400 gal shark tank

[lendz]

I have a 3 ft banded bamboo shark and a coral catshark in my 400gallon tank with a lipstick tang.

IMO,some black tip reef sharks here in the Philippines are kept in a 400gallon tank,especially in petshops. And they do well. They eat like pigs. But obviously,a 400 gallon tank is not enough. So better stick to "stagnant" and small sharks like bamboos.

 

[paveking1]

Thanks for all the help guys . This going to a well thought decison.

 

[TheSaltwaterGuy]

Just be sure not to "impulse buy" and you should do fine keeping sharks.

 

[lendz]

Just take time. Plan it out. Sharks are easier to keep in my experience. And it gives you plus points to the girls you bring to your house. LOL! Kidding!

Goodluck bro!

 

[Lrgclasper]

Good luck finding a horn shark 4' long; especially if you get a male. A 4' max length would have to be a female and a well fed one at that. The majority are no greater than 3 and you can restrict some growth by controlling food intake. Often the max size given is based on an L infinity that calculated from a growth curve. The L infinity is is the asymtope of the curve. I kept a couple Cali Horns for 6 years and they basically reached a slow growth rate at about 2.5 feet. These guys basically stopped at two 1/2 feet. Granted sharks do not experience terminal growth (i.e., they will continue to grow throughout a lifespan), many species really slow down after sexual maturity. Moreover the L infinity length is different for males and females. Females are generally larger. You can futher slow/restrict this growth by controlling feeding.So if you feed carefully, get a male, you can keep em.

 

[Lrgclasper]

Another note on the hornshark. Make sure it doesn't come from Cali. You need to find one from south of the boarder.. Otherwise your dealing with a shark that inhabits cold water. Being that horn sharks have very high site fidelity (they like to hang out in small ares of the ocean), no doubt that they acclimated to their surrounding water conditions. I have been told the younger ones are generally deep and as they mature they move into the shallows, so this may be one reason the realy little guys can handle warmer water.. They are already on the move... I don't know.

 

[TheSaltwaterGuy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11427152#post11427152 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lrgclasper
Good luck finding a horn shark 4' long; especially if you get a male. A 4' max length would have to be a female and a well fed one at that. The majority are no greater than 3 and you can restrict some growth by controlling food intake. Often the max size given is based on an L infinity that calculated from a growth curve. The L infinity is is the asymtope of the curve. I kept a couple Cali Horns for 6 years and they basically reached a slow growth rate at about 2.5 feet. These guys basically stopped at two 1/2 feet. Granted sharks do not experience terminal growth (i.e., they will continue to grow throughout a lifespan), many species really slow down after sexual maturity. Moreover the L infinity length is different for males and females. Females are generally larger. You can futher slow/restrict this growth by controlling feeding.So if you feed carefully, get a male, you can keep em.

With a restricted feeding regimen, the shark won't be as healthy as it should be. To keep a healthy shark, feedings should occur around 2-4 times a week.

And also, the Horns you kept for 6 years weren't full grown. Are you aware that the average life span for a Horn Shark is around 20 years?

Even though I do keep sharks, I still have a lot of learning to do. About a year ago, I used to think I knew everything about them, when I didn't. Don't make that same mistake.

 

[reefer334]

I am glad we have a shark expert among us.I think we all have a lot to learn.I would suggest having experiences with these animals before commenting blind.Having your shark in 75 gal is cruel according to your posts,so why do you do it?

 

[Lrgclasper]

Sharks don't need as much food as most aquarists think due there ability to utilize a much higher proportion of the food they do eat. In fact those horns I gave away are now 13+ (not sure how old they were when captured) years old and are still under 3 feet and very healthy. Not to get to high on the soap box here, but I do urge anyone getting sharks to buy Manzuri type vitamins and give them a varied diet-we fed clams, shrimp, squid, cod, and halibut. I think this is really important for females that are egg producing.

A restricted feeding regime does not mean starving your shark, just filling the belly till it bulges a little every 3rd day or near that depending on the species. The feeding regime in Scott Michael's book is a great reference- I learned a lot by reading the section. We actually weighed our research animals for a project, but it was useful for to figuring out how much food was needed. The sharks should not lose weight.

Finally, I never said I knew everything. If that were the case I would not be spending my time on reef central learning new stuff. I also wouldn't comment if I didn't think I had something helpful to add. That is fine if you disagree-that's the spirit of a wiki. People are going to believe what they want. One thing I didn't ask is the dimensions of the tank-tall tanks don't really help with the square footage for swimming.

 

[TheSaltwaterGuy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11432837#post11432837 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefer334
I am glad we have a shark expert among us.I think we all have a lot to learn.I would suggest having experiences with these animals before commenting blind.Having your shark in 75 gal is cruel according to your posts,so why do you do it?

If you read correctly, it said "Shark Growout Tank" When she reaches about 12-14", she'll get transferred to my shark pond, which should be finished by then. I don't like putting tiny animals in a huge tank because the chance of them surviving with all the other large predators in there would be very slim.

LrgClasper, sorry if I came across a little "know-it-all" I was just trying to prove my point and want to help this person out as much as possible. I see where you're coming from and understand your opinion but there are many disagreements in the world and unfortunately this is one of them. I just hope that after all this, we can remain friends.

 

[krj-1168]

While this is a nice tank - you really shouldn't put a shark that can get as wide as the tank is.

IMO - both Cali Horns & White-spotted Bamboos are out, since they get too big to be kept in it for life. Yes - male Cali Horns may average about 32-33" in length, and females about 36-38". Still adult Cali Horns need a tank that is at least 3.5-4' wide.

The best species of this tank is either the Marbled Catshark, Coral Catshark or the Gray Bamboo - all of which only grow to 24-30" in length.

 

[Charger21_SD]

Yeah I suggest second the Catsharks. Maybe some cortez rays too? That'd be sweet.

Also for everyone bashing Chad, he may not have expierence, but he knows a lot and I see nothing wrong with trying to prevent hobbyists getting too large of shark for a too small of tank.
Also most people who "keep shark in a 75g" and don't call it a grow out tank, don't have the best intrest for the shark. Those who call it a "grow out tank" obivously are planning on getting a bigger tank and most likely know about the max size of the shark and what size the shark will eventualy need.

 

[Lrgclasper]

Yet another shark thread down the tubes. Bummer. Hopefully the guy got enough information to help him take good care of his pets.

 

[Charger21_SD]

Yeah I'm hate bashing, but I just had to stand up for Chad here. Anyways, yep hope the starter of this thread at least gets something out of this.

 

[TheSaltwaterGuy]

Thanks, Mike.