Cat Shark questions

[biglar]

I want to buy a Cat Shark, but want to research them first. I have a 180 gal reef that I'm tearing down and want to use this tank. The tank has a 6" DSB and some live rock. It also has a 50 gal refugium on it for algae filtration. How's this setup for the shark?
Some other questions:
What temperature does the Cat Shark need?
Is it an active shark?
The tank currently has a snow flake eel, sailfin tang, maroon clown, and domino damsel in it. The domino is definetly out and so is the maroon, can the others stay in the tank?
Will it ever outgrow the 180?

 

[treble]

I can not tell you much about the coral catshark but I do know that your Sail-fin tang can stay along with the snowflake eel.

 

[biglar]

I'm not worried about the existing fish and eel, they have been together for a long time. I want to know if they will be ok with the shark

 

[jim27]

Which species of cat shark did you have in mind? A coral or marbled cat will be fine with a sailfin tang and a snowflake eel.
Since you said you had a reef, I'm assuming you have loads of lr. Most of it will have to go if you want a shark. Take out enough so that the shark will have plenty of room to move around. If you getting a marbled or coral cat shark I'd take out all but about 40lbs. You may be able to have more in if you get the shark as a baby, but it'll have to come out as it grows.
Coral and marbled catsharks like normal reef temps(78-82) while other species like swell sharks live in cold water(66-)
Some cat shark species will out grow a 180, altough the two I mentioned above only get about 2ft an will be fine.
I'm not sure if a 50g ref will provide enough water turnover for the shark either, you may need to look into wet/dry filtration. You'll definetly need a good skimmer too.
I can give you more info if your more specific on what species.

 

[biglar]

Jim27,
I looked at your site and the shark looks like your Brownbanded Bamboo shark. The LFS has eggs and some of them have hatched. He just called it a cat shark. I'll have to go and look closer at it and compare.

 

[biglar]

I've been pulling out a lot of live rock because I setup another 180 sps tank. I may put some more in the refugium.
What kind of flow do these sharks need? I have a ton of power heads(about 10 not in use). I can also put a bigger pump on the refugium so it gets a lot of flow. I don't see flow being a problem. Tell me what I need and I'll hook it up.
Do you think the deep sand bed will be ok. I guess the question should be, will the shark stir it up a lot?

 

[jim27]

They are commonly called "cat sharks" by lfs's even though they are more closly related to whale sharks than true catsharks. These get to be about 3ft long and most can live in a 180 for all of its life.
For bamboo sharks the tanks filtration should turn the water over at least 4 times an hour. Can you put a skimmer in your refugium? If not you'll need a sump for one which is why I recommend you get(or make) a large(40g+) wet/dry and use the sump part for the skimmer. Do a search on refugiums in this forum and see what you find, I'm not sure about how well they work on aggressive tanks.
I'm also not so sure about the dsb's effectiveness. Bamboo sharks are known to dig for food. They won't stir it up that much though.

 

[biglar]

What's the lowest temperature they can have. The tank is in the basement and the air conditioner is keeping my heaters on and costing me a lot. I would like to run the tank on the cooler side to save on electric bill.
I have 2 hang on the back skimmers now, but will eventually get another big one for the tank.
4 times turn over is not a problem. But do sharks like strong current?

 

[jim27]

What skimmers do you have now?
In addition to the 2 rio 2500's providing return from the wet'dry's, I have a 700gph mag-drive and two hagen 801's with another 801 going in soon. A lot of flow is a good thing.
Optimum temps are between 72 and 82 for these sharks, so heat your tank accordingly. Depending on the temp where the tank is, you may not even need a heater. I have one but its never on.

 

[biglar]

One of the skimmers is a small Prizm and I'm not sure what the other is. I use a Euroreef on my sps tank and love it. I'll probably get another one of these for the tank.
How often do you do water changes on your tank? How large are they?

 

[jim27]

I do monthly 60 gallon water changes. It's a pain in the ass but I don't want my nitrates to build up like they did a few monthes ago(the got up to 100ppm). Good thing bamboos are very tolorent of high trates.