240 idea???

[reefer123]

ive got this 240 gallon (8x2x2) finished cycling, and i am not sure on what to do with it?
i live in california and the water here is around 58-60 degrees.
i want to get a chiller and place the tank's temp to 60 degrees, and catch some of my own fish.
i catch baby lepord sharks all the time, about 12-15".
i would want to get two of those small lepord sharks, and some small perch, and some smaller rock cod.
i think it would be very interesting to have these fish that i can catch and not have to buy.
so do you guys think i could pull this off?
thanks.

 

[gasguzzler]

Anything can be done, but two things immediately come to mind. The first, what is the temp of the tank without the heater running? My guess is a chiller for that size tank would be an enormous amount of money. Secondly, I would check with Fish and Game before you take leopards from the ocean. On this coast, they are somewhat protected and are illegal to own if UNDER 36" unless you have prior approval or obtain a special permit.

 

[reefer123]

the temp with out a heater is 71 degrees.
what size chiller do i need?

 

[gasguzzler]

Check around on some websites. They cool the water down a couple degrees but not much more and at substantial cost ($600-$2000). Check weather sites for your area and see what the normal summertime temp is for your area. If the tank doesnt run any warmer in the summer, you might be in the correct range already.

 

[reefer123]

could a lepord live in 72 degree water?
also there are some small grey smoothound sharks around here, would they both live in 72 degrees?
thanks.

 

[reefer123]

and once they get big then i can let them go in the real ocean.

so don't anyone call the shark police on me.

 

[gasguzzler]

They can live in water that warm and warmer. They can both live together as well. However, I think it is generally frowned upon to release an animal back into the wild once it has been exposed to captive life. There are a lot of environmental issues that come in to play. Most people, me as well, will tell you not to do so. Stick with what is around your area and will not outgrow your tank.

 

[reefer123]

i just got off the phone with my friend that has a 2,000 gallon lagoon, and he said that he would take them both when they get bigger and outgrow my tank.
so what do you think? :joy:

 

[reefer123]

anyone else have any advise?

 

[aw2]

Originally Posted by reefer123
i just got off the phone with my friend that has a 2,000 gallon lagoon, and he said that he would take them both when they get bigger and outgrow my tank.
so what do you think? :joy:

2,000gal. still isnt going to be big enough for a Leopard.

 

[cartman101]

yeah, a leopard will get to 8ft and up. What about a horn shark? When i get my next tank thats the shark i wanna put in it!

 

[aw2]

Originally Posted by Cartman101
yeah, a leopard will get to 8ft and up.

Actually...Leopards max out around 5'.

 

[jr2857]

i don't think you should put any leopard sharks in the tank because even if they are small they still don't have enought room. they get 5 ft average but record is a 7 ft. 2inch. you should get a horn shark or bamboo (if you get tropical temp for bamboo) and a leopard can not survive in 72 degree water. you should get at least a 4 ft. wide tank so they have room to turn. also how would you feel if the living quarters you were in was only a little bit bigger than you. you should just stay with small sharks or no sharks

 

[wonderwit]

Don't get a leopard! I had a leapord for ~6 years (don't anyone start yelling, it was at a research lab, where we had her in a 16'diameter, 3.5' deep swimming pool in a flow through system). Leopards are ram ventilators, meaning they HAVE to keep swimming or they will suffocate. Even babies less than a year old will be longer than two feet -- your tank is NOWHERE near big enough. Your friend's lagoon is nowhere near big enough. It is illegal to have one less than 36" unless you have a fishing liscence, and it is illegal to hold one in a tank unless you have a scientific collectors permit (or if you can document that you BOUGHT it from a fish store). Once you do have one in captivity, it is illegal to put it back into the ocean (not to mention cruel, considering they will be faced with having to compete for food, where as in captivity it doesn't -- they do 'un-learn' some things).