My new pair, very rare import to the US

Not super uncommon, they do pop up on LA DD and have seen them on vendor lists before. I wouldn't worry about over feeding them, if they're not hungry they won't eat (they tend to blow on the food when they don't want to eat). Our adult wobby's are fed 2x/week, and small are 3x, but they rarely eat at every feeding. Very sedentary, but if anything gets close to their tassles, watch out, they're very fast, and don't let go. Pole feeding them is actually a lot more fun than feeding large sharks (browns, sandtigers, etc.), and watching them lure prey in with their tales is pretty interesting.

As far as tankmates, I don't see any aggression towards larger fish/rays, but any small, bottom dwelling animal will probably end up being lunch, or at least bitten.

With that much water volume, have you considered a small sand filter? A protein skimmer would be unnecessary if went that route. Just an option.
 
I think I will go the sand filter route. It is the best bang for the buck with that volume. I will probably keep a skimmer to oxygenate the water. I understand that the sand filters can really drop the O2 sats.

I was looking at the quicksand delta advanced
http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/2649/QuikSand-Delta-Advanced-Fluidized-Bed-Filter

I have the big reeflo skimmer on the current tank and even feeding them once a week, I have noticed a big difference in the amount of skimmate.


Any reports on breeding attempts with these.
 
definately a tasseled or tasselated wobbegong,very common over here and a few people have been atacked by them,a surfer was bitten on thursday by one,they do have a reputation for being very bad tempered,ive seen them 8-10 feet long scuba diving,if you get a chance check out the teeth there razor sharp and backward facing like a hammerhead or sand tiger,definately feed with tongs
 
r.d.m - agreed the tongs are a must. They way that they an cut through a smelt in an instant makes me wonder what they could do with a finger. They are way too fast for my reflexes.

jd474 - I can't find a whole lot of info on these. What is the age at sexual maturity, length of gestation, avg number of pups?

Any info you have would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
alprazo said:
r.d.m - agreed the tongs are a must. They way that they an cut through a smelt in an instant makes me wonder what they could do with a finger. They are way too fast for my reflexes.

jd474 - I can't find a whole lot of info on these. What is the age at sexual maturity, length of gestation, avg number of pups?

Any info you have would be appreciated.

Thanks
Click to expand...

My specialty area is really corals, so I can't answer those specific questions off the top of my head (I help w/husbandry and some life support w/our elasmos). You can download a free copy of the 'Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual' that was compiled a few years ago, just Google it (I'm pretty sure it's available to the general public). I can look them up for you, when I find my copy, but 'Sharks of the World' (The Princeton Field Guide) contains all the reproduction information you requested for all sharks and rays, as well.
 
Wagging her tail at the cleaner magnet

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jd474 said:
My specialty area is really corals, so I can't answer those specific questions off the top of my head (I help w/husbandry and some life support w/our elasmos). You can download a free copy of the 'Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual' that was compiled a few years ago, just Google it (I'm pretty sure it's available to the general public). I can look them up for you, when I find my copy, but 'Sharks of the World' (The Princeton Field Guide) contains all the reproduction information you requested for all sharks and rays, as well.
Click to expand...

Is this the manual you are talking about?http://www.colszoo.org/internal/ela... 05 - Design and Construction of Exhibits.pdf
 
Thanks, for the info. A link to the husbandry manual can be found on the sharkray central site in the references section. I will need to pick up the Princeton guide because the manual is lacking specifics on this species.

SS21ca - what you see is what you get for movement from these guys. Every time someone enters the room however they begin wagging their tails. Definitely not for everyone but fascinating to me. I figure once the pond is constructed I will add a grouper or something else too large for them to eat.
 
alprazo said:
r.d.m - agreed the tongs are a must. They way that they an cut through a smelt in an instant makes me wonder what they could do with a finger. They are way too fast for my reflexes.

jd474 - I can't find a whole lot of info on these. What is the age at sexual maturity, length of gestation, avg number of pups?

Any info you have would be appreciated.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I don't know much about tasseled wobies, but what is evident that they appear to grow a lot larger than was mentioned in the first post. Estimates range from 6' to 10'. That is not going to be comfortable in a 10'x12' shallow tank. Because they are large they are not usually considered suitable for the home aquarium, so there's not much info on them. Most of the people you find with 'experience' with them will have owned them young, and run out of room in their 'big' 240. Few mature adults survive outside the public aquaria.

Most observations from the wild indicate that they live alone, so you might want to look out for aggression, especially when they are sexually mature. There are reports of other larger species of Wobbegong being sexually mature as small as 2', so it could be early.

Good luck.
 
Shinypenny,

I truly appreciate your post and everyone else that chimed in, I wish more would. I did try to do my homework though, before purchasing the pair. I at least read most of what is out there. From everything I have found and the footage I have seen, the reports of 6+ foot tasseled wobbes are considered erroneous by most. You are correct though that a 10 foot shark in a 12 foot pond would be cruel.

I am hoping that I could find someone on this board with personal experience/knowledge. Searching the archives and old posts I've found nothing. Searching Aquarium websites and remembering trips, I found only Georgia to have one. Reviewing publications and references, only an author from Seaworld is listed.

Scott Michael - who has authored probably the best personal aquarium book on sharks to date, having had one, lists them as a perfect shark for a 350+ aquarium. For them to be as common as reported in the wild, and on suppliers lists, I am surprised about the lack of available information on them. Though Scott Michael did write that he has only seen them on two occasions -- Fishchannel (This is why I thought that they rarely made it to the US.) A search on nurse sharks, bonnet heads, lemons, leopards, and black tips, all of which grow much larger and require a significantly greater amount of space, plus aquarium, instantly yields an overwhelming amount of info.

I will post what I observe and learn. If they attack each other or grow to 72 inches I will also responsibly fix or find them a good home. The hope and plan however is to have long term success with this species.
 
IMG_8612.jpg
 
Male eating a 6 inch smelt.
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For those considering a pair. They have stayed away from each other until last PM. They have always been on opposite ends of the tank. Last night however they were lined up front to tail. The tail of the smaller female was wagging directly above the mouth of the male with no aggression. Ev en with food inthe tank. I was surprised. At some point last night the female went back to her regular location but I now have less worries about them biting one another.

The 11 inch Miniatus I added didn't fare as well. It took only about an hour in the tank before the left pectoral fin was shredded. Fortunately groupers are smart fish and it now knows to stay away from the sharks.
 
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