nurse shark

kcowles040491

kcowles040491

New Member
how hard would it be to find a nurse shark. and about how much are they my friends dad had one and he hand fed it hamburger i guess it was wicked docile but his g/f got quite angry with him and threw 2 pennies in there but i would like to get him another one. his tank is huge and its a all fish tank im not sure exactly how manny gallons. but yeah get back to me plzz
 
joojoo

joojoo

Member
She threw 2 pennies in there??
Did he catch the fish himself? Where are you located? I've never seen them for sale...
 
poop_head

poop_head

Member
Ya I swam with a few down in Belize. They were all as long as I am and I'm 6'1". I imagine that you would have to have a huge tank for one. They are really docile, I grabbed one of thier tails.
 
aw2x3

aw2x3

Active Member
They're not protected, nor is it illegal to sell them.
However, from the sound of your post, your lack of experiance, etc...no knowledgable person, here, is gonna tell you where to get one.
Properly housed, you're looking at something in the 50,000 gallon range and I highly doubt that's the size of your tank.
Please, for the safety and health of the animal, do not get a Nurse Shark.
 
S

surfinusa

Guest
there are some other great sharks that you can get though
 
S

surfinusa

Guest
Originally Posted by ccg24
Like what? I was wondering about some kinda shark for a 135g
no shark for that tank size, its to small minimum is like 180
 
ccg24

ccg24

Member
Whats a good one for a 180? I may need a bigger tank! I was thinking about a 250 or 300!! lol I have always wanted one but never thought that you can find a shark for less than like 1000g.
 
cubsfan

cubsfan

Member
Its not so much how many gallons as the size of the tank, (width and length) are the most important. The smaller sharks you can keep are the cat shark family, (banded, coral) or the epaulette.
 
krj-1168

krj-1168

Member
Nope - Nurse Sharks aren't illegal - If they were - you would never see them in LFSs.Nurse Sharks are actually one of the hardiest species of sharks (kept in aquaria). As hardy as most species of bamboo sharks, or eppies.
While Nurse pups can easily be kept in large aquariums - as small pups(born at 12" in length). The Big Problem is they will grow up - and fairly fast. This is where most people get into major trouble - end up with a fast growing shark, and no real potential home for it.
Yes - many Public Aquariums actually have adult Nurse Sharks in the shark tanks. And most Public Aquariums tend to feild several calls per week from owner willing to give the Aquariums their overgrown sharks. Most Aquariums will not accept any new Nurse Sharks (or sharks in general)
The fact is few private individuals has the needed room to keep a Nurse for it's entire Lifespan(over 30 years). Only individuals planning on building very large shark Lagoons(the size of very large inground swimming pools) should even consider keeping this species.
Few Basic specifics about Nurses.
Size at Maturity: - 7-7.5 ft(2.13-2.29 m) (depending on --- - females larger than
males)
Average Adult Size: - about 8-9 ft (2.44-2.74 m)
Maximum Recorded Size: about 11 ft(3.35 m), although some sources claim as large as 14 ft(4.25 m). Most Nurses rarely grow past 10ft(3.0 m).
Average Adult Weight: 200-280 lbs (91-127 kg)
Growth Rate: Varies depending on Water temp, and amount to food - but is between 7-12" per year.
Hope this helps to inform you what you might be in for with this species. Note: most Ethical people that know about keeping sharks, Will Not Recommend This Species, Because of It's Large Adult Size & therefore
it's requirement for needed Swimming Space.
Also while basically consider to be a docile species, they are very voracious feeders, and can attack an eat fish that are nearly half their size.
 
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