As Promised

novice150

Member
I've been saying I would swim with my black tip for a while now, but wanted to wait till the tank needed cleaned. I was also a bit worried about how he would react. I've swam with the others before, but the black tip is by far the most skittish.
I'm happy to say both the black tip and I came out ok:D He did great actually. I entered the tank very slowly (over the course of about 10 min) so he could get used to me. I admit I was a bit nervous when I first stuck me feet in the tank and he started swimming circles around them. LOL Once I was in though, he seem curious as to just what the heck I was doing in his house:) He even swam right up to my goggles and looked me in the eye!
 

cielo

New Member
Oh my gosh, that is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. AWESOME photos. Gives a really good idea of his size too. I know before you mentioned how big he was but it was hard to picture him without some sort of reference with him.
What a cool pet !:D
 

novice150

Member
Treble, still got em:D LOL
Thanks Bo! It was alot of fun:)
Bronco: That would work just fine for the window, but what about the walls? 10"-15" thick:D Plus, at nearly $500 for a magnet capable of holding on 1.5" thick, I'd rather just swim once a month.
 

ac

Member
That's great, you might as well get him use to you in the tank because when he's 4 or 5 feet long you want him good and friendly.LOL
 

grouperhead

Active Member
Novice, what are your plans for the shark when it reaches maturity? Do you have to use a chiller because of the horn? Man, that is just incredible. Bo
 

ophiura

Active Member
Wow. cool set up. I thought that 1500g tank at one of my fav restaurants was wasted with those blood parrot cichlids in it :D !!
When he grows up, you'll need to build this!! 40,000g (at the store I used to work at)
(you can be convinced, right?) :D
 

ophiura

Active Member
Then you'll get to do this instead :D (one of the only good parts about the work!)
SCUBA gear: a whole new line of "aquarium supplies!"
I don't know if I would like to be swimming with sharks though.
 

jugger

Member
WOW really thats all i can say....thats taking this hobby to another level....id love to see your setup in person but i would understand if you didnt like that idea.....i live in Ft Collins so send me an email if thats cool
 

novice150

Member
AC: My thoughts exactly!!
Grouperhead: I took the sharks adult size into account when I bought them. My first plan of action is to build bigger tank. I plan to move in a few years, and would build a bigger one then. The new tank will be in the 6-8k gallon range, and will be made of concrete. My plan B (worse case scenario) is to donate the shark to the public aquarium here in Denver. This is not just something I am hoping they would do. I talked it over with them before I ever bought the shark. They said they do get a lot of calls/donation offers for overgrown sharks, but not regarding black tips.
I do not run a chiller or a heater on the tank. What I've tried to accomplish is a happy medium. The horn and leopard are cool water sharks, while the black tip and bamboo are more tropical. I try to keep the temp at the high end or the cool range, and low end of the warm range, if that makes any sense.:) The tank is obviously in the basement, and directly on the cement floor, so the temp stays pretty constant. There is no natural light affecting the temp, and my lights on the tank are not enough to affect it. I use my home's heating/Ac to control it as the tank holds it temp very well. A shift of a degree or two in the house, and the tank will slowly rise or fall to match.
StacyT: I don't think I want to push it. I dont want the sharks to associate me with food any more than they already do:)
gliuomo: The tank itself took a total of about six months.
ophiura: Very cool! I dream of my next tank being that big. I've already begun designing/planning my next tank. As I was telling grouperhead, if all goes well my next tank will be much bigger and better.
jugger: I'd be more than happy to show the tank to you or anyone else in the area. Drop me an email at nacnacmxr2@aol.com.
Once again, a very big THANK YOU, to all who have complimented my tank/set up. Puts a big :D on my face every time
 
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