Bamboo Shark habitat question

[boosted306]

Ok guys, here is a question for all of you with experience in the hobby. I currently have a fish only 46 gallon aquarium with 6 turbo snails, 6 reef snails, 1 chocolate chip star, 1 green wolf eel, and a bamboo shark (egg). My local aquarium store sold me the shark egg knowing that very soon I would be upgrading to a 180 gallon tank. It is now on order and the shark is about a week away from hatching. I want to add into the 180 a yellow tang and a blue hippo tang, still having room for one or two more. Will this be ok? If not please explain in detail. Thanks for the help!

 

[reefer334]

I have heard that tangs will pick at sharks but have not witnessed this first hand though.I would try smaller groupers or eels.Also a 180 is kind of a smaller tank for a bamboo as thet get 4 feet.I would plan on upgrading in about 3 years or so.,Chris

 

[Bmgrocks]

GUYS LETS PLEASE NOT TURN THIS INTO ANOTHER BAD SHARK THREAD

You will be OK Keeping him in a 180, but expect to get a little bit of heat from some die hard shark lovers in this fourm.. as stated, Michael Scott's Sharks and Ray book, he reccomends a 180 as the minimum Tank Size. People get concened and TOUCHY on this subject because a 180 is I think 24"?? wide, and is considered not enough width for the shark to adequately turn around

Considering that it is a baby, like reefer334 said, you have a good 2-3 years before he is considered "TOO LARGE" for this tank size its just something to keep in mind. and Naturally not all Bamboo's get 4ft in length, and growth is not stunted by tank size

yes, you will have adequate room for I'd say 4 tangs, and a shark, keep inmind the amount of waste that the shark will produce, and keep up on good water quality, and your best investimate will be the purchase of a very large skimmer..

Good luck, i'm sure others will share their opinons and further stocking suggestions.


PLEASE keep this tread informative***

 

[reefer334]

Yes I agree No bashing here,just helpful advice,well said Bmgrocks

Yes I agree No bashing here,just helpful advice,well said Bmgrocks

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11630107#post11630107 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bmgrocks
GUYS LETS PLEASE NOT TURN THIS INTO ANOTHER BAD SHARK THREAD

You will be OK Keeping him in a 180, but expect to get a little bit of heat from some die hard shark lovers in this fourm.. as stated, Michael Scott's Sharks and Ray book, he reccomends a 180 as the minimum Tank Size. People get concened and TOUCHY on this subject because a 180 is I think 24"?? wide, and is considered not enough width for the shark to adequately turn around

Considering that it is a baby, like reefer334 said, you have a good 2-3 years before he is considered "TOO LARGE" for this tank size its just something to keep in mind. and Naturally not all Bamboo's get 4ft in length, and growth is not stunted by tank size

yes, you will have adequate room for I'd say 4 tangs, and a shark, keep inmind the amount of waste that the shark will produce, and keep up on good water quality, and your best investimate will be the purchase of a very large skimmer..

Good luck, i'm sure others will share their opinons and further stocking suggestions.


PLEASE keep this tread informative***

 

[reefer334]

boosted306 I just saw this is your first post here,WELCOME TO REEF CENTAL!!!!!!!!!!!!Good luck on your new tank and happy fish watching to you!!!If you have any other questions feel free to pm me as I have alot of sharks so I could help you out if need be.Chris

 

[boosted306]

Thank you guys for the help. My dream tank is a 500 gallon in wall but I have to buy my house first. That's looking a few years down the road.

 

[FishyMel]

A 180 should be fine for a decent amount of time. Not to sound like an abusive animal keeper but sharks stunt quite a bit, the other day I was talking to my lfs owner and he says he has sold many bamboo sharks and the biggest one currently sold is only 17 inches and the guy has had it for 3 years in a 180.(originally hatched from an egg)

 

[Charger21_SD]

A 180g would be fine, for a while. Fact is they get over 3' and need somewhere around 400g tank/pond. I suggest taking it back and getting a smaller shark or a cortez ray which could last quite a while in a 180g.

 

[FishyMel]

Cortez rays are incredibly more interesting than sharks. Don't get me wrong, my marbled cat is great, it is just cortez rays are people animals. Sharks are the intelligent types who like to sit in caves. Rays have more personality than a trigger or a puffer, it is like having a dog in water. Mine comes up to the surface for a little head rubbing and is always flapping his fins for food at the surface. I've trained him to do backflips, he is amazing, by next week I'll probably have him trained to fetch and play dead.

 

[Charger21_SD]

Yes stingrays are a lot more active and seem to be more enjoyed by those who own them. Stingrays are also a good canidate because of their much slower growth rates.

 

[joeyt66]

I would think 180 would be fine, but an upgrade would suit the animal well. Or if you liked you could always keep it for a few years and maybe trade it in for a smaller one every few years. But back to the main question.
Depending on what tangs you add i think 3-4 would be fine( some can get aggresive and teritorial. Along with the yellow and hippo naso's are nice

 

[boosted306]

Thanks for the help guys. I was starting to wonder how this was going to work. I am very pleased with the fact that he will live happily in there for a year or two.

 

[Charger21_SD]

Well actualy, a year would be pushing. What do you plan on doing with the shark once it outgrows your tank?

 

[joeyt66]

well i actually think 2-3 years would be fine. I figure it will be 6 inches when it hatches and after the 1st year would likely grow to 12-16 inches (closer to the 16") and after that the growth rate will slow a bit to probally 18-20 inches after yr 2. Depending on the feedings and such. Just my opinion though.

 

[Charger21_SD]

Sharks grow much more rapidly than rays. And I don't think that their growth rate gets any slower or faster until maybe after they are mature, which I think is quite a ways after 18-20" considering they reach 4'.

Again, I suggest a cortez ray which only grows around 2" per year.

 

[joeyt66]

I had a bamboo in a 125 which was about 8 inches. I kept him for over a year and he was 18 inches when i sent him to a bigger tank/ pond

 

[scuba kid]

Aside from the fact that a 180 gallon won't suit a bamboo shark for its entire life, the tank will be no where near established enough. I personally would not consider a shark for a tank that hasn't been running for at least a few months, others say much longer (6 months to a year). IMO that's something that should have been thought about ahead of time, before purchasing the shark...

 

[boosted306]

I already have an established filtration system for the larger tank and after a short cycling, if any at all, it should be fine. I have researched plenty on that and for quite some time. If for some reason I am wrong, I have an established larger tank that he will be kept until my tank is ready.

All of the sizes that I have heard from this site and others all state different opinions on what growth rate the shark will go through. I have spoken with a marine biologist at the Tennessee Aquarium about the growth rate in a aquarium and was told that it would be stunted from the wild and to out grow a 180 tank it would take two years. She also said that it would be fine in the tank for it's life, if the shark could turn properly.

To answer a question that was asked about what I will do with the shark once it has out grown the tank. I will then take the shark to the Tennessee Aquarium where they have an exhibit for these specimens. The tank that these guys are kept in is several thousand gallons. I can not think of a better thing to do with such a beautiful creature. If I were a captive fish and had a choice I would definitely want to go to such a place. Any opinions?

Thank you for all of the responses and help that I am being offered. Keep the opinions coming! Thanks guy's!

 

[FishyMel]

I still think you should get a cortez ray. It's more long term and they're better pets... jmo

 

[boosted306]

I haven't discarded what all of you have said about a Cortez Ray, yet. If I am not going to go with a shark tank then most likely I will do a reef tank. A reef on one corner of the tank to the top of the glass and leave the rest open for fish to swim along the bottom of the tank. Haven't decided quite yet.