Planning a 480g Shark Tank

based on your tank size and the fact that you are going to be keepnig a shark, you may want to look into the large airstone driven skimmers. the fine pore diffusers from AquaticEco seem to create quite the froth. also the air pumps and stones are less then 250 bucks. look for mojoreef on here or dgasmd, they both have used giant airstone skimmers, and rufio173 is the airpump guy to talk to (hes also on here)
otherwise if you are not comfortable with that id go with a larger H&s euroreef deltec style NW or get a body and check up on the DIY red dragon NW pump on a big air skimmer body.

either option is fairly low wattage (air pump and stones or the Red dragon DIY both are under 100w easily for over 100sch of air) and could easily handle the tank of your size.

major other things to consider is electrical output from pumps heaters etc , you want as much of that out of the main tank as possible. while rarely a killer, the sharks electrical recepters will drive it nuts if you have stray voltage issues and it can unseat or attempt to sample anything in the tank with a power cord that is electrical due to the electrical field it produces.

I highly reccomensd teh book referenced above for your reading and to keep on hand incase of any issues. its the book most pros ask you to read first regardless of your issue or idea.

HTH
 
I've taken care of a tank (72" x 48" x 24")that had 4 coral cat sharks (~ 50 cm each) and an inverted pyramid of live rock with a 3" thick sand bed. We fed them squid, shrimp and clam every second day and they took it readily. For the year and a half I worked there we had them and they grew and were healthy (would get a pink underside every once and a while). They were moved to a new tank after I was gone and I heard one died and another went carpet surfing and died as well.

We ran a small skimmer and concentrated on routine water changes (~20 gal a week).

Cheers, hope everything works out well for you!

read read read..... then read some more..... and then jump in and try it!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9874801#post9874801 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by college429
It always amazes me how many unqualified people are willing to give false advice.

Before anyone gives advice on sharks they should learn the facts from an expert and/or keep the sharks themselves.

Read: Aquarium Sharks and Rays by Michael Scott: http://www.petstore.com/ps_ViewItem-idproduct-BKASR.html

It clearly says (and he knows from experience) that a bamboo shark can be happily kept throughout its life cycle in a tank as you describe. Just make sure you keep it open for swimming room with just one or two overhangs for hiding.

I would suggest that people with uninformed opinions should keep them to themselves.
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The problem with this is that regardless of what any book tells you or what you hear at a local fish store there are many people who completely disagree with the opinions given about keeping sharks in home aquariums. Saying that a shark of any size can be happily kept in a tank of 180 gals is strictly an opinion. Many other people feel that it is not right to keep sharks of any size in tanks that are not extremely large (say 1,000 gals or more) Forums like this are for discussions. They are not supposed to be for trying to tell people they are unqualified to speak about their own experiences or opinions on aquariums. There is no absolute right or wrong answer here. Both sides have valid concerns and arguments and it is important that everyone intelligently consider all sides of the discussion before making decisions for yourself.
 
I would be a bit wary of the min tank sizes in the Scott Michael book - he admits they are very much the absolute minimum, and I do not think he has kept many of these sharks long term. Nonethe less 8*4 is big enough for a bamboo.
 
hatfielj,
I agree that it is ok to have differences in opinion. But to give someone advice that you need 1000g for any shark is crazy. This is not a minor difference in opinion. This is patently false. This type of incorrect and uninformed information leads to confusion rather than usefull discussion. We can debate shallow sand bed, deep sand bed, etc. But to say "you must have a shallow sand bed to have a successfull reef tank" is false in the same way as the statement that you need 1000g.
 
What i would like to know is how can people say a shark needs a minimum of a 1000 gallon tank/pond? Who decides this? And for that matter who decides what size tank a fish can be kept in. For example a yellow tang. Many say it will do fine in a 125. But a 125 is only 72''x18"x22". Now i can guarantee you that a yellow tang uses up a hell of a lot more room than that in the wild. So wouldn't you say it is cruel to keep a yellow tang in anything smaller than a 1,000 gallon tank/pond as well?

Now I've never read Scott Michael's book but i have heard great things about it, but I'll never read it due to the fact that books can only teach you so much. The majority of the knowledge you gain is through trial and error, your own personal experience, and the experience of others. So unless you have kept a shark or you are keeping a shark how can you really know what to do?

People that come into these forums are aggravating to me to say the least. I do not know everything there is to know about this hobby whether it be fish keeping or reef keeping. Though you won't find me walking into the SPS section of RC to say that the people that collect wild SPS are wrong for doing it and that they should leave the wild colonies in the ocean where they belong. I don't say this because i know that the people that keep them are mostly experienced reef keepers who have the proper setup to keep these types of corals.

Why people can't open their eyes to shark keeping is beyond me.
 
I agree with both of you. But I don't agree with the fact that you say any shark should be kept in at least a 1,000g tank/pond. Did you know there is a dwarf shark out there that lives deep down in the ocean that only reaches a MAXIMUM, MAXIMUM length of only 6in. Should this be kept in a 1,000g tank/pond minimum? The answer is no.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9899159#post9899159 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bignick


Now I've never read Scott Michael's book but i have heard great things about it, but I'll never read it due to the fact that books can only teach you so much . The majority of the knowledge you gain is through trial and error, your own personal experience, and the experience of others. So unless you have kept a shark or you are keeping a shark how can you really know what to do?

Click to expand...


Are you serious? That's so ridiculous I don't know where to begin. Books ARE the experience of others. You can do the hobby a favor by reading about sharks before putting them in your tank as proverbial guinea pigs.

You go ahead and continue in your way of trial and error, and let us know when you've invented fire.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9899159#post9899159 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bignick

Now I've never read Scott Michael's book but i have heard great things about it, but I'll never read it due to the fact that books can only teach you so much. The majority of the knowledge you gain is through trial and error, your own personal experience, and the experience of others. So unless you have kept a shark or you are keeping a shark how can you really know what to do?

Click to expand...

:eek2:
 
This is why we need a dedicated shark forum. I would think that the first 5-10 topics would receive flaming remarks, then people that only have strong convictions and nothing more to really add would move on to other pastures and leave people with a deep and abiding desire to learn about shark husbandry alone to discuss topics without fear of being flamed.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9902835#post9902835 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Cantonesefish
Are you serious? That's so ridiculous I don't know where to begin. Books ARE the experience of others. You can do the hobby a favor by reading about sharks before putting them in your tank as proverbial guinea pigs.

You go ahead and continue in your way of trial and error, and let us know when you've invented fire.
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So what by reading his book i am suppose to base all of my knowledge off of one persons experience with keeping sharks?

Whats the sense?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9905999#post9905999 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dogstar74
This is why we need a dedicated shark forum. I would think that the first 5-10 topics would receive flaming remarks, then people that only have strong convictions and nothing more to really add would move on to other pastures and leave people with a deep and abiding desire to learn about shark husbandry alone to discuss topics without fear of being flamed.
Click to expand...

One already exists its called shark and ray central. Its a forum filled with people that keep sharks and rays.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9905999#post9905999 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dogstar74
This is why we need a dedicated shark forum. I would think that the first 5-10 topics would receive flaming remarks, then people that only have strong convictions and nothing more to really add would move on to other pastures and leave people with a deep and abiding desire to learn about shark husbandry alone to discuss topics without fear of being flamed.
Click to expand...

I agree here on reeef central somewhere. I looked under agressive fish and barly no posts on sharks at all. lol.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9899159#post9899159 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bignick
What i would like to know is how can people say a shark needs a minimum of a 1000 gallon tank/pond? Who decides this? And for that matter who decides what size tank a fish can be kept in. For example a yellow tang. Many say it will do fine in a 125. But a 125 is only 72''x18"x22". Now i can guarantee you that a yellow tang uses up a hell of a lot more room than that in the wild. So wouldn't you say it is cruel to keep a yellow tang in anything smaller than a 1,000 gallon tank/pond as well?

Now I've never read Scott Michael's book but i have heard great things about it, but I'll never read it due to the fact that books can only teach you so much. The majority of the knowledge you gain is through trial and error, your own personal experience, and the experience of others. So unless you have kept a shark or you are keeping a shark how can you really know what to do?

People that come into these forums are aggravating to me to say the least. I do not know everything there is to know about this hobby whether it be fish keeping or reef keeping. Though you won't find me walking into the SPS section of RC to say that the people that collect wild SPS are wrong for doing it and that they should leave the wild colonies in the ocean where they belong. I don't say this because i know that the people that keep them are mostly experienced reef keepers who have the proper setup to keep these types of corals.

Why people can't open their eyes to shark keeping is beyond me.
Click to expand...

VERY GOOD POINTS MADE.:strooper:
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9902835#post9902835 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Cantonesefish
Are you serious? That's so ridiculous I don't know where to begin. Books ARE the experience of others. You can do the hobby a favor by reading about sharks before putting them in your tank as proverbial guinea pigs.

You go ahead and continue in your way of trial and error, and let us know when you've invented fire.
Click to expand...


UH, excuse me, but one of your so called "experts" who has written many books and given tons of lectures is one of the persons who told me flat out that I would have nothing but problems if I used Natural Sea Water. :rolleyes: I, and many others have been keeping sucessful tanks for years using NSW. If I remember correctly, that's where ALL but the captive bred fish and corals came from, the ocean with NSW. So why would it be bad for them? So I'm inclined to agree with about reading books. There nice to read, but take it all with a grain, or pound, of salt. ;)

I agree with what a few of you have stated, people on RC seem to perpetuate the false and pass it on only because they heard it from someone else or from, god forbid, one of the "experts". It's the same way on RC when you mention a Moorish Idol. Everyone wants to flame you for even thinking about getting one. Yet they all seem to forget that at one time, no one could keep SPS corals alive in their tanks. For those of us who have been doing this since the 70's, we understand that people have to take "chances" . Otherwise this hobby will not advance, and the "myths" will continue to pe prepetuated.

Oh, and by the way, YES I do have a Moorish Idol in my 400G reef and am also setting up another 400G tank to house a shark or ray. ;)
 
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