shark egg

[jukboxx]

i have a banded cat shark that is about to hatch, i have him in my sump right now so i can feed him without the other fish trying to get it. i was wandering what i should feed him, is squid ok? and how much, and how often? i was told i need to hand feed him for about 3 weeks? once he starts eating on a regular basis is it ok to move him to the main tank?

 

[FishyMel]

He might not eat the first week after he's hatched, he will still be on his embryo yolk. Don't worry if this happens. It really depends on the shark how long you hand feed him, I presonally hand feed my shark still and she is 6 monthes old, but that is to cut down on waste resulting in Nitrates.

As for the diet, squid is a good food for them but they will be more easily weaned on mysis shrimp. I weaned mine on mysis and it is still her favorite food.

It is smart to have a small setup for the shark in its early stages but a sump may not be the best place considering it is usually very open and bamboos are quite the jumpers. Do you have a fuge? Put her in it if you have one.

 

[reefbegood]

make sure that their are no crabs in the tank when its ready to hatch they will eat it.

 

[Charger21_SD]

How big is the sump he is in?

 

[jukboxx]

my sump is a 40 long, i have him in the return section, it is 15"x12"x5" there is nothing in there with him, my tank was drilled. the return has a elbow facing down about a 1/4" off the bottom i dont think that should be an issue. i do not have a fuge in the sump. do you think i should block him off in there using some egg crate or something like that so he don't jump out or to the other section. when i ween him off and put him in the main tank will he like krill, siversides, and some DIY frozen food, because that is what i am feeding my other fish that are in the tank .

 

[FishyMel]

Yeah, some eggcrate will do the trick. I'd keep him in the sump for 2 monthes, IME they really need that time to grow up big and stong, to fend for themselves. Space will not be an issue in a 40.

They really don't grow very fast if you don't over feed them, some people will just load up these guys' guts with food every day and the thing will be a foot and a half long in a month, but IME they are rather slow growing. I fed mine every day for its 1st 2 monthes and then switched to 2 to 3 times a week, and mine is really healthy but a miniature 7.5 inches. IDK, maybe my shark has issues and is a midget.

 

[Justin James]

Just so you know your shark is not a catshark at all. The bamboo sharks and epaulette sharks are in a family of their own.

Do not feed your shark for two weeks after it has hatched since it's stomach is not ready to accept food and is still running of the yoke sack.

Keep your shark in a tank no smaller than a 180 gallon with no tankmates. Provide plenty of swimming space, soft substrate, and just a little rock work in the center of the tank for a cave structure for sleeping and hidding. Squid is low in nutrition so be sure to offer a wide variety of foods including krill, white fish, clams, and other crustations like scallops and stuff. It's also good to soak your food in selcon to enhance it's nutritional value.

Good luck.... and yes i've had them before.

 

[jukboxx]

main tank is a 240 gal. i have 4 other fish in the tank, two trigers (about 4" in size) one snowflake eel ( about 12" ) and a miniatus grouper, ( about 4" also) what do you think will happen when he is about two months old and i want to put him in there. do you think it will work out or what. what should i worry about, if anything.

 

[FishyMel]

It depends on the triggers in there. Most of the time it won't work and the triggers will pick out the sharks eyes. Sometimes it will though, it is just super risky.

 

[jukboxx]

the two triggers are a niger triger, and a rectangular triger.