Shark Tank Again

M

mdiddy7s

New member
I have decided to go with a 108x24x26 inch aquarium. The real question is what are the best fish for the system?

I will probably go with a bamboo shark of some sort.

1. Can there be more than one shark in an aquarium?

2. What other species are good to keep with the shark (preferably colorful)?

3. What is the best thing to feed? Will it eat small chromis if used as feeder fish?

4. Is there a better shark that is cooler that would enjoy and thrive in an aquarium envoronment?

Thanks,
Mike D
 
I thing that tank would be just fine. I estimate that would be 300 gallons??? That size is perfectly fine for bamboos, even two!!! What is your filtration system going to include? Wet dry of fluidized bed fiter??? Skimmer??? I have a lot of experience with shark tanks so let me know. Also if you want bamboo sharks, care must be taken in choosing and adding other fish. Tangs are a good option but angels have a tendancy to pick at the sharks eyes as well as triggers should be avoided. There is a lot of sensitive people on this board that quickly get upset when you say "shark tank". So if you want to PM me just do that to avoid flaming.

Marc
 
No - the tank would not be good for keeping any species of bamboo shark for long term.

It's not that the tank isn't long enough or tall enough - because it's just fine. The real problem is your tank's width.

Generally the tank should at least be wide enough for the shark to turn around in - as an adult.

For sharks like the brown banded bamboo, whitespotted bamboo, horn or epaulette shark - the tank should be at least 3' wide to keep them in it as adults.

Even smaller bamboos like the gray or arabian need a tank that's at least 30" wide.

So to quickly answer to the original questions.

The best shark for the tank size you stated is the coral catshark(A. marmoratus) or the marbled catshark(A. macleayi).

While the coral cats are smaller than the bamboos - they are voracious feeders (more so than most bamboos), and do well in tight spaces.

Coral cats are also closer related to the requiem sharks, while bamboos & eppies are closer related carpet sharks - including the nurse.

Yes - you can keep 2 of these sharks in a tank that size.

Good colorful tank mates - include tangs, clown fish, and docile species of groupers & eels(like snowflakes & Zebras).

Best food - (fresh or frozen) SW fish, squid, shrimp, clams or crab meat. Also some sharks are known to feed on tank inverts - crabs, hermit crabs, cleaner shrimp, & snails.
 
If I went 6 inches deeper (width) I could keep either kind, right? That should not be a problem. I could probably get away with 30" but not 36". The Mrs. would not like that.

Filtration - I will have a wet/dry, skimmer, a large refug area for plenty of Live Rock, and will probably run a canister filter of some sort.

I want it to be set up so that I can make it a reef if this does not work out.

I will also have a recirculation/closed loop system drilled in to the floor of the aquariu.

Can these sharks have too much circualtion?

Where is the best place to get a coral cat shark or small bamboo shark?
 
I think 30" is much better than 24". Not sure where youd buy in OK, Here in Texas I see them all the time at my LFS in San Antonio.
 
Yes - increasing the tank's width would help open your options some.

With a tank that's 96" x 30" x 24 " (about 300 gallons).

Here's your possible options of elasmobranches that you could keep.

The Coral catshark (A. marmoratus) - up to 28", average about 24".

The Marbled catshark (A. macleayi) - up to 24", average about 20".

The Gray Bamboo (C. griseum) - up to 30", average about 25".

The Arabian Bamboo (C. arabicum) - up to 30", average about 25".

The Freycinet's or Indonesian Speckled Epaulette (H. freycineti) - up to 28", average about 24". These are very hard to find - but may be possible.

The Cortez Stingray (U. maculatus) - grows to 16.5"

The California Stingray (U. halleri) - grows up to 22"
 
Depends on which species of blue-spotted stingray - your talking about.

The Blue-spotted or Masked Stingray(Dasyatis kuhlii) - grows to 26 inches & is generally considered to be a hardy species, that does quite well in captivity.

The Blue-spotted Ribbontail ray (Taeniura lymma) - grows to at least 27 inches, generally has a low survivability, and does poorly in captivity.

As for the circulation question for a 300-400 gallon tank with elasmobranches - about 5-10 x tank's total volume per hr is good. So a flow rate of 1,500-4,000 gallons per hr(depending on tank size).
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8642927#post8642927 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ClamIAm
Either blue spotted species should be fine in a tank that size
Click to expand...

i disagree, the lymma is a poor choice for captivity
 
Why?

Well - as I explained earlier - generally this species doesn't do well in captivity

The Blue-spotted Ribbontail ray (Taeniura lymma) - grows to at least 27 inches, generally has a low survivability, and does poorly in captivity.
Click to expand...

This species is really ill-suited for private keepers and is best left in the highly experienced hands of professionals keepers - at major public aquariums.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8644789#post8644789 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mdiddy7s
Why?
Click to expand...

like krj stated, it has a long history of doing poorly in captivity, some never accept food, some die for no reason after eating etc best left in the ocean imho, the other blue spotted ray is a much better choice, in fact it's a no brainer
 
like their cousins the sharks - there are also certain species genera of rays that are better suited for life in captivity(or home aquaria).

These rays are generally of the genera of Urobatis and the smaller species of Dasyatis.

Urobatis - includes the Cortez Stingray, the Californian or Round
Stingray, the Bulleye Stingray, and the Yellow stingray. Generally the Californian & Cortez are consider the hardiest members.

Dasyatis - includes the Bluespotted or Masked Stingray, the Atlantic Stingray, the Southern Stingray, and the Bluntnose Stingray. All members are fairly hardy, but the best(due to their smaller size) are the Bluespotted or Masked Stingray & the Atlantic Stingray.

The Southern Stingray will top out at about 6' in length, while the Bluntnose tops out at about 3-3.5'. So neither is really suited for life in a large home aquarium.
 
How exactly do you feed these rays? Are their mouths on the bottom of their bodies? Do they eat the same things as sharks?
Mike D
 
You're making broad generalizations. Do dasyatis kuhlii accept frozen foods more commonly than taeniura lymma? Yes, probably, but I never understood why people think the ribbontail ray is impossible or something. It isn't, if you actually try.
 
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