Need advice on maintaining a 10,000 gallon shark tank

[jlinzmaier]

I have some friends who aren't familiar with RC who asked for some help with their shark tank. Apparently this tank is roughly 10,000 gallons (8ft long, 8ft deep, ??? feet wide). They have two 5ft nurse sharks in the tank and the filtration is pretty poor. Oxygen levels are low, flow is all but absent, and nutrient levels are high. Apparently when the tank was set up there was some sort of a sand filter installed (sounds like something that you'd use for a pool) but it isn't even close to properly filtering the system.

Souds to me like these people are in over their head but I said I'd post some questions here and get some recommendations from poeple with experience with these types of tanks. On a tank this size, what would you recommend for filtration, water movement and temp management?? They have roughly $4,000 to spend on beefing this tank up. I only have a 180 gallon reef so I have no idea what's out there for a tank this large, not to mention a "shark tank".

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jeremy

 

[robcampman]

you would hav to post some pictures of the setup.. and describe their feeding regime.. From these data you could make a plan of what is needed for a clean tank..

A sandbed or bead filter is very common for these setups.. if it is properly used it can be very effective.. if it is malfunctioning or has never been cleaned it will be a death trap of ammonia and other chemicals.

the use of ozon is almost inevitable , sharks poop a lot. ozon burns the waste material.

So please give us some pics of the monsters

 

[myerst2]

It is sad that people would venture into something like this without doing some research. Nonetheless, it is great to see that you are trying to help these animals have a decent life. I know there is a site similar to RC that concentrates on sharks and rays. Hopefully someone can post the link. As said above sand filters are great as creating a copious amount of beneficial bacteria to deal with the enormous levels of waste that is produced. They can be nitrate machines but that is the least of your worries. If the sand filter happen to clog and stop working and cause things to go anerobic than disaster will come quickly. A verty large skimmer is in order and the increase of water movement, i.e dissolved oxygen. Also with the current situation, expensive water changes are a must to keep these animals happy.


What is the history with these sharks and display? How long have they had the sharks?

 

[jlinzmaier]

Sorry guys I don't have much more info about the set up or feeding routine right now. I'll get in touch with them and provide as much detail as possible. Really appreciate all your input!! Hopefully with a bit of work and some research we can give these sharks a bit more hospitable home.

Jeremy

 

[jmoney]

what skimmer they are using is going to be a must, also what the current water turnover rate is.

 

[jlinzmaier]

what skimmer they are using is going to be a must, also what the current water turnover rate is.

I don't believe there is a skimmer right now and the water turn over rate sounds like it's pretty much zippo. I think the only water movement is the sand filter but I may very well be wrong. Sorry I don't have more details yet but after I get some more info I'll post it up.

Thanks.

Jeremy

 

[treefer]

deff get a big *** skimmer, and ozone! put some closed loops in it. sequence makes some good pumps, do big *** water changes frequently. when dealing with big fish they take big poops and eat alot of food, and the sand filters prolly a fluidized sand bed.

 

[jmoney]

deff get a big *** skimmer, and ozone! put some closed loops in it. sequence makes some good pumps, do big *** water changes frequently. when dealing with big fish they take big poops and eat alot of food, and the sand filters prolly a fluidized sand bed.

+1 they need to get into contact with the people at www.superskimmer.com or myreefcreations.com in to find about a skimmer that can handle their volume, flow...well I can tell you it doesn't have to be as crazy as sps keepers but with the amount of waste sharks produce it will need to be near 30x per hour turnover rate...if you want pm me with any details they can provide, I would be more than happy to talk with them on the phone in order to figure out what we can do in oder to provide these sharks with a better environment. I've kept small bamboo cat sharks before and even those are no picnic, so once again please pm me so we can talk, I am in no way an expert, but I can point them in the direction of people that can get them going

 

[skanderson]

not to be critical but from my calculations the only way a 8x8 tank hits 10000 gallons is if the missing dimension width is 20 feet. sooo, most likely this tank is in the 2k to 3k range. that will help clear up some of the confusion here. for what its worth there is no practical way to keep 2 five foot sharks in that small of a tank for the long haul. remember that 5 foot nurse sharks are still going to at least double in size. they need to reeval the stocking and find a reasonable home for those fish. just my 2 cents.

 

[jlinzmaier]

I just have vague details on the tank and set up. My apologies for the lack of true details. The dimensions may be different than what my first estimate was. My apologies for taking so long with further details but my wife gave birth to my 2nd baby last night. I've been a bit distracted and still going on 2hrs of sleep since 8AM yesterday.

I'll get more info ASAP and really appreciate everyone chiming in with helpful info.

Jeremy

 

[jlinzmaier]

Geez. I was way off with my original guess on the dimensions.

Dimensions of the aquarium are 24ft wide, 20ft from front to back, and the height of the tank is 8ft. It's in a resort but I'd rather not disclose the name. Only water movement is from the pump to run the Sandfiilter and the filter is a StarRite 210. Also, apparently the feeding is varying nightly with spiny lobsters and other crustaceans, small stingrays, sea urchins, squid, and bony fishes.

I've also got some pics if that will help. Give me a few minutes to get them cropped and loaded.

Thanks.

Jeremy

 

[HumbleLobster]

Yikes, by my math that is something like 28,000 gallons.

 

[chasekwe]

Certainly no offense, and I'm glad that your friends are at least trying... but you can't do anything that will effect a 28,000 gallon tank with only $4k. ... I mean, maybe you could swing one decent size water change (like 25%) which is probably sorely needed.

Achieving even 10x turnover in a tank this size would costs 10s of thousands of dollars and that won't even address all the issues you mentioned.

 

[jlinzmaier]

Certainly no offense, and I'm glad that your friends are at least trying... but you can't do anything that will effect a 28,000 gallon tank with only $4k. ... I mean, maybe you could swing one decent size water change (like 25%) which is probably sorely needed.

Achieving even 10x turnover in a tank this size would costs 10s of thousands of dollars and that won't even address all the issues you mentioned.

Yeah I hear you! This is sounding like something way beyond my being able to help while staying within a budget of 4g's. Let me double check and be sure the dimensions are correct and I truly have all the details. Gosh, it makes me wonder how they've kept these sharks alive as long as they have.

Here are some pics anyway. What you see is as much as I've seen.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9021/043dz.jpg

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5805/042d.jpg

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/997/034d.jpg

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/8195/020ip.jpg


Thanks.

Jeremy

 

[Hop]

Looks like a big project... Looks like the fluidized filter is severely undersized for the bioload, it could use a huge skimmer and some huge increases in flow which probably can't be done with the tank running... Just employ the same methods you would on a smaller tank, but on a much bigger scale. But I agree 4k is only going to start to fix the problem...

I'm no expert either, but I'm sure there are some people on this board that care for large public aquariums and can help to solve the quality issues.

 

[shelby28]

any news on the progress

 

[jlinzmaier]

Dimensions were way off!!!! I'll post some more info tomorrow when I have more time.

Jeremy

 

[malawiman]

i know its not a reef tank but a few large surge devices would create flow and increase oxygen exchange. not sure if this is an option but im sure it would improve conditions for a reasonable price. being all you would need would be pumps plumbing and large plastic contaniers. the problem would be haveing a place above the tank to install the containers. pics please.

 

[serpentman]

Add a one in front of that 4 and you should be close to the proper budget on this tank. I think they are going to need at least $10-20K in upgrades to properly maintain this tank. IMO, as a resort, they should be able to swing it. If not, dying sharks don't display well to tourists.

For starters, they are going to need:

A monster skimmer (perhaps with Ozone?)
A monster UV sterilizer
There are going to need a way to turn over that tank frequently to prevent O2 from dropping dangerously low. I would say a massive closed loop(s) in conjunction with a surge system.

 

[jlinzmaier]

pics please.

Links above.

Yikes, by my math that is something like 28,000 gallons.

"True" dimensions are 20X14X7. Sorry for the confusion. That brings the tank between 14,000 and 15,000 gallons.

Add a one in front of that 4 and you should be close to the proper budget on this tank. I think they are going to need at least $10-20K in upgrades to properly maintain this tank. IMO, as a resort, they should be able to swing it. If not, dying sharks don't display well to tourists.

I hear you. I'm just working off based on what their initial thought is on the amount to spend on the project.

A monster skimmer (perhaps with Ozone?)
A monster UV sterilizer
There are going to need a way to turn over that tank frequently to prevent O2 from dropping dangerously low. I would say a massive closed loop(s) in conjunction with a surge system.

Let's forget price for a minute and focus on creating a healthy system for these sharks. Any chance you can post some links to actual products so I can give them a realistic price for maintaining this tank?

Jeremy