Stupid Shark Question

[turtlegirl933]

Alright, here is my sort of stupid question. I have a 200 gallon backyard pond. You know, the prebilt kind that is black. I was thinking about this cool shark that I saw at the LFS a few months ago. I was wondering if I could convert that pond into a shark tank.( I would put it inside, of course.) I would hook uo a big ol' canister filter to it and put sand the botten just like a reqular tank. I would have to get some custem lights to put on it and get a top made for it and stuff like that, but it would be the coolest shark tank ever. It this even remoatly possible?

 

[jon321]

Quite a few people have done this and it seems to work very nicely, but a canister filter wont cut it. Sharks are messy and you wont be able to have much/any live rock so a sump with a large skimmer will basically be required.
Jon

 

[mike22cha]

You can, but you'd probably need concrete blocks or something to reforce the sides. For filtration, you'd need a protein skimmer that has enough gph to filter 1000-15000g(the more the better). Also it'd be nice to get some way wether by canister filters or pumps to get a sump. For lights, just some cheap flourscents at home depot would be fine, sharks don't need too much wattage, they just need some kind of light.
What are the deminsions of the pond?

 

[turtlegirl933]

about two foot deep, and and 5 ft. wide

 

[mike22cha]

So 5' diameter. I'll do some research for you if anything can go in there, but I talked with someone, and they said it might not be such a good idea to use a used outdoor fw pond. I'll see if any shark/ray can even go in there.

 

[mike22cha]

Ok I looked at some captive care sheets, and if you bought a new pond(if you did buy a new one then a bigger one would be better) for that deminsions you may pull of one cortez or a marbled catshark. Maybe one of each.
But, if you are realy interested in taking the plunge, and are prepared to spend 2000-3000$ then look at rubbermaid or poly...?.. waterers. They got some nice sized circular waterers that could make a very nice shark/ray pond. They are cheap, but most ponds themselves are. It's the filtration that is expensive.

 

[mike22cha]

If you realy want to do a ray pond, maybe a freshwater ray pond would be better. It'd be a whole a lot cheaper. Plus fw rays are a lot more colorful than sw usualy.

 

[crashbandicoot]

Originally Posted by MIKE22cha
Ok I looked at some captive care sheets, and if you bought a new pond(if you did buy a new one then a bigger one would be better) for that deminsions you may pull of one cortez or a marbled catshark. Maybe one of each.
But, if you are realy interested in taking the plunge, and are prepared to spend 2000-3000$ then look at rubbermaid or poly...?.. waterers. They got some nice sized circular waterers that could make a very nice shark/ray pond. They are cheap, but most ponds themselves are. It's the filtration that is expensive.

There are a few companies that make the waterers your talking about . They are stock tanks . Some companies make plastic ones and some make them out of galvinized steel . You could paint the steel ones with some kind of fish safe paint. I know they make those up to 12' in dia and they are 2 feet deep . I dont know if this link is allowed since its not exactly a competetor site but it might give you some ideas . {EDIT}.

 

[krj-1168]

Steel tanks are - very BAD for sharks. Sharks don't react well with metal or electrical fields.
The "Poly" ponds are much better. Also fiberglass ponds make a nice alternative.

 

[ophiura]

Is this a circular pond, or are you talking about max dimensions. I have a pond that is probably 4-5' at its widest, but it is not circular, and it would not be suitable for this purpose.

 

[turtlegirl933]

It is a circle

 

[brenden]

I think it would work out, to be safe I would just purchase cinderblocks or any sort of medium sized brick to the outside of the pond for extra support. I would also add a pond liner to be safe. If the pond you have has a diameter of 5' and a height of 2' you are looking at approx. 375 gallons. Now assuming you have the correct filteration to run the system I would recommend either Cortez Rays, Bullseye Rays, or if you want to go with Sharks I would recommend either the Coral Cat, Marbeled Cat, or the Gray Bamboo Shark.

 

[turtlegirl933]

Thanks for all the help! You guys are awsome!

 

[matt b]

man this would be sweet if you did it

 

[turtlegirl933]

I'm going to trie!

 

[mike22cha]

Originally Posted by turtlegirl933
Thanks for all the help! You guys are awsome!
Just wondering, are you prepared to spend a couple thousand dollars? That is the thing holding many of us back from shark keeping(those who want too). If you can afford such an under going, then I say go for it. If you can, I'd get a bigger pond.
If you're not prepared and realy want one, fw rays are a realy good option.

 

[mike22cha]

Originally Posted by Brenden
I think it would work out, to be safe I would just purchase cinderblocks or any sort of medium sized brick to the outside of the pond for extra support. I would also add a pond liner to be safe. If the pond you have has a diameter of 5' and a height of 2' you are looking at approx. 375 gallons. Now assuming you have the correct filteration to run the system I would recommend either Cortez Rays, Bullseye Rays, or if you want to go with Sharks I would recommend either the Coral Cat, Marbeled Cat, or the Gray Bamboo Shark.
I don't know about a Grey Bamboo or a Bullseye, JMO. But a Cortez or a Marlbed or a Coral Cathsark would be nice.

 

[krj-1168]

yeah the Cortez ray or Coral/marbled Catsharsk would work fine for a 5' diameter - but nothing smaller.
A Gray Bamboo or Bullseye rays would be iffy - in my book for a 5' diameter pool. But either would likely be ok for a 6' diameter pool.

 

[keri]

If you do it I'd love to see the picture diary!

 

[mike22cha]

Originally Posted by Keri
If you do it I'd love to see the picture diary!
I second that. Whatever you do, wether a fw or sw pond, I think we'd all love to see pics.