port jackson shark theory

[aquatics24]

I was thinking...and i bet you could keep, if you got a port jackson shark at about 6-8" in a 300g aquarium with minimal rock for 1-2 years comfortably...why? because they grow 2-3inches a year. i dont kno. maybe not...but while we are on the topic...could you have triggers with sharks??

 

[sebae09]

Definately not triggers will poke out the sharks eyes.

 

[aquatics24]

haha thats what i thought...its ok, i didnt want any triggers anyways...i just remembered trigger is an aggressive fish too

 

[mistergn10]

I saw a 7 inch Port Jackon shark today at a store here in Atlanta. $467 I just about fell out.

 

[aquatics24]

thats a rip
i can get 6-8 inch for 80 bucks

 

[krj-1168]

Wow - where can you get a PJ of 80 bucks. Even from what I've seen online -they're at least $250.
Of course living in Southern Cal - I would bet that you could easily get horns for next to nothing - literally.
But from what I've read & heard - PJs grow slowly - taking nearly 10 years to reach sexual maturity at about 3'. PJs also tend tp prefer cooler water than their American cousins.
Horns on the other hand grow - faster than PJs(about twice as fast).

 

[aquatics24]

Originally Posted by krj-1168
Wow - where can you get a PJ of 80 bucks. Even from what I've seen online -they're at least $250.
Of course living in Southern Cal - I would bet that you could easily get horns for next to nothing - literally.
But from what I've read & heard - PJs grow slowly - taking nearly 10 years to reach sexual maturity at about 3'. PJs also tend tp prefer cooler water than their American cousins.
Horns on the other hand grow - faster than PJs(about twice as fast).
Yeah i think the PJ is my favorite shark...and ive done alot of research lately on them, they get a sudden growth spurt from anywhere between 8-12 months of age...so i feel if you get one at about 6" and in 1 year he is 12-14"...they will grow slowly 2-3inches a year after that...but of course you cant guess how much their growth spurt will be, but controlling their diet i bet anyone could accomplish. But who knows...

 

[krj-1168]

Well - I can understand your interest in PJs.
Personally I'm think my next shark will likely be a Horn.
But here's a fun fact - if you want a shark that looks like the sharks that were around during the time of the dinosaurs - get a horn or pj. The genus Heterodontus(Bullhead sharks - including Horns & PJs) dates back to the time of Apatosaurus, Allosaurus, & Stegosaurus in the Jurassic.
By the way - where can you get PJs of under $100?
The cheapest I've seen for a Horn is about $120.

 

[aquatics24]

my wholesaler

 

[mistergn10]

Originally Posted by aquatics24
my wholesaler

If you can get one for $80 would you ship me one? I will pay the shipping fees.

 

[psusocr1]

ia gree with some stuff, but one thign i dont agree with is in the home aquarium from my personal observations sharks grow ALOT quicker if fed properly! my grey bamboo wasnt supposed to grow 3.5-4 inches in one year but he did! because he gets his meat variety every two days and gets enough of it to give him a fat belly..
my point: if you cut back on feeding , which isnt cool, im sure the shark would stay small for two years HOWVER if you feed every day or every other day i bet the shark will get ALOT more than the suggested growth of 2.5 inches a year

 

[krj-1168]

Hate to disagree with there - psusocr1. But in nature predators rarely eat every day - be it sharks, dolphins, or lions & tigers. Most predators have a kill ratio of only about 20-30% .
While mammalian predators can easily adapt to daily feedings(due to their much higher natural metabolic rates).
So actually feeding your shark daily can do harm it than good.
Here's why -
- By feeding daily the shark puts out more waste, as well as the possibility of partly eaten food - which can lead to nitrate, nitrite & ammonia problems.
- also you greatly increase the risk of overfeeding or "fatten up" your shark.
And an overly fat shark - is not a healthy shark.
It really is best to feed the shark about every 2 days - this will still increase it's normal growth rate(in most species), but generally will not 'cause your shark to fatten up.

 

[psusocr1]

thats what i said, i feed my shark every 2 days and hes HUGE... and thats also my point in the wild your right they have a poor kill ratio whereas in the home aquarium they eat every two days. so if they grow 2-3" a year int he wild there bound to grow at least 4-5 inches a year in the home aquarium..
which leads to my point that a 300 for two years wouldnt or shall i say shouldnt be sufficent enough for a PJ? see what im saying?? where saying the same stuff but i dont think you get me
BTW i am by all means no expert or claim to be, this is just my opinion based on my personal observations of keeping sharks

 

[krj-1168]

My bad - I thought you were making the point of sharks being feed every day.
Still - I don't really consider my self an expert - knowledgable - okay sure. I kept a couple sharks in the past - hope to keep more in the near future.
But the only way I would ever think of calling myself an expert is - if I won the lotto. Then I could build a huge building with several large shark tanks(some over 25,000 gallons) - and keep sharpies, bonnets, blacktips, whitetips, nurse, horns, bamboos, & coral cats.

After all one can dream.