nurse shark
- Thread starter gunny03
- Start date
cubanheat1
New member
I think a speices of shark like this should belong only in nature or in a large facility that will properley give it what it needs.Nurse sharks are always on the prowl for food and mate and in captivity even a 500g tank will be to small to create a natural enviorment.It need to be feed very frequently and in adequete amounts.I really do enjoy sharks but not in a captive state.Just my two cents
reefergeorge
New member
I thought they made them illegal to keep?
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TheSaltwaterGuy
New member
Even a 2,000g tank will be too small for an adult.
what lfs??? we have a local shark pond here its about 2500 gallons last nurse shark we took in went to a public aquairum and that took some major talking to just get them to take it for free I had to transport it there for them.. I believe that you should have to have a permit to buy certain fish SW and FW alike I mean not many people have room to keep alot of fish sold in todays market.. I should know I take in FW fish all the time and my two ponds (indoor freshwater) are stocked beyond stocked my largest FW fish is pushing 40"
krj-1168
Member
Yeah - Nurses aren't suited for the vast majority of aquarists. As they average 8-9' long as adults, and can get to be 10' (or more by some estimates) in length.
Btw - All minimum tank sizes for nurse sharks, that I've seen tend to be too small. A single adult needs much more than 5,000 gallons (which are some of the larger estimates). Even ponds/lagoons of 10,000-15,000 gallons tend to be cramped for an adult Nurse. IMO a single adult Nurse needs a pond/lagoon of at least 20,000-25,000 gallons to life.
Btw - All minimum tank sizes for nurse sharks, that I've seen tend to be too small. A single adult needs much more than 5,000 gallons (which are some of the larger estimates). Even ponds/lagoons of 10,000-15,000 gallons tend to be cramped for an adult Nurse. IMO a single adult Nurse needs a pond/lagoon of at least 20,000-25,000 gallons to life.
reeferaddiction
New member
i almost had a heart attack when you said they were in the 55gal lol i failed to read the rest
Charger21_SD
New member
LOL Same here. Definetly a shark I hate to hear about being seen in lfs. Not most shark keepers much less general saltwater keepers can house these sharks for life.
DamnPepShrimp
Moved On
Did you leave out a couple zeros in that post? You mean 20,000?
FishyMel
New member
haha no. Lets be realistic, no one has a 20,000 gallon tank laying around they can just set up for a shark, the best thing that can happen is someone with a 200 gallon tank gives it a clean home and the animal becomes stunted. I think that is the best case scenario for these animals, it is that or dead. IMO black tips and nurses should only be brought in trade with a special permit and proof of a reasonable size tank.
TheSaltwaterGuy
New member
Well, either way the shark would die. Even stunted in a 200g the shark would eventually jump out or just die for no apparent reason (not really no apparent reason, we all know why).
TheSaltwaterGuy
New member
Haha, definitely not. :lol:
krj-1168
Member
Personally - for a couple of 2' Nurse pups - I would suggest a 500 gallon tank - ASAP.
Hmmm... Actually I've talked with some hardcore aquarists that built shark lagoons which exceed 20,000 gallons - just for keep their sharks in. At least one of them actually has an adult Nurse(about 9' long last I heard) in his shark lagoon.
And you basically - just hit on How you build a 20,000+ gallon Shark lagoon.
Some people use a large above ground swimming pool - others go all out with the inground pools.
Ummm ... NO! Nurse sharks can't tolerate water temps that low very well. They generally stop feeding when water temps drop below 68F. Remember Nurses are a tropical species, basically living in water that is near 70F in the winter months, and mid 80's in the summer months.
Ken
Hmmm... Actually I've talked with some hardcore aquarists that built shark lagoons which exceed 20,000 gallons - just for keep their sharks in. At least one of them actually has an adult Nurse(about 9' long last I heard) in his shark lagoon.
And you basically - just hit on How you build a 20,000+ gallon Shark lagoon.
Some people use a large above ground swimming pool - others go all out with the inground pools. Ummm ... NO! Nurse sharks can't tolerate water temps that low very well. They generally stop feeding when water temps drop below 68F. Remember Nurses are a tropical species, basically living in water that is near 70F in the winter months, and mid 80's in the summer months.
Ken
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