i got a shark egg......now what?

[ray fdny]

The pet store sold me a shark egg...(a banded reef cat shark) i think. umm i had it in my tank for about a month and it is growing, the shark is about 2 to 3 inches now and the yolk is almost all gone. i was told when the yolk is all gone it will hatch. is this tru? what should i do when it comes out? should i isolate it in my refugium? how do i go about feeding itfor the first time?

 

[thoroughbred]

You probably should have thought about this before you bought the egg. What you want to do now is make sure you have the rights set up. Your going to need 200+ gal tank for a full grown one so make sure your willing to upgrade or have lined up someone to take him when he gets too large. As far as your question make sure to give him time to relax in a stress free environment. A tank with alot of fish is not a good idea so do what you need to... Try feeding shrimp or krill or squid with vitamins and garlic and hope for the best.
Good luck

 

[bjoe23]

Ya you should have a 200+ tank, what tank is it in? Is there any fish in the tank?

Alot of unanswered things, like why would you buy it if you dont have a clue about it?

 

[mie]

Originally Posted by bjoe23
http:///forum/post/2483075
Ya you should have a 200+ tank, what tank is it in? Is there any fish in the tank?

Alot of unanswered things, like why would you buy it if you dont have a clue about it?

In most case's a mature tank will yield a mature aquariest.

 

[keith burn]

Please read up on the livestock and their requirements before you buy.
It will save you money in the long run.

 

[itom37]

While I agree with the others, I know they certainly aren't helping. We've all made mistakes in this hobby, and the best we can hope for when we do is that we'll be able to fix them. It sounds like that's what ray fdny is trying to do. Sorry I can't help, I have no experience with shark eggs. I know people on these forums do, and perhaps you'll find some help.
Good luck!

 

[h2ointolerant]

i hatched one a long time ago, and he would only eat live foods.we gave him some ghost shrimp, and that got him eating. then we were able to ween him to eating a proper diet of shrimp,krill,and squid.

 

[briand7878]

I too purchased one because it was a steal at $25.00. When i bought it the shark was about 4 inches long curled up in the egg. It took about 2 months for the shark to hatch on its own and i soon realized what a mistake i made. My tank is a 125 gallon with about 125 pounds of live rock. The shark only came out at night so i had to stay up to feed it. He would only take krill from a feeding stick and was picky with that. i woke up one morning and saw several perfect mouth prints on my foxface where my shark ate his fins. I forgot to mention. no matter how excited you get dont cut the egg. It will come out on its own, mine was about 8 inches when it hatched. It didnt take me anytime at all to decide on taking it to the store for credit. I got 15 out of it.

 

[keith burn]

Originally Posted by ray fdny
http:///forum/post/2483002
The pet store sold me a shark egg...
I need to say it's not you ray it's the pet store.
IMO only go to fish store thay will tell you what you need we hope...
And getting a good book on the livestock you will buy is always a good idea.

 

[jennythebugg]

wow i didnt even know they sold those , for that matter i was under the assumption sharks were born live, ya learn something new every day huh ?

 

[ray fdny]

For those with helpfull insight, I thank you. The rest of you need to relax and should also learn, if you dont have anything helpfull to say you shouldnt post anything. This is the reason i stopped looking up this sight months ago. I was sick of seeing people start bashing otheres for buying certain types of fish that they feel may not suit there tank. i dident even say the system i have and you are already starting. i dident ask you if my tank way big enought ...... or if i have been in the hobbie long enought to handle it. i asked you what to do when it hatches(feeding wise) and any experiences you may or may not have had with that perticular situation. if you dont have any experiences with the subject you should shut up

 

[lateral72]

So. What is the setup like?

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by ray fdny
http:///forum/post/2483577
For those with helpfull insight, I thank you. The rest of you need to relax and should also learn, if you dont have anything helpfull to say you shouldnt post anything. This is the reason i stopped looking up this sight months ago. I was sick of seeing people start bashing otheres for buying certain types of fish that they feel may not suit there tank. i dident even say the system i have and you are already starting. i dident ask you if my tank way big enought ...... or if i have been in the hobbie long enought to handle it. i asked you what to do when it hatches(feeding wise) and any experiences you may or may not have had with that perticular situation. if you dont have any experiences with the subject you should shut up
While I understand your frustration, it is not kind to tell other hobbiests off. They are trying to help. I saw this when you posted it and I did not respond. You came off as someone who may be putting this into a 55 gallon, or smaller, tank. I do not blame the other hobbiests at all for answering the way that they did. If you have a large tank to support this shark then you could have told us that up front. You basically said that the LFS sold you a shark egg and you don't know what to do with it. These cannot live in just any tank. They need large tanks and an experienced aquarist to handle them. Tell us your tank size and what is in it.

 

[pastor b.]

Dear hobbyist ,I've had two cat sharks , and I have learned that this type of fish needs plenty of room to swim , and can be very picky with its selection of food choices . Its always wise to get as much information as possible on any fish , since fish needs can vary from fish to fish . Other wise , you'll be giving your tank mates that don't survive the royal flush !!!!!!

 

[john,jr]

Originally Posted by ray fdny
http:///forum/post/2483577
For those with helpful insight, I thank you. The rest of you need to relax and should also learn, if you dont have anything helpful to say you shouldnt post anything. This is the reason i stopped looking up this sight months ago. I was sick of seeing people start bashing others for buying certain types of fish that they feel may not suit there tank. i didnt even say the system i have and you are already starting. i didnt ask you if my tank way big enough ...... or if i have been in the hobby long enough to handle it. i asked you what to do when it hatches(feeding wise) and any experiences you may or may not have had with that particular situation. if you dont have any experiences with the subject you should shut up
When someone ask a question they fell like they are on trial for some crime. If you ask what the water temperature should they want to know what size tank? do you have CC/ do You a cleanup crew? what kind of light? I even get to wandering it they are going to ask If you ever been married or had a traffic ticket in the last week?

 

[wangotango]

"I got a shark egg... now what?" To me the "now what" means that the poster isn't quite sure about how to care for the animal. Nobody is on trial here, everyone is trying to help. You post a question, you get everyone's answer whether you like it or not. We're just trying to make sure that the OP is successful nothing more, and in order to do that we need to know about the system.
-Justin

 

[codylowe]

"i got a shark egg......now what?"
If it is in your 50g breeder tank, then you should take it back to the store or find a better home for it. Hope this answers your "now what" question...
Sorry for sounding arrogant, but that 50g tank is wayyyy to small. It may survive for a little while but needs a much larger tank to be happy and healthy.

 

[ray fdny]

the tank 150g running with a home made wet dry filter (from a 75g tank) coral life skimmer, 20g refugium(the rubermaid type) 3 powerheads with about 90lbs of live rock.
current live stock. sailfin tang(small about a an inch and a half) two clowns, one damsel and one dottyback. many snails (like 8) 7 or 8 hermits a coral banded shrimp, 2 camel shrimp, a sea cucumber two bta's and variouse small frags of polups mushrooms torch coral and xenons all living and well for over a year together.
im sorry for the last comment i was not in a good mood. little bye little i have been adding small frags and creatures to my tank the egg looked like a good deal($25) and a cool addition to the tank. a mistake? maybe maybe not. i will keep it for a wile when it gets too big i will sell it back. my lfs has a huge shark tank and it is kinda an attraction with thier weekly feedings and what not. so returning it will not be a problem( if i have to)
dose that answer the unanswered q's?
once again thank you for your input but you guys need to relax sometimes

 

[ray fdny]

bye the way the 50 breeder is my tank at home the tank in question is here at the firehouse

 

[yerboy]

i hatched my shark in a 29 gal biocube all by herself. took about 2 weeks before it started to eat but once it did it doesn't stop. That was 8 months ago. Shark is currently in my 265 gallon tank and im already looking for someone with a more suitable sized tank to take this guy off my hands.
I feed her raw shrimp,scallops, and i have read that squid works well also.
For the first few weeks try to feed it while the lights are out as this is when the shark will feel more comfortable.
Once its starts eating on a regular basis you will want to feed it to saturation "till belly has small bulge" every 2-3 days.
Mine is now about 12" long and eats either 2 raw scallops "about quarter size" or 1 3" or so size raw shrimp every 2 days.
GL with your shark, your 150 gallon tank should be large enough to hold it for about a year but i wouldn't push it much past that.
I have also read that if you keep your water temp a little cooler then normal 75-77 and feed once every 3-4days you may get to keep your shark a bit longer as it will grow slower.
What are the other tank mates that will be living with this shark as some fish are prone to picking on the shark and causing stress as well as injury's that may become infected.
I have a blue hippo tang that was nipping at my shark from time to time but has since stopped. for how long who knows.