Please need info on lepard shark
- Thread starter ls
- Start date
jimm
Member
I hate to disagree with Beth, sinced she certainly knows much more that I do, but I will in this case.
I have had many small horn and leopard sharks ( 4" to 2 feet long) over the years and have found that once they are acclimated to the warmer water of a tropical tank they do very well.
I have always fed mine scallops, chrimp, squid and the like from my local supermarket. Since they are sometimes slower feeders than other fish, I usually put the food on the end of a stick with a rubber band and place it in front of the shark to run into. When first caught or put into a tank, they are often reluctant eaters. Just keep putting the food in their face while trying not to startle them too much. I've had it take hours or up to 2 week to get a shark to eat.
Even though sharks have a reputation for being aggressive, they are often the slowest swimmers in a confined space and get picked on by more agressive tankmates, especially triggers. Do not put them in with triggers or other very agressive fish. If you do, they will end up without eyeballs or nips on the fins.
Sharks will cut themselves on sharp corals (they don't see well and bump into things), and like lots of room to swim, so minimize your decorations and give him room to rest on the bottom (leopards do not need to swim to breathe).
You did not mention how large your tank is, but I've had 2 4" leopards in a 40 gallon tank for over 2 years. They got too big and I moved them to a 125. The bigger the tank the better. When my sharks got too large for my tank (over 2 feet in my 500 gallon) I would simply reacclimate them to the colder water near my house anr release them into the ocean cove where they live naturally.
They will eventually outgrow any recreational tank since they get to be 3-5 feet long and very fat. But while you have them they are one of the coolest fish to watch swim and eat.
I hope thats enough info.
Have fun.
I have had many small horn and leopard sharks ( 4" to 2 feet long) over the years and have found that once they are acclimated to the warmer water of a tropical tank they do very well.
I have always fed mine scallops, chrimp, squid and the like from my local supermarket. Since they are sometimes slower feeders than other fish, I usually put the food on the end of a stick with a rubber band and place it in front of the shark to run into. When first caught or put into a tank, they are often reluctant eaters. Just keep putting the food in their face while trying not to startle them too much. I've had it take hours or up to 2 week to get a shark to eat.
Even though sharks have a reputation for being aggressive, they are often the slowest swimmers in a confined space and get picked on by more agressive tankmates, especially triggers. Do not put them in with triggers or other very agressive fish. If you do, they will end up without eyeballs or nips on the fins.
Sharks will cut themselves on sharp corals (they don't see well and bump into things), and like lots of room to swim, so minimize your decorations and give him room to rest on the bottom (leopards do not need to swim to breathe).
You did not mention how large your tank is, but I've had 2 4" leopards in a 40 gallon tank for over 2 years. They got too big and I moved them to a 125. The bigger the tank the better. When my sharks got too large for my tank (over 2 feet in my 500 gallon) I would simply reacclimate them to the colder water near my house anr release them into the ocean cove where they live naturally.
They will eventually outgrow any recreational tank since they get to be 3-5 feet long and very fat. But while you have them they are one of the coolest fish to watch swim and eat.
I hope thats enough info.
Have fun.