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View Full Version : Best way to gain experience with sharks?


psilentchild
05/06/2011, 10:28 PM
In about 10 years or less I would like to build a 6000 gallon shark lagoon.Some of the sharks I would like to get cost around 2 grand.I don't want to waste that kinda of money.So I want to research early.Some of the sharks I would like to get are black tip reef,port jackson,leopard,zebra bullhead.These are a few that I want.I know I can't get all of these together in one tank because some require colder water.What should be my 1st shark that I should get just to gain some sort of experience with sharks before I spend two grand for a shark.Do I need a QT for sharks?What are some good books to buy?

psilentchild
05/07/2011, 05:23 AM
I don't want to buy my first shark in 10 years or less. I want to be an experience shark keeper in 10 years or lest.

jd474
05/07/2011, 07:42 AM
Most of those are way too big for a 6K. Not sure how much swimming room you think they need, but bonnet heads, cat sharks or wobs would be a slightly better choice.

psilentchild
05/07/2011, 08:38 AM
Diver Den has the min tank size for a zebra bull head and the port jackson is 1000 gallon max size 4 feet for the zebra and 5 for the port jackson.Shark ray central say for a leopard at least a 660 gallon for an single and 960 for a pair.Max size on leopard cat is 33".So you are saying a 240x120x48 6000 gallon pond is to small for a 4 and 5 foot long shark?I'm not saying you are wrong and just trying make sure I'm understanding you correctly.I don't know that why I'm asking.

jd474
05/07/2011, 09:12 AM
That's a little more clarification, "leopard" and "zebra" mean something totally different to me, especially when you include blacktips into your want-list; scientific names would be better. Start w/Scott Michaels book, and you can download the elasmobranch husbandry manual for free off the net. It'll give you husbandry, and filtration ideas as well.

psilentchild
05/07/2011, 09:22 AM
lol I was starting to think I was going to need a bigger tank.So what would a good 1st and 2nd sharks to get?I wonder what size QT I would need for a 4 or 5 foot shark.Thanks for the info

vamaro
05/07/2011, 11:31 AM
Hi, the smaller sand type sharks to not need a lot of room since they are not so active. But the sharks that you like are swimming non-stop hence require the larger tank. A 6000 gallon tank may be fine for younger reef sharks but they will outgrow your tank. What do you do with the shark when if out grows your tank?

A leopard shark may be better suited for what you want to do. But, I am in no way an expert. I only keep an epaullette shark and I only see him twice a week when he gets hungry. He craws around on the rocks at night.

psilentchild
05/07/2011, 12:10 PM
What do you do with a shark when it out grows your tank?You eat it J/K.What problems did you have out of him?

vamaro
05/07/2011, 07:17 PM
No problems with an epaullette. So easy. Just feed them 2 times a week.

jarrett shark
05/07/2011, 07:24 PM
start with a bamboo shark that you can get in a egg then see if you can handle them first

dont get a Nurse what ever you do,I have 2-5'long and keep getting bigger

aday2remmbr
05/07/2011, 07:30 PM
start with a bamboo shark that you can get in a egg then see if you can handle them first

dont get a Nurse what ever you do,I have 2-5'long and keep getting bigger

i would not buy an egg, just buy the shark already born, the eggs dont hatch 75 percent of the time. but the bamboo shark is a good first shark to experiment with. if you wish to keep a black tipped reef shark it would probably be the only shark in your tank it would be too aggressive. it would be a little big but like equivelant to a hippo tang in a 70 gallon tank.

psilentchild
05/07/2011, 08:48 PM
Twice a week?Are all sharks that way?That seems easy and cheap

CPL_DSM
05/08/2011, 01:47 PM
I have had my fair share with sharks. I started out hatching a bamboo for my first shark. The reason being you can pick up a egg pretty cheap. I grew that shark for awhile move to a Nurse Shark which I have had for about 2 years now. I have own a Lepord lost it do to the tank. Like the black tips you need more of a oval tank not a rectangle for a lepord. I have had 3 diffrent types of bamboo (grey,brown, and spotted) All are great for a beginner type shark. They really don't attack other fish. The only one I really didn't like was the coral cat shark, I bought it gave it some silversides an it choked on one died. I later research on it found out that it can happen do to them not chewing the food an just swallowing it. So I have stay away from them.Smooth hounds move alot good shark just never been a fan of I had one for about a month then sold it. It botherd alot of my other fish in the aquarim. Then the Nurse Shark very hardy but you have to be prepaired to get a bigger tank. I have went threw 3 tanks already with mine not to say she killed almost all of my live stock when I first got it. Next spring she's being moved to her final tank which is close to 15000gal. The best way to learn is from doing it your self. I love sharkandraycentral.com lot of good guys on there plus breeders and Information. Monsterfishkeepers.com good for information sometimes but alot of those guys never owned sharks. They mostly deal with freshwater. Like I said trial and error is your best bet. Start with a cheap shark and learn from it.

psilentchild
05/08/2011, 10:53 PM
Just curious what is the monthly up keep on a nurse shark and a black tip reef?

CPL_DSM
05/08/2011, 11:48 PM
the nurse shark isn' t to bad its like 40 for food but depends on what I get. I normally feed it silversides, octopus, and shrimp. The Octopus and shrimp I get at the fish market which runs about 5 bucks a pound. Then theres the water changes which is the same as a normal saltwater tank. The only thing is plain on going to a bigger tank i'd say almost each year thats when I get expensive. Unless you start out with 1000+ tank then you have a few years. As far a Black tip I really don't know. I had a Lepord which is like the black tip as far as what it requires. Which is a Circular tank, and swimming room. Feeding Id say is the same. The filtration is more the expensive end cause you want to run at two protein skimmers, UV starilizer, and Bio filtration. I took mine alittle further with two protein skimmer, UV starilizer, Wet trickel filter with bio balls, and two canister filters with different media.

psilentchild
05/09/2011, 12:08 AM
To house a black tip reef,leopard(not leopard cat)or nurse shark is going take a lot of salt for as water changes.How do salt water pools work?Do they use a different kind of salt or something?

ocellaris123
05/09/2011, 01:59 AM
They utilize the same salt, but the filtration is going to be different than what you will find on a regular reef or fish only tank. You will probably want to look into sand filtration mixed up with protein skimmers to filter your 6K tank, and maybe look into dosing ozone. Again leopards, black tips and nurses are unsuitable for a 6k gallon tank. Look into the smaller wobbygongs and catsharks.

CPL_DSM
05/09/2011, 04:40 AM
They utilize the same salt, but the filtration is going to be different than what you will find on a regular reef or fish only tank. You will probably want to look into sand filtration mixed up with protein skimmers to filter your 6K tank, and maybe look into dosing ozone. Again leopards, black tips and nurses are unsuitable for a 6k gallon tank. Look into the smaller wobbygongs and catsharks.

I agree with him on filtration is little different, because of the waste they produce inside the tank. Ponds and pools run almost the same way. I'd agree that a 6k tank is small for a nurse but if you started out with pups it's going to take a few yrs. to out grow it, however it will out grow the tank. Lepords and black tips I have seen in 6k aquarium its another shark that would take a few years to out grow the tank but by the time they both Lepord, Nurse, Black tip out grew the tank it would be time for a new one.

psilentchild
05/09/2011, 06:58 AM
I'm not planning on putting a nurse or a black tip in a 6k.I don't think at any put and time in my life I could afford to keep one lol.I think sharkraycentral said 15 to 27k for those sharks.The nurse shark being the 27k.I was just wondering the upkeep on a 10 foot long shark.

thelizardkin
05/09/2011, 02:16 PM
Check this tank out he did the same thing http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=354810

stangd1909
05/09/2011, 06:01 PM
Check this tank out he did the same thing http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=354810



His tank is awesome....off the chain!

psilentchild
05/09/2011, 07:51 PM
What kind of sharks those Roy Williams have in his tank?At 1st I though they were black tips but they can't be since his tank is only 3000 gallons.
http://www.mtv.com/videos/mtv-cribs-full-episode-ep-1502/1566054/playlist.jhtml

CPL_DSM
05/10/2011, 10:10 AM
I'm not planning on putting a nurse or a black tip in a 6k.I don't think at any put and time in my life I could afford to keep one lol.I think sharkraycentral said 15 to 27k for those sharks.The nurse shark being the 27k.I was just wondering the upkeep on a 10 foot long shark.

I'll let you know when mine gets 10ft. Thats if she ever gets 10ft. Cause those numbers come from wild Nurse sharks the biggest I have heard of was 8ft and a 9ft. A lot of people I have talked to think sharks just grow out of control the don't realize its like any other fish it takes time to grow these sizes. There a fish store in L.a that hold 3 black tips in a 2000gal. tank and I think they have been there for a few years. I guy I know in Ohio had reef sharks in his store his tank was 10,000 gallons an the last time I seen them they where about 4 ft. He had them as pups. Anyways I have only had mine over 2 years now got her when she was 18inch. She is just pushing 3 ft now.

bamato
05/10/2011, 10:33 AM
Most of those are way too big for a 6K. Not sure how much swimming room you think they need, but bonnet heads, cat sharks or wobs would be a slightly better choice.

On a side note to the above comment, Bonnetheads (Sphyrna tiburo) need much larger tanks than 6k. 15k would be more appropriate long term.

CPL_DSM
05/10/2011, 11:31 AM
His is a smooth hound.

psilentchild
05/11/2011, 12:06 AM
What's a good place to get some of these sharks from even the bigger ones like the bonnethead etc etc?

CPL_DSM
05/11/2011, 12:21 PM
you can try Aquabid.com or Local Fish stores will get them if there wholesaler can get them. I have seen them on Ebay too.

psilentchild
08/27/2011, 12:24 AM
What size tank is best for a black tip reef.I was talking to a guy at ATM and he said about 1100 would be good.I thought I wold need a bigger tank than that.

AlexS95
08/27/2011, 12:52 AM
I always thought it was like 15k+ and the more the better.

psilentchild
08/27/2011, 09:13 AM
I always thought it was like 15k+ and the more the better.
I did too.

Dragon moray ki
08/27/2011, 01:10 PM
I have a cat shark that's what I would get

AlexS95
08/27/2011, 02:04 PM
And if he wanted one he would have asked about that one...

psilentchild
08/27/2011, 05:38 PM
I want big sharks.

CJ 1098
08/27/2011, 06:47 PM
I want big sharks.
I would recommend getting a job at a public aquarium, instead of keeping them in your own system.

psilentchild
08/27/2011, 07:46 PM
I would recommend getting a job at a public aquarium, instead of keeping them in your own system.
So what would I put into my 20k lagoon I plan on building?lol

eljefe3
08/27/2011, 11:14 PM
I've had two black tip reef sharks for 4 years and they are doing just fine. They swim peacefully around and then have a great time at feeding time. Keep in mind that if any fish in your tank gets sick, the sharks will do their natural duty and take care of the sick fish.
The sharks have not grown over two feet long in the 4 years I've had them since they were juveniles, and are some of the healthiest fish I've had in a few decades. I'd rather see them in my tank then in a shark fin soup!

AlexS95
08/27/2011, 11:17 PM
How big of a tank is it?