shark/semi reef

[aw 123]

Ok to some this maybe a retard ? but i like predators mainly sharks and i always day dream about this tank that is like really cool like all the reef inhabitants some coral and all that jazz but i just want like a show stopper predator lurking around some where that will be in the shadows during the day and at night is just the looking for food (of course i would be feeding it enough to not wana eat my other fish) but it would be cool if it was possible... if it is possible i know i will need a big tank for the shark to be able to do wat he does but would that be enough for wat i want to create please if your gona be a ass just miss the post im just looking for feedback thanks sharks i had in mind were bamboo,chain cat shark and coral cat shark look really cool and stay relatively small

 

[kylev]

I'm not too experienced with sharks but I'm thinking you'd need a really large tank to give the other fish a chance to live with the shark. Probably 300g plus especially if you want it lurging through the live rock. Also I don't think that feeding it enough to not wanna eat your other fish theory is too prooven. Odds are the shark will react on his instincts and eat whatever he can if he's in the mood. I cant see a reason that the corals wouldnt be fine with the shark as long as you keep them fairly high in the tank though. Inverts are probabley outta the question though

 

[aquaknight]

The smallest shark that is somewhat commonly available, is the Coral Catshark, which would be okay in a 240gal, 8'x2'x2' for quite some time. The two far more popular species, the Bamboo Catshark and Eppaulette Catshark grow to over 3 feet, and need a tank that would reasonably accommodate them. Of course you can buy eggs and/or baby sharks that are tiny, but they obviously do grow, and the simple fact of the matter is that, most people simply do not have the means to setup 500+ gallon tanks. The next step up would be to Horn Sharks, which are much heavier bodied then the Catsharks.
That is pretty much it for the benthic (fish that live on the bottom) sharks. All pelagic (open water swimmers) sharks need at a minimum 1000+gal tank, but usually much closer to 5000, 10,000 gallons. Though, the dimensions of the aquarium are far more important then gallonage.
The pink elephant in the room, is the behavior of those catsharks in the home aquarium. They are actually pretty uninteresting to own. They simply lounge around, moving from cave to cave occasionally. Spend some time on youtube. When most people think of sharks, catsharks really don't fit that image at all.

 

[aw 123]

thats actually what i want something that just looks cool and to throw ppl who are looking at the tank off like wow wat is that thing in the back ha an i can say o its just my shark chilling... the tank will already be amazing but wen they find out its a shark in there to it will make it so much more cooler....... but how much does a shark egg normally go for
Quote:
Originally Posted by AquaKnight http:///forum/thread/384106/shark-semi-reef#post_3363753
The smallest shark that is somewhat commonly available, is the Coral Catshark, which would be okay in a 240gal, 8'x2'x2' for quite some time. The two far more popular species, the Bamboo Catshark and Eppaulette Catshark grow to over 3 feet, and need a tank that would reasonably accommodate them. Of course you can buy eggs and/or baby sharks that are tiny, but they obviously do grow, and the simple fact of the matter is that, most people simply do not have the means to setup 500+ gallon tanks. The next step up would be to Horn Sharks, which are much heavier bodied then the Catsharks.
That is pretty much it for the benthic (fish that live on the bottom) sharks. All pelagic (open water swimmers) sharks need at a minimum 1000+gal tank, but usually much closer to 5000, 10,000 gallons. Though, the dimensions of the aquarium are far more important then gallonage.
The pink elephant in the room, is the behavior of those catsharks in the home aquarium. They are actually pretty uninteresting to own. They simply lounge around, moving from cave to cave occasionally. Spend some time on youtube. When most people think of sharks, catsharks really don't fit that image at all.

 

[aquaknight]

If you are seriously considering owning a shark, in large part due to some novelty appeal, I obviously strongly suggest against it. They required far more care and attention, that demands more of a passion, then just something cool to own. Go buy a big 3D TV, and/or some awesome home theater speakers. They'll impressive you're friends/guests/whatever far more then a shark hiding in the back of the tank ever would. And in the long run, will be cheaper then the shark. This quite literally happens all the time with Piranhas. People think they are sooo cool to own, which them eat goldfish, then the novelty wears off and the fish get left by the way side.
I do mean this with as little disrespect as possible, but if the cost of a shark egg is of concern, then they really are not the fish for you. Most shark tanks actually aren't that amazing. They tend to be rather void of liverock to allow maximum open space for the shark, and because of the shark, other types of fish are greatly limited. No triggers, angelfish, aggressive tangs, aggressive clownfish, any puffers, aggressive wrasses, and so on.

 

[aw 123]

i understand what you are saying im not going to just put it aside like a toy or something i want to bring a dream of mine to life this is something i have always thoughtof when i owned my first tank at the age of 15 me an my father started up a 55 gal salty and i after seeing my first shark in a tank i always wanted one ive looked them up as well just never had money or the place to have one after seeing how the reef looks i wanted to be able to have a predator in the tank not as you say for novelty but simply because i enjoy the hobby yes i said it will be cool for ppl to be gazing in aww over my tank but im the one taking care of it i just want a different type of tank that ppl probably have never seen before in the home ........ and you are right it may be better to entertain my friends with a big tv an all but for my personal enjoyment i would rather watch my fish and how they live but i appreciate you concern upon my motives trust me ha i wouldnt spend all this money just to get tired of it buddy
Originally Posted by AquaKnight http:///forum/thread/384106/shark-semi-reef#post_3363927
If you are seriously considering owning a shark, in large part due to some novelty appeal, I obviously strongly suggest against it. They required far more care and attention, that demands more of a passion, then just something cool to own. Go buy a big 3D TV, and/or some awesome home theater speakers. They'll impressive you're friends/guests/whatever far more then a shark hiding in the back of the tank ever would. And in the long run, will be cheaper then the shark. This quite literally happens all the time with Piranhas. People think they are sooo cool to own, which them eat goldfish, then the novelty wears off and the fish get left by the way side.
I do mean this with as little disrespect as possible, but if the cost of a shark egg is of concern, then they really are not the fish for you. Most shark tanks actually aren't that amazing. They tend to be rather void of liverock to allow maximum open space for the shark, and because of the shark, other types of fish are greatly limited. No triggers, angelfish, aggressive tangs, aggressive clownfish, any puffers, aggressive wrasses, and so on.

 

[aquaknight]

Quote:
Originally Posted by aw 123 http:///forum/thread/384106/shark-semi-reef#post_3364258
i just want a different type of tank that ppl probably have never seen before in the home ........
The issues I'm trying to get across aren't just wants and desires. The reason you don't see more 'sharks reefs' out there, is grounded in cold reality. Most people simply can't either afford to accommodate the sharks, and/or the time required to care for them.
Lets start looking at the details. If you want a shark pup, you'll need to have the pup in a tank by itself, preferred in the 40-75gal range, to wean the shark onto prepared foods. After that, the shark is ready for the next intermediate tank. You said you had a 180gal, that would be a decent home for a catshark for a year and half, two years. Then what? Do you have the ability to setup a 10'x4' tank?
Like I said, I'm just trying to get pass the wants and desires. Sure, people want cars that get 150mpg. But guess what, they just don't exist. The all-electric Nissan Leaf doesn't even get 100mpg (I'll let anyone figure that one out on their own). I'm sure lots and lots of people would absolutely love to have a gorgeous tank with sharks, myself included. But the facts of the matter is that 99.9% of people out there, simply can't.

 

[smartorl]

I adore sharks and would love to do a shark tank. I have many years of reefkeeping under my belt and have built several systems.
With that being said, doing research is what made me realize that sharks are one of those creatures that should really stay in the ocean.
Being predators, they produce an immense bioload, more so that any saltwater fish in the hobby. Due to the fact that you can't use the natural, biological filtration in their systems, you have to use alot of mechancial. The level of mechancial needed is almost impossible to achieve and very expensive. Keep in mind those smaller tanks that you are using "to get by" further concentrate the ammonia levels. This ammonia will burn their gills, this is not a recipe for a happy, healthy shark.
While larger tanks are better, when the sharks are young, you have to keep them in smaller systems in order to ensure that they are feeding. In the wild, their environment would have a natural saturation of natural foods. In captivity, we have to create that saturation of food which also plays heck on a systems stability. Again, filter, filter, filter. You, in my opinion would need to be changing out large portions of water daily to keep the tank as close to stable as possible (in addition to filtration). This in and of itself would be expensive.
This is just my opinion based on my research so take it for what it's worth, to want to aquire a shark for shock value is really not so unlike needing that vicious pitbull snarling in the yard. These guys really don't belong in our tanks as we really don't have the means to make their lives comfortable. To take it to the level of wanting it for it's "image" is just not fair to the fish. Their mortality rate in captivity is dismal. Many eggs don't hatch, alot of hatchlings resist eating and waste away, many don't wean onto prepared foods, etc.
I am not saying this to be rude, I was in your shoes, I just had to weigh my desires and motives against the reality of the situation.

 

[cbshark]

I beg to differ with all of the inputs, to some extent. I actually have a 150 that is set up exactly the way you are talking about. I have half the tank set up as reef with softies, mushrooms, zoos, etc and the other half with no decor for swimming room. The tank actually started off years ago as a shark tank, became a full reef for 6 or 7 years after that and last summer, became a hybrid, if you will, predator and reef. I have a 12" female banded bamboo that is very inactive, that spends 95% of the time hidden, but comes out at feeding time, snatched food and goes back to hide. I have a newly hatched male in a smaller tank until he is ready to be introduced. When I had sharks before, I had a male and female that maxed out at about 22-24". It was set up with minimal rockwork at the time, but kept them for a few years in there before I had a shark/eel battle that left both the male shark and eel dead and then just got rid of the female as she was very inactive and boring in there by herself.
I understand that after some time the sharks will need to go to a larger tank, but I am ready for that. I am just stating that I currently run a setup that is reef and sharks and have not had any water quality issues. I have a massive flow rate, sump filter, canister filters, skimmer and a a small algae turf scrubber (only recently added). I have no nuisance algae trouble, tons of coralline growth and corals are thriving. I also have about 8 or so additional fish, damsels, clown. engineer goby, two columbian sharks, a small green spotted puffer and the shark, as well as brittle stars and other clean up inverts. The tank has been set up this way for almost a year now with no compatibility or water quality issues.
I am also very experienced (15+ years) and am always on top of the goings on in my tank so that helps. I know that this setup won't be able to be maintained forever, but show me one that ever does.Or maybe it will. I have the ability and willingness to upgrade to a 300 gallon in my basement when the need arises, but am going to keep things the way they are until I have to change. I also have the experience to know that fish can die even under the best conditions, sharks are no different than any other fish in that regard, and maybe that day will never come where I need to upgrade. Not trying to sound cruel, just being realistic.
One final note, as for all of the opinions on here and other sites about the max size of bamboos, I have very rarely seen one anywhere or any actual owners that have a 3-4 foot banded shark. I had two for 3 years or so and they had pretty much stopped or slowed way down their growth at 22-24". I understand that at the right conditions and especially in the wild they can get 3 feet or so, but we all know that under captive conditions, any fish rarely reach max size. If you don't overfeed and keep temps down, it is possible to keep size down as well. Believe me, I have searched and searched over the years for pics and vids of these sharks and have seen maybe one or two ever that were any more than 2 feet long in a home aquarium. There is nothing cruel about underfeeding and other ways to control growth. My fish are fed plenty well, are healthy and my water quality is always perfect. Has been for years and I never lose any inhabitants that make it past the acclimation stage.
I will post some recent pics when I get a chance to show you my set up, or feel free to ask any questions that may help you.

 

[insane96]

if youre going to get shark that looks like it would eat you if was bigger get a leopard shark you can buy them when they are about ten to eight inches long and they obviously get big but they are relatively slow growers and take a long time to mature in most cases a decade or more... my dad has a leopard in his 285 it is about 10 inches long and is doing good he has minimal coral and minimal live rock so he still has a reef tank with a shark living within it and it is doing fine when it outgrows his tank he will probably sell it to someone with a bigger tank and start out fresh with a new baby shark... its simple if you have a tank of 6ft or longer the shark will be fine for atleast 2 to 4 years if you have minimal live rock because they tend to scratch their stomachs on rock and mainly sps coral... good luck wit your new tank!!!!!