Cat Shark Eggs

[d. digler]

Hello all, I'm new to this board-sent over from the Aqualink Webforum. I'm trying to find out more information on cat shark eggs. I've seen a few posts for Bamboo shark eggs, but does anyone have any experince with cat shark eggs? I like to know what the optimum conditions are for getting these things to hatch (ie-high/low lighting, current, water parameters, etc...)
Also, getting the thing to feed once it hatches. Should I have some tasty squid ready to offer him right after he hatches? Will he go after cleaner shrimp and/or any slow moving gobies?
Right now I've got one egg in my 75 gal (60x18x16) reef. I'm changing things around in there tonight so that the reef is built up in the middle of the tank--that way he can do laps around the perimeter if he wants. I was also told that once he grows as long as the tank is wide ( so that he can no longer make a full turn without bending) I should get rid of him. Is this a good test to go by? If so, do they grow fast?
As always, all comments and feedback welcome and appreciated!!!
Dirk

 

[risc]

D. Digler:
I can't believe how many people have catshark eggs... I probably currently have about 19 cat shark eggs in a 55 gallon aquarium bascially until they hatch. I have also hatched over 200 or more of them in my time. They don't require anything too special when it comes to water parameters. You should however keep them out the way of large currents so they can't tumble all over the tank. Also the hotter your water is the quicker they will hatch. However if your egg doesn't hatch for 4 months, don't get discouraged, sometimes they tank a very long time to hatch. I would suggest that you stick the egg into a crevice or somewhere where it can be left alone by any other fish. You won't have to feed the shark for about 3 to 4 days after it hatches, but yes you will want to feed it squid right away. Preferrably fresh squid bought from a fish market. Since catsharks don't have large mouths you are going to have to cut the pieces up VERY small so he can ingest them. The tenticles are usually the easiest to work with. You may also have to hand feed it, by sticking the squid directly under his nasoral grooves. Your cat shark will not eat shrimp until he is large enough to do so. And often if they are accustomed to them as tank mates they will not. However there is always a chance so beware of it once it gets large enough. What you heard about the length of the shark per the tank is wide isn't always true for catsharks. However because you have him in a reef structure I would upgrade him to a 180 gallon once he reaches 16 inches. If he can stand on his tail and reach the top of the tank, consider that bad. Catsharks only grow as fast as you feed them. If you feed him daily he will grow very fast, but the reef structures will stunt his growth a little bit until you clear out a lot of area for him to move or get a new tank. I generally feed my catsharks once a day until they reach a length I am happy with, then I only feed them once every two to three days.
They can grow as much as 11 inches in one year, but most only grow about 9 inches in 4 to 5 years. It just depends on his living habitat and how much you feed.
Jim

 

[d. digler]

Jim, thanks for the input! Over 200 successful hatchings--man that's a lot! I was checking out links to pictures of various types of shark pictures and I'm starting to think that I might have a Leopard shark egg. They used to have a bunch of baby Leopards (grey with the black spots, right?) and so when they got this egg in I asked if it was one like the babies they used to carry and he said it was. My egg is shaped like a perioge (sp.?? Polish food) and is dark brown in color covered with algea. Do all of the eggs look alike, or is there a way to tell what type I have?
I'd like to be prepared for whatever comes out if this thing-pot luck suprise!

 

[risc]

D. Digler:
Leopard sharks do not lay eggs, they give birth to live young. However if you do happen to find out you have a Leopard shark egg, that means someone captured a pregnant female and killed her for her young while still in the gestation period. In which case this is a felony offense and whoever sold you it should be criminally investigated.
But yes you are right leopard sharks are grey with black bands on their body. However if you ever decide to get one of these animals I strongly suggest you have a tank of at least 6,000 or more gallons to keep them in.
Also, yes most shark eggs do look the same.
Jim

 

[d. digler]

Jim,
Thanks again for responding. Chances are that the guy who sold it to me was mistaken and that it really is a cat shark egg. If it is a Cat shark, what type of behavior do they typically demonstrate in the tank? Are they active swimmers? Should I be concerned about anything else in my tank picking on him, or him chowing down on them? I have:
yellow tang, maroon clown, Sm.Ebli Eye (about 2 in.), mandarin gobi, 4 damsels, bubble coral, green star polyps, purple tip anemone, fiji toadstool, shrooms, emerald crabs, assorted snails and hermits. I'll watch for the Ebli Eye pickin at eyes. For a base in my tank I've got about 2-3 inches of finely CC--will this irritate his belly?
I'm planning on catching the damsels if I ever can and returning them to the LFS. Am I gonna have to feed this guy like a pig to keep him happy? I don't want to end up with a tank that's been overfed/stocked.

 

[risc]

D. Digler:
They don't do anything all day long unless they are hungry or irritated. At night the will circle the tank for hours and hours. He will not eat anything you have in the tank, at least until he has reached a more mature age. They are very lethargic when they are young. When they are adults they will attack visciously anything that smells like food. They will smack food against the substrate and off adjacent rocks and other things. Watch out for this because when they get larger than can knock rocks all over the tank possibly crushing them and other fish. The damsels will harass him. They will flutter their tail in its face and irritate him which will cause stress. The eye picking thing is especially important with catsharks since they do not do much of anything during the day. CC isn't the preffered substrate for catsharks, but it will work fine. Just make sure he is always healthy looking because, yes, he can damage his skin on it if he grazes it violently.
They don't eat very much at a young age, but when they are adults they eat like pigs. I feed mine about 1/5 of a package of squid every 3 days. One package costs me about $4. I just buy grocery store fresh squid rings mostly.
Jim

 

[skirk]

I'm not trying to put rain on any parade but I think you should do some more research b4 you go getting sharks. For example: Using cc instead on sand. Also sounds like a future overpopulation problem. 75gal is not a big tank (as you already know) and it seems you have a lot in there. Sure most of it may be small, but it all grows. I think your mind is already set though so please do remove the damsels. And you shoulda started with ls. I hope you're not using an undergravel filter for a shark. Anyways, I'm not saying don't do what you want. But rather please do it right and reduce the chances of another lost shark to the trade. You also shouldn't get him if you're not keeping him for his entire life and buying a big enough tank someday. Many people come up with the swift idea of getting rid of the shark when it gets to big b4 realizing most people (lfs) don't want a shark when it gets big.
In summarizing, please treat the shark as well as you can. Yes, spoil it and build your tank around him and remove anything that doesn't get along with him. Good-luck and please don't take this wrong. It's just not starting off on the right foot.

 

[d. digler]

Skirk, no worries man. I'm upgrading to a 240 in a few months so he'll have plenty of room to move around (and nice soft sand to lay on). This is merely a hatching tank for the lil' lad. Thanks for the concern, and please understand, that's why people come to boards like these--to learn more about the care and keeping of marine life; not to learn better ways of killing, or inadvertantly ticking people off.
Dirk