calling ALL shark owners!!

lionfish28

Member
Can you give me some info about a black bannded shark?
Iam upgrading my 55gal tank to 125gal tank in december.
Would i be able to put a stingray in the tank?
 

moraym

Active Member
Though I am not a shark keeper yet, I do know that the size of the tank is not the only consideration. Be sure you can afford a good skimmer and excess filtration to keep the shark's water pristine. Good water levels seem to be as important as tank size when keeping sharks. Also, be sure there's plenty of swimming room, you don't want your shark scratching his stomach over LR and getting infected.
 

pufferman

Member
I think I said this before....but.......minimum 180 for any smallest ray/shark....period! Even if you have enough space, they are more challenging to keep than many other marine fishes because you have limited options in terms of disease treatment, and also they're extremely intolerant of the presence of any metal ion.......and metabolites......they are complicated creatures to deal with. I don't think I'll ever try sharks even if I have kept saltwater fishes successfully for quite a while. I also would stay away from ray no matter what unless you have a really HUGE system. If you really want to keep a shark, why not spend a little more money...and get 180? of course, you have to convince your parents in order to do that.......just my little thought!
 

mattiej

Member
The black banded bamboo shark is a member of the cat shark family. In the wild it can reach to almost five feet and is a bottom dwelling shark. It feeds primarily on crustacea, small fish, and cephlapods. It has the ability to 'walk' on its pectoral fins and therefore can crawl into tight spaces to retrieve food. It is best to feed them atleast three times a week to satisation. The banding on the young will usually fade when the animal reaches adulthood.
One problem you will encounter with the bamboo shark and a 125 is the footprint of the tank. Either standard size 125 will have a footprint that is too small for the adult bamboo (which can reach well over three feet in captivity). I would also strongly agree with MorayM as to the filtration needed for proper shark care. Sharks are very messy eaters and here is the rub, they also require near pristine water conditions. This can be accomplished, of course, but requires the largest bio-filter, protein skimmer, and dedicated water changes. Live rock is an option but special care must be given to how it is used. I would not recommend using LR as the sole biological filter. Even with the best LR there just isn't enough surface area to filter a shark tank.
I would highly recommend a larger tank for any ray. These guys need lots of room to swim and hunt for food. It is very unnatural for most rays to spend all its time in one place. I would have to agree that an 8x3 is the minmum for any ray.
There is one option you could try but not sure how it'll go over. You could purchase a round water trough such as a Rubbermaid and use this as your tank. The round shape helps with the swimming of most elasmobranchs and being made of plastic drilling holes for overflows and the like is relatively easy.
 

jim27

Member

Originally posted by mattiej
The black banded bamboo shark is a member of the cat shark family. In the wild it can reach to almost five feet...

If you're talking about chiloscyllium punctatum then thats incorrect. They're not true catsharks. And according to everything I've ever read about them they get 41 inches max. Other than that I agree with your post.
 

mattiej

Member
JIM27, you are absolutely correct! Sorry for the incorrect info, I should be more careful in reading my posts. You are also correct in the size estimate.
lionfish28, be very weary of any advice or suggestion that any ray can live in anything less than 6 feet by 3 feet. In my opinion this is the bare minimum for any ray species. Even though rays seem fairly immobile, in the wild they cover great distances for feeding and when they get larger usually won't tolerate any other bottom dwellers. My best advice would be to put the animal in a system that can house it for its entire life. As I have said before one major key to success is stability. Moving any elasmobranch too many times is not good for the animal.
 

mattiej

Member
Footprint is the dimensions of the tank i.e. length and width. For most elasmos, footprint is as important as gallons. You could have 20000 gallons but if the tank only measured 2 foot by 2 foot and whatever height then you aren't going to be able to keep any shark or ray. I know this seems like a ridiculous example but is meant to show that tanks measuring 4 feet by 1.5 feet (standard 75 gallon) can not housed a shark that gets over two feet long. The animal has to be able to swim freely without having to constantly double over itself. Even sedentary animals still need room to move about. Crowding a shark or ray into too small of a tank will most definitely shorten its life. It is a myth that elasmos will only grow to the size the tank allows. The truth is the animal will grow until it's crowded and eventually die.
 

gasguzzler

Active Member
Cali Rays get about 18" in length and almost the same in disc width. I have a male/female pair and they are exteremly fascinating creatures. However, do not attempt them until you have some prior elasmobranch experience and a suitable environment (at least 180).
 

mattiej

Member
Hey gasguzzler PM me. Had to change plans around for trip due to work (if only I was independently wealthy!). I can give you the new dates.
 
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