Coral Catshark

[rosco05]

Has anyone ever kept or is currently keeping a coral catshark? I was planning on getting a pair but I have heard they are much more aggressive then bamboo and epaulette sharks and have been known to maul large eels kept with them. I was just wondering if there was any truth to this.
Thank you for your help
Ross

 

[rosco05]

Sorry I just saw the post a few lines below, didnt mean to be repetitive. I just would like to know about their aggressiveness because i would really like to keep a tesselata eel with them but do not want to have compatibility problems.
Thanks again
Ross

 

[rosco05]

limak,
What size is your coral catshark and how much did you pay for him? Also how has it acted towards its tankmates?
Thanks for any help
Ross
Also about the not eating thing Ive heard some sharks will go 1-2 weeks before they eat when introduced to a new tank. However have you tried ghost shrimp? Ive heard sharks find them almost irresistable. Good Luck!

 

[limak]

So far my coral cat has been quite peaceful. She (no claspers so must be female) doesn't seem remotely interested in chomping down on my other fish. Keep in mind though I have had her for less than a week. She might become aggressive.
I paid about 200 canadian with a discount at the LFS where I used to work.
Just changed my set up added another 802 powerhead moved all my rocks to the center of the tank and created ledge. The shark seems happier and less agitated. Hopefully, he'll eat soon. If you want I can keep you updated.

 

[limak]

He is about 20" long.

 

[rosco05]

limak,
It would be greatly appreciated if you could keep me posted.
Thanks again
Ross

 

[limak]

Rosco, Not sure if your still watching this thread but I'll post anyway.
It has been just over a week since I've had my shark. She has begun to tentatively feed.
After trying to feed her night and day, so far I've gotten her to eat a tiny piece of squid and an equally small goldfish. To tell you the truth, I beginning to get frustrated with the shark's lack of aggression! It doesn't compete for food making feeding a real pain. Hopefully, she'll get tough.
Y
ou posted that you were worried that the shark might pick on a tessie. More likely, it'll be the other way round. From what I hear those bad boys can be pretty tough.
Also with two coral cats and a tesselata eel, you'll have a pretty heavy bioload with not a lot of action. You might want to drop one of the sharks from your wishlist and add some fish. At least that way, you'll see some activity during the day.

 

[simm]

Iv got one in a 100. He stays hidden much during the day. He is nocturnal. He is just now starting to come out a little when I feed. Hes pretty peaceful. AS far as mauling an eel Im not sure. He dosent mess with anyone else in my tank!

 

[limak]

What other fish do you have? How and what are you feeding your shark?

 

[simm]

Limak. Iv got a lion, yellow tang, foxface, lawnmowere blenny and a sailfin tang. I feed the shark fresh shrimp. I stick it on a kbob skewer and wiggle it in his face. I do it at night when the lights go off.

 

[limak]

Doesn't even eat your blenny, wow that is a peaceful shark.
I've heard that metal can really screw with a shark so you might want to use a wooden or plastic skewer. Not trying to tell you your business...that's just what I've heard.
How big is it? How long have you had him?

 

[benthic]

I've kept a 18-20 inch coral cat before, he wasn't too bad overall. When feeding however he got pretty aggressive and would grab any fish he ran across, but my bamboos do this too. Not sure how one would behave with an eel around.

 

[simm]

limak I do use a wooden skewer. He hasent bothered the blenny yet. (knock on wood) Shark is about 6". Had him for over a couple months now.

 

[limak]

My coral cat seems to have fully adjusted. I fed him cut up pieces of fresh anchovie and he went crazy. I was totally shocked but it was pretty cool. Fortunately, my other fish were quite quick to get out of his way. I was a bit worried he might take a chunk out of my naso.
Hey Simms, if you wanted, you could probably get your shark to eat in the mornings when the light comes on. When I turn my lights on my shark comes out in anticipation of being fed and swims around. It is one of the few times he is active when I'm awake.
Now that he has begun to eat well, I am going to switch to a more regular feeding schedule of twice a week. Thanks for all your advice guys...it seems I'm headed down the right track.

 

[simm]

Cool Limak. Nice to hear he is eating.

 

[davidsmith]

what size tank you have your cat shark and how big is he i am about to buy one it just hatced i wanna know if i could put it in my 55 gallon for awhile

 

[limak]

My guestimation would be 6 months to a year if you feed sparingly and have no tankmates.

 

[davidsmith]

well what if i wanted to put a few tank mates like lets say maybe a eel or a puffer would that be okay and what size u think he will get

 

[limak]

Grows to about 2 and a half feet. Puffer might nip at it and they also get quite large. Eel would have to be a decent size so as not to get eaten but maybe could be done for a very short while. If it were me, I would hold off on the shark till I upgrade and get the puffer, eel and maybe a third fish (dwarf lion might work). I would do this for several reasons.
The eel and puffer are cheaper, they'll be happier in the smaller tank and you can get a feel for their personalities to see whether they might harm your future shark. Although you might be able to keep alive, it really is not that interesting watching a nocturnal shark alone in a small tank. If you add other fish, you'll be constantly worrying whether the tank is big enough which isn't much fun either.
I'm not an expert by any means but I did wait until I upgraded to get a shark and have been very happy with that decision.

 

[davidsmith]

well i have in a other 5 gallon a fuzzy dwarf a marine betta a porc puffer snow flake eel clown trigger and a panda puffer but ther all small around 3 to 4 inches they are doing great all react to each other no fighting at all my eel clamps on to my puffer sometimes but nothing serious i just put a orange shoulder in mytank i know my tank is heavily stock but it works . well what i just put a shark that is about 2 weeksold it just hatched in my freinds tank and it already eating live tubeifex worms