Brown banded bamboo shark in 500g reef tank?

[speenach]

Hi, I currently have a Brownbanded Bamboo shark egg in 30g tank waiting for it to hatch and to get it eatting. I want to essentially put it in my 500 gallon reef aquarium loaded with tangs, clown fish, damsels, wrasses, etc.

Basically, there are some small fish and some big fish ("6"). I had a baby shark in this tank before but he died because I coudlnt get him to eat on his own. Next thing you know he was hiding constantly and I couldnt catch him so I could force feed. There is 350+ lbs of rock with lots of tunnels made from gutter piping. He would be able to squeeze into the piping even if he was 4' in length and have many places to exit.

ANYWAY, my main question is, has anyone kept a shark like this in a reef tank with many smaller fish? Is this shark known for eatting a poor innocent 2" clownfish or Chromis? I was told by most that he will just graze on the bottom and come out very rarely as long as you keep him well fed. Just want to know the thoughts from some experts, but not people who will dog me for keeping a shark in small tanks, with other fish, etc etc. Some people just get to crazy on the shark thread and I'm not up for that (you know who you are). Thanks in advance!

 

[pennyguy23]

I have a baby bamboo in my 360gl and he feeds on feeder shrimp. It would be perfect to keep in the 30gl for about 4 or 5 months and teach him to feed. Mine swims around in the open ALOT of the day but stays close to the bottom. Just make sure your substrate is nice and soft. But I guess that is something you already know since you've had one before. Your clowns will grow as he grows and he will get used to seeing them. Well he wont see them unless they swim next to him because of shark poor eyes site but keep him feed well and it shouldn't be a problem. I would recommend starting with feeder shrimp but change to fresh seafood from the store so he doesnt get used to hunting down live animals.

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

Be prepaired for him to frag you sps for you and plan to reaquascape everyday unless everything is epoxed down.

 

[speenach]

pennyguy23 -
thanks for the info. Sounds like he might get along well after all. Does he eat your snails, crabs, and starfish? How about sea cukes? Do you think he might try to eat one? Mine didnt last long enough for me to find out, but then again he had to eat something to last 6 weeks with me only feeding him a few times. Also when you say give him the feeder shrimp, are you talking live or frozen?

Evolust -
thanks for the info as well. i do have all my rock epoxied down and some corals. Will he actually try to eat them and or chomp off some pieces to taste it or will he just knock them over from being clumsy? I hope thats the only case because all my stuff is anchored very well.

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

They will just rest on them and knock them over, mine has never sampled them.

 

[pennyguy23]

Live feeder shrimp at first. You can get like 4 for a 1$ at your LFS. But like I said I didn't want mine to have to think he is hunting all the time because then I'm sure he will get a fish if was hunger enough. I have jumbo mexican snails so right now he can't eat them but only time will tell what he can do. So for so good but his only about 14in or so. I sure he might get them though. Crabs he will eat and I don't have any starfish.

 

[speenach]

Yeah I dont want to get him used to eatting live food for the same reason. I've been told to give them live food initially to get them eatting. Well, thanks for the info, I'll have to see how things go once he hatches. I hate to see my clean up crew dissappear in my 500 but I guess it's something you gotta deal with. I'll just do my best to keep him well fed. How often do you feed him and does he come out right away when he smells the food?

 

[ERICN]

I have a bamboo shark in my reef only e.g. for now, He is 6 months old and I hatched him in a 30g also for same reason took about a week to get him to take frozen squid this worked very well and to this day is his favorite food I NEVER gave mine live food since I have him in there with cleaner and coral banded shrimp, brittle stars,linka star,chock chip stars, hermits, and snails, have lots of softies, lots of fish ranging from chromis,tangs even full grown emperator angel. nothing has bothered him with the exception of my BTA that he has learned to go no where near I am moving him to my 300g in January so plz don't bash me for having him in my e.g. before I bought the egg I Ok'ed with my wife that at a year old I would need to get a bigger tank just hand feed him squid man it works great and he took to it really fast now it takes about 2 secs from when I hold the cube in the water b4 he smells it and is thrashing all over the tank looking for the cube.

 

[speenach]

ERICN

That is awesome, I hope mine starts eatting quickly. How big is he now after 6mos?

 

[ERICN]

He came out id say about 3 inches he is now about 7-8 hard to say they are so long and thin. but man they are so beautiful man. They are blind as a bat so what I did was re arrange my tank so that all my rockwork is somewhat elevated, I have probably 150lbs of LR sitting only on 4 rocks that actually touch the sand and left the whole right side wide open for him. good luck with yours they have a lot of personality you can tell even with a bamboo shark they kind of know they are boss whenever mine is out swimming everything gets out of his way even the fish that are like 5-6 times his size its kind of funny.

 

[speenach]

Do any of you guys have Sea Cukes with your shark? I have one that is 10" and would supposedly poison the tank if attacked and killed. Do any of you think the shark could mess with it at some point?