bamboo shark hatchling

[maryjane66979]

ok i was at one of my LFS yesterday and in the new stock tanks were the cutest smallest bamboo sharks (4) i talked to the guy there and he says one of these little guys would be fine in my 40g till i get my 210g moved and cycled. he says i could have this shark in a 40g for at least 6 mo. i just dont belive this. can someone tell me how fast this shark will grow?

 

[crypt keeper]

in a 40 gallon for a few months will be 100% fine. IMO if you dont have the 210 already set up dont buy him. Hatchlings have a very poor survival rate as it is which is sad.

 

[maryjane66979]

thanks thats what i was thinking as well. whats a good size to get for a better survival rate? is a bamboo an "easier" shark to keep? the LFS guy is alway trying to make a sale, so i never know if i can truly trust what he says.

 

[crypt keeper]

Bamboos are the easiest too keep for sharks from what i researched. They are the most common. That being said they are by no means easy too keep if that makes sense. They require the most dedicated keepers and will not tolerate "oh I will get around to that water change" type attitudes. They need a very large tank. 210 would house one for a few years but fully grown they need a 3 foot wide tank that is probably 8 foot long. Its not the amount of gallons that is important its foot print. Your tank could be a foot deep and they wouldnt care. You could build a lagoon which I have flirted with the idea until i got out of the hobby. Honestly with a 210 I would keep some tangs and some angels. Maybe a puffer and have a great colorful active tank before getting a shark. They are boring. They sit on the bottom and just do nothing. Are they cool. Yeah sure. Its a shark. But they arent active at all.
And as Far as getting one that is a good size. get one that you have seen eat a few times. Getting them to eat is the issue.

 

[maryjane66979]

don't know if i'll ever get a shark, i am AMAZED with sharks of any and all types since i did a shark cage in hawaii about 7 yrs ago. its not something i would "jump" into without ALOT more info i don't want to take part in getting one and it being my fault it died. they were just cute as can be, i was "tempted" but need to know what i'm doing before doing it. enough sharks are killed every day by careless people and i don't want to add myself to that list.