Anyone have a port jackson???

[ac]

I had him about 6 months. I learned some hard lessons, unfortunately at his expense. He was grey and never showed signs of changing colors although he was pretty young. I fed him krill, silversides, squid and shrimp. He never bothered the cleanup crew. He seemed to be like a bamboo, but didn't hide as much. I really want to put one in my pond. I think they are a very beautiful shark. I guess I'll talk about lessons learned, even though it's quite embarrassing. My wife and I bought him on a whim(bad idea). He was put in a 55 gallon while I was setting up my 320. That wasn't so bad since he was about 10 inches long. Then came valentines day and my wife decided to suprise me with a lunar(lunitic) wrasse. The wrasse did some serious stressing to the shark. When I removed the shark to the 320 he had developed an eye infection from the wrasse picking on him and just couldn't recover. Sharks are very delicate. I don't put anything anymore in the tank that even remotely would pick on them. Anyway I look forward to getting another PJ and giving it the home it deserves.

 

[supermanvx]

Yea i love them when they are juvi. but cant get passed the idea of their enlongated snout...but right now im debating between a bamboo (thanks to psusocur1 and yours)...and a portjackson, either way they will both love where they will be swimming...Also quick question...when i was reading more on bamboo's said they require little-no light, yes because they are nocturnal, but will metal halides be too powerful for these guys?

 

[ac]

I use normal output floresent. How deep is the tank? If they have good covered hiding places it's probably fine.

 

[supermanvx]

hmm theyd probably be alright then...i have a nice aquascape idea in my mind, with 2 large caves...i just need to make up my mind if i want a bamboo or a portjackson. if you dont mind me asking (sorry ive been asking alot) how big was your bamboo when you got it, and how long did it take to lose its stripes?...its funny i cant win, when the bamboo's are pups, i dont like their stripes/bands, but when the portjackson is an adult i dont like the enlongated snout, well from what i have seen in wild photography, but aquarium its different, im confused....ehh haha

 

[supermanvx]

bump for AC

 

[ac]

She was about 18 inches long. Her stripes faded over the next couple of years. It's hard to tell when you see them every day. Her stripes are still visable just very light. I'll try and get some new photos of her so you can see how much she's faded. She's hiding right now so maybe later.

 

[supermanvx]

Originally Posted by AC
She was about 18 inches long. Her stripes faded over the next couple of years. It's hard to tell when you see them every day. Her stripes are still visable just very light. I'll try and get some new photos of her so you can see how much she's faded. She's hiding right now so maybe later.
any advice for me if i were to get a portjackson?

 

[ac]

I found my PJ pretty easy to take care of. Once they're eating they should be fine. There are somethings to consider on the tank setup, mainly a soft sand bottom. Give him a good variety of foods and you should do fine. What size tank are you planning?

 

[ac]

Oh yea I forgot one very important thing. I want to see pictures

 

[supermanvx]

Originally Posted by AC
I found my PJ pretty easy to take care of. Once they're eating they should be fine. There are somethings to consider on the tank setup, mainly a soft sand bottom. Give him a good variety of foods and you should do fine. What size tank are you planning?
144x48x48...by a variety what would i feed...i was going to have LOTS of snails and crabs and then feed meaty foods 2x a week so the pj would get more of a "natural" diet...tank isnt setup yet, just the filtration...tank will be up and cycling monday. i have been teasing the members on this forum for awhile, some people who have my AIM have seen pics, but i really wanna make a journal type thread, more than 3 or 4 different threads of this tank. IM me if you want to see some teasers

onehundredkvx

 

[ac]

My PJ pretty much left my snails along. I didn't have crabs. I fed him squid, silversides and shrimp. Sounds like a great tank. Anything else on the stocking list?

 

[supermanvx]

Originally Posted by AC
My PJ pretty much left my snails along. I didn't have crabs. I fed him squid, silversides and shrimp. Sounds like a great tank. Anything else on the stocking list?
volitan, tangs (yellow, purple, blue hippo or powder blue, and gold rim), 3 heniochus butterflies, copperband, and maybe an eel, and a pair of rays but probably not.
my main concern is i wont be able to hand feed/feeding stick the shark, since its 4' deep, and where its located i wont have much room to get in...did you have to feed by stick, or just drop in a bunch and the shark will worry about how it gets to him..

 

[ac]

initiallly I fed by stick, but after a short time I just dumped in because there wasn't that much competition for the food.

 

[supermanvx]

ok, thanks for all the help and advice. Eventually i will figure out if i will add a bamboo or PJ...ill keep the forums updated. Thanks again