Nurse shark

[redman1221]

Originally Posted by krj-1168
http:///forum/post/2764754
Ok - cool. I was just wondering if it had died or you got rid of it.
Glad to here that it's the latter.

Its cool, one day I will get me a smooth hound shark or a bonnethead shark something like that that swims all the time, maybe a blacktip shark but that's not for awhile. I just love sharks so much but right now I can't have one until I get a bigger place and a bigger tank. Thanks for asking.

 

[krj-1168]

Well - IMPO I tend to believe that if an aquarist is capable of keeping a Blacktip Reef for life - then they are also capble of keeping a Nurse Shark for life. Since they both need roughly the same amount of space. The Nurse tends to be hardier and easier to adapt to captivity. But the Blacktip Reef is has a shorter life span and eats less.
But between a Smoothhound, Bonnethead, or Blacktip Reef - the Blacktip Reef may be the coolest looking species. However the Smoothhound is generally considered the easiest to keep.

 

[watertight]

Is the "Nurse shark" the same species as the Australian "Grey nurse"? From pics I've seen, they look like a similar shape, but the Australian ones have huge teeth that project outside their mouths, even while they are shut. Are we talking about the same species? If so I couldn't imagine anyone even trying to keep one in a home aquarium....

 

[fats71]

my lfs in saint Louis has black tips nurse, smooth, etc etc.. They have a 1,000 gallon tank and they only send them to tanks they have put in as donations like the 5k one at the hospital and a few others. I donated my remora shark to them and my 3 and a half foot stingray that another lfs gave to me. I believe they went to the museum in saint Louis.

 

[quakstar]

If you were going to build a shark pond what size would you think would be good for a shark it was said something like a large pool... but are we talking like an olympic size (which i know would be supper cool) or like a good 8 feet by 10 feet by 5 feet tall would that work for a shark pond?

 

[krj-1168]

Is the "Nurse shark" the same species as the Australian "Grey nurse"? From pics I've seen, they look like a similar shape, but the Australian ones have huge teeth that project outside their mouths, even while they are shut. Are we talking about the same species?
Nope - they're different species that are completely unrelated. The Australian Grey Nurse is the same species that we (in the Eastern United States) call the Sand Tiger (Carcharias taurus). While the Sand Tiger/Grey Nurse is found in some Public Aquariums, it's a species that is considered illegal for private individuals to keep.
The Species that we're calling the Nurse Shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) is actually the only species of carpet shark native to North American coastal waters, and is a very close relative of the Tawny Nurse or "Sleeper shark" found in the Indo-Pacific Region.
If you were going to build a shark pond what size would you think would be good for a shark it was said something like a large pool... but are we talking like an olympic size (which i know would be supper cool) or like a good 8 feet by 10 feet by 5 feet tall would that work for a shark pond?
For an Adult Nurse Shark - you need a Large Swimming Pool. Ok - not an Olympic size - but at least a large family size Swimming Pool - basically something with a footprint of 700 sq.ft or more. So if it's a round pool - you need a diameter of 30'+, or if it's an oval shaped pool that's 40' Long x 20' Wide, with a water depth of at least 4-5'. And that should be considered a bare minimum for a single Adult Nurse Shark. Naturally juveniles can stay in ponds that are much smaller. But they will eventually need a pool/pond that at least this size.