Advice on bamboos....

[fraggle_a]

Okay.
The wife just produced a pair of stripped bamboo sharks.
Heres me thinking Im getting eggs.....
Nice.
Totaly surprised me.
So, I have a pair of Bamboo sharks sitting in a 10g.
They are immature, about 5".
So.
Advice?
What to feed?.
I have a 40g on standby when they get a little bigger. Im tryig to keep them in the small tank until Iv moved home. Then I can get the 40g going until the shark pond is finished...

 

[rldavisou]

I just posted on your other thread about the eggs. Some of this is a copy.
The first trick is getting them to eat. I've heard statistics as high as 50% of hatched sharks starve to death. Many will only take live prey at first, and will need to a lot of attention to wean to frozen food. My lfs hatched a shark 3 weeks ago and still have not gotten it to eat. Have a lot of live shrimp on hand.
Also, sharks require exact, constantly even salinity. I'm not sure of the details, I think it has to do with their sensory organs. An auto top off is pretty much a given. Other than that, their water requirements are pretty much the same as a reef.
How long until the 40 gallon is set up? Is this the 40 "breeder" shape, the one that has a lot of surface area?
Sharks will not do well in a 10 gallon, really not even a 40 gallon. There's just not enough water volume to keep the salinity stable enough. The 40 will be okay for a while with ATO, but you'll have to set up a MUCH bigger tank very soon.
Keep us posted on how it goes.

 

[el guapo]

I really honestly have no legitimate advice thats going to help you . Basicaly I would not expect them to live much longer than a week . A 10 gallon is not going to cut it not even short term . With in months your sharks would be over a foot long and a 40 would still be too smalll .

 

[sepulatian]

You certainly need a larger, cycled, tank for them now. Ten gallons is not going to work. They need stability, room to swim and smaller live food. What size is your display? Unless it is 400-500 gallons then you will not be able to keep these animals anyway.

 

[fraggle_a]

Well, the 40 can be up and running in 24 hours.
I have enough LR and cycled water in my 55 to cover an emergency.
Food is the concern right now.
Ill stop and get some shrimps on the way home today.
They will be in the 10g for about 3 weeks, wached very carefuly..
Then we move home and the 40g will be up and running.
The 40g will keep them happy for about 2 or 3 months while.....
(i have a line on a 75g if things get tricky)
Two 10g tanks run curing LS.
A 20g to cure the larger rocks.
I go to work on the tank....
This sucker is looking to be about 600gallons in all.
About 3 or 4 feet at the one end and about 2 to 1.5 feet at the shallow end.
Tubes below the shallows to provide secure places to hide.
To build it, should take me about a week. Baring any unforseen issues. Else two weeks. Basic materials are pretty cheap....
Then the pricy bit.......
I have a source for about 250gallons of cycled / used water. that will be introduced to the rest which will be filtered water with salt added.
In goes the cured LS and LR. Then some smaller fish.... A cooloff of about 15 - 30 days. Then in go the sharks, and some very careful monitoring.

 

[shark bait]

Take a look at this so you know what to expect if all works out.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/254711/sharks

 

[aquaknight]

The main problem right now isn't so much that the tank is only a 10gal because of space, but the quantity of water. You're going to have to feed a lot of foods in order to get them to eat. 10gals of water, even with LR and filters will simply not be able to handle the amount of food at the water parameters sharks require (as close to perfect as you can get).
As far as what to feed, the basic ghost/glass shrimp should work. You'll need to get a pair of tongs and get the sharks use to the tongs as well. They'll be quite affraid of your hand. Use the tongs to hold the shrimp. Also mysis and carnivore pellets soaked in garlic/supplements can be tried as well.

 

[hlcroghan]

At least you have a plan! Just make sure you get those pups to start eating as soon as possible!! And keep us posted!! I would love to see pictures of that tank..

 

[kichimark]

I hatched a brown banded bamboo in April. After a few days I started to feed her shrimp and silversides but she wouldn't go for it. I then introduced some chopped baby octopus and to this day she goes nuts over it and still will not touch the shrimp or silversides.

 

[crazyboutreefs]

I was very lucky to be able to purchase a Bamboo that was hatched and grown to about 14" and was eating freeze dried krill. I was interested in him and I asked the guy if he was eating and he told me to watch this.
I have never seen a shark come to the top of the water and eat floating food during the day, so of course I had to get him.
The day I got him wasn't as easy though. I have LR in the tank and all he did was hide so I took a dosing wand that I have and stuck a piece in there and slowly stuck it in front of him and he ate.
He is now back to normal and can tell when I get home now and comes out from the rocks and swims around.

 

[stdreb27]

better get started quick on your shark pond. A 40 would keep you going for a few months tops.

 

[doffy2475]

I hatched a bamboo about a month ago. Mine started eating three days after he was hatched. I started him on some stuff from a lfs called shark formula. Its made by ocean nutrition...their web site is www.oceannutrition.com Its a frozen cube made up of squid, krill, clams, shrimp and salmon. I just quartered up the cube and let it thaw and from the first time i offered it to him he hit it. He loves it. As soon as i put it in the tank he goes nuts. I now have him eating whole frozen krill and silver sides as well. In just a month he has already grown almost double in size...hope this helps and good luck

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by doffy2475
http:///forum/post/2726043
I hatched a bamboo about a month ago. Mine started eating three days after he was hatched. I started him on some stuff from a lfs called shark formula. Its made by ocean nutrition...their web site is www.oceannutrition.com Its a frozen cube made up of squid, krill, clams, shrimp and salmon. I just quartered up the cube and let it thaw and from the first time i offered it to him he hit it. He loves it. As soon as i put it in the tank he goes nuts. I now have him eating whole frozen krill and silver sides as well. In just a month he has already grown almost double in size...hope this helps and good luck
I am sorry, but you have to realize how fast these guys grow, let alone the foods. You have two. Is the 40 going yet or are hey still in the ten? Please understand that I am not trying to flame you at all. They are very cute when they are small, but they grow REAL fast.

 

[fraggle_a]

Octopus or squid huh?.
One of the Bamboos has died. Never saw it eat or anything. Just seemed to sit in the corner and sulk.
The other is swimming like a champ but wont eat the ghost shrimp. Those damb shrimp have been in the tank for 5 days and are all still alive, all 12 of them!!. So the water must be okay. LOL
Ill try the squid and so on....
Thanks for that.
Anyone else have feeding tips?.
Can you force feed a fish/shark??

 

[hlcroghan]

Well, I don't think you should try to force feed it. You might scare it and stress it out. You may be able to get it used to a very small pair of tongs and put some food on them soaked in garlic to attract the attention of the shark. I guess they like the smell? Although I will leave it at that. You don't want to stress it out any more than it already is.

 

[fraggle_a]

Okay.
I got some frosen Squid and plopped that infrot of it...
Check this morning and the squid is gone, as are 3 of the 12 shrimp.

Ill try the Garlic thing tonight.
I need some night lighting on the tank to watch it cruise about in the dark.
Its kinda boring to watch sleeping in the daylight..
Hehehe, the damsel wont go near it though.. LOL

 

[hlcroghan]

Well, if it is eating, you might want to leave it alone and just let it eat what you are giving it instead of changing the smell. Let some others chime in here. I don't think it would hurt it but it might get confused.

 

[fraggle_a]

Well, the frosen squid I dropped in worked!.
I thawed it a little in my hand in the water and then carefuly put it close to the little thing. I withdrew and kept an eye on it. Sure enough, it took it. Big lump too. Didnt quite go nuts. During the night it had to have cruised about and eaten more becuse.. I have a lot less shrimp hanging about in the tank now!!.

Just gotta do my daily checks and watcher exchange. (its getting a bucket exchange with the reef tank every evening).
One thing I have to do is plan for 'night' lighting so I can see the little begger cruising around in the dark... Dang nocternal blighter!!

 

[el guapo]

It will become more active in the light the older it gets . They mainly feed at dusk and dawn in the wild . So if you try to mimic that you will get beter results as far as "activity" . Another thing to remember is these sharks are not the same as open swimmers they spend a LOT of time just sitting in one place .

 

[fraggle_a]

Right now Im in the process of buying a new home.
So things are a little tricky.
I dont wana setup a complex lighting system and so on only to rip it down a week or two later. But I do see it move about more when the bulb on the lizard cage goes off just leaving the daylight.
Its actualy quite exciting, coming home and finding the little guy in the corner breathing...