likely have) can take anywhere from 4 - 6 months.
 

aw2

Active Member
Considering the fact that 4 - 6 months is 120 - 180 days, I'd say we're both right.

The warmer the water, the shorter the hatching time. The colder the water, the longer the hatching time.
 
B

boatdrinks

Guest
I don't know about that guys.... I'm pretty sure it's 17.14 to 26.57 weeks...
 

cubfan

Member
I guess the gestation time doesn't really matter anymore...cuz we've got a bouncing new baby shark!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY COW!! The shark hatched Monday night and is acclimating quite well. My research has pointed me in the direction that the shark might not eat for 2 to 4 weeks. Do you guys agree with that? Also, does that empty egg serve any purpose for the shark after it hatches, or should I just remove it from the tank? :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :cheer:
 

aw2

Active Member
CONGRATULATIONS!
You can toss the empty egg shell.
Give him a few days or a week before you start trying to feed. This particular species can be quite stubborn to start eating. I'd suggest starting out with live ghost shrimp. Once he's accustomed to that, you can slowly start moving to other things such as krill and scallops.
Eventually, he'll eat anything...fish, scallops, octo, squid.
 

mitzel

Active Member
Originally Posted by cubfan
I guess the gestation time doesn't really matter anymore...cuz we've got a bouncing new baby shark!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY COW!! The shark hatched Monday night and is acclimating quite well. My research has pointed me in the direction that the shark might not eat for 2 to 4 weeks. Do you guys agree with that? Also, does that empty egg serve any purpose for the shark after it hatches, or should I just remove it from the tank? :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :cheer:
VERY COOL . I'm excited for you.
Mine started eatting right away with in the first couple days. I already had ghost shrimp in there for the ray to eat. and they both switched to frozen squid very quickly just be sure its cut up in small pieces.
As for the egg , Get a jar of nacho cheese dip and some corn chips. have some nachos and watch your new shark with all the excitment of a new parent and then when your done with the nacho cheese jar clean it out and fill it up with tank water drop in your egg. and set it on a shelf it makes a good conversation piece when showing off your shark. People are amazed that they hatch from the egg.
Hows the nitrates doing ? getting them under control I hope.
 

gasguzzler

Active Member
I skip the ghost shrimp phase. All of my babies went right for the fresh seafood. Sometimes its tough to get them off it. Everyone else is right though, it could take up to a couple of weeks before it eats. Usually the egg sack will just barely be visible underneath them. They feed off this for a while. Starting a week from when they hatched, I offered food to them every night until it took.
I kept my eggs out of the water and dried them out. They sit on a mantle now aolng with some old shedded stingers from the rays and a shedded horseshoe crab shell.
Most of all, congrats on the new addition.
 
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