Bamboo Shark in a 175 Gal Bowfront

bluegoose972

bluegoose972

Member
Will a Bamboo shark work in a 175 gal bowfront? The footprint is narrow on the ends, especially with the overflows (12" wide), but the center is 24" wide. Tankmates would be kept to a minimum, probably an eel, a lion fish, or a couple of tangs. Putting an extra large protein skimmer on just in case. The tank will have a DSB and only about 60 lbs of live rock in the center.
What do you guys think?
 
wrigley11

wrigley11

Member
You could get away with the 170 but you would have to set the tank up just right. One, there is no way you would be able to have an eel and a lion in with the shark.
You may be able to get away with the shark and maybe one other large agressive fish.
The other thing would be the tank layout... If this is the setup you are set on, I would use one of the corners with the overflow... and make a cave / ledge. That way he shark has it's little home and that would be it. Nothing else in the tank.
With this idea you should be able to keep the shark for it entire life.
Also, don't by the huge protein skimmer, use the money on a UV unit.
If you need any further info... drop me an email at wrigley11@go.com or just post what you need.
 
jim27

jim27

Member

Originally posted by wrigley11
Also, don't by the huge protein skimmer, use the money on a UV unit.

Why the UV? Sharks are pretty resistant to parasits. A big skimmer is a must IMO. Much more useful for sharks than a UV.
As for the tank itself........ You could definatly keep a bamboo in there for quite some time but I dont know if I'd keep it in there when its full grown. The 12" sides are the problem. For tank mates you could probably do one, maybe two fish( like the eel and the lion) assuming you have a powerful skimmer and wet/dry on the tank. But again, I dont think I'd keep the shark in there for life....
 
wrigley11

wrigley11

Member
Why the UV over the Huge Skimmer... I love it when I get this question.
On a 170... all you are going to do is over skim if you put one of those huge skimmers on it. I'm not talking about one of those $100 models. But using a berlin turbo would be fine for that size tank.
As for the UV... yes Sharks are pretty resistant to parasits in the wild. In a small tank sharks usually die for one of three reasons ( I will leave to small of a tank off this list even though it counts for a large percentage of shark deaths )
1. Lack of proper diet... keep feeding that several hundred dollar shark dollar smelt. Your shark will stop eating 6 -12 months later, and develope wasting dease.
2. Water quality is not the the liking of the shark.
3. Parasit infections - in the ocean sharks eat things that have just died, are about to die, or are to slow. They also do not deal with the confines of a small tank. A bamboo in a small tank will have it belly rubbed raw at least once in awhile. This is where a lot of the problems start. The food - even fresh sea food can have unwanted things with it.
THe UV is just a good idea... you may be fine without it. But it has solved move shark problems then I can count.
UV's also help with bacteria infections - not once they are set in, but can stop them from happening at all.
There's also a really good book on parasites that bother sharks.
On the whole book thing... Bluegoose972. Buy it... the book has almost every answer to every question that I have seen on this board.
Scott W. Michael's - Sharks & Rays
Chapter 7 pg. 193
Here you'll see a whole list of parasites
 
tvan

tvan

Member
Bacteria and parasites one of the biggest killers of captive sharks. Sharks can get ick. I use a large protein skimmer and a uv with a refugium.
HTH
Tom
 
splash1914

splash1914

Member
my tank is perfect without a UV..... IMO you should get a quality skimmer.... I have a UV from a previous tank and have been too lazy to hook it up...... now with me selling my house I am definitly not hooking it up!
 
jim27

jim27

Member
wrigley:
I do have that book and I have read over the section you mentioned, but all I'm saying is that you NEED a skimmer to keep up with the amount of waste a shark produces. And when I say big skimmer I dont mean put a skimmer rated for 1000g on a 170g, I mean more like something rated for 300-400 gallons, especially if you're going to have other fish in the tank. UV's are useful if you've got the extra $$, but if I was setting up a tank I'd buy a good skimmer over a UV.
Like splash my tank is fine without a UV. I doubt you'll find very many that are fine with out a skimmer.
 
triggeraa

triggeraa

Member
I think if you are keeping sharks both a uv and a good skimmer are important. Sharks need clean water wich the skimmer helps achieve and the uv is good insurance against any water borne parasites. I have both in my tank.;) Just make sure you replace the bulb in the uv every six months to keep it running at full strength.
 
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