Sharks in Home Aquariums

[lucky_snapper]

How many of you have a problem with people trying to keep sharks especially the larger sharks like the black tip in the home aquarium. Personally I feel that these animals get much to big and need far too much room for any home aquarium. These animals should only be housed in the largest of commercial facilities.

What say you ?

 

[Fishfirst]

Minimum 10000 gallons for blacktips, bonnetheads, smoothhounds, leopards in my professional opinion. A juvi of these species should be a minimum of 5000 gallons.

 

[billsreef]

Considering the size they get, and the amount ($$$) of food they need to eat, definitely not for the average home aquarist.

 

[sharkkeeper1]

How many of you have a problem with people trying to keep sharks especially the larger sharks like the black tip in the home aquarium. Personally I feel that these animals get much to big and need far too much room for any home aquarium. These animals should only be housed in the largest of commercial facilities.

What say you ?

What say me? I agree completely. I happen to house 4 sharks, and also have a 15*20*3.5 leopard shark tank in the works.

Think it's awful that they try to trick nature and put a six foot shark in an 8 foot aquarium.

_______________________________________________

Love this hobby, but my wallet is running on empty here!http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/i...eefcentral.com/forums/images/smilies/debi.gif

 

[sharkkeeper1]

[violation]

 

[Graffiti Reef]

How many of you have a problem with people trying to keep sharks especially the larger sharks like the black tip in the home aquarium. Personally I feel that these animals get much to big and need far too much room for any home aquarium. These animals should only be housed in the largest of commercial facilities.

What say you ?

Personally I would never keep sharks simply because it would be like keeping a bear or tiger. Sure, you could keep it in as big a tank as money could buy but its still not the same as being in the wild. Sharks are extremely active and scientists have studied activity showing them traveling miles and miles in a singe day. Unlike smaller fish most of us keep, these guys are just too big to be in a tank.

 

[Cu455]

There are hundreds of species of sharks. They all aren't 10ft open ocean monsters. Most of sharks I have seen in their natural habitat while diving are just sitting under some rocks.

I don't see an issue with people keeping them. As long as they are well taken care of.

 

[billsreef]

[flamealert]...

 

[Cu455]

This persons sharks seem happy.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2390762

 

[airplanes1016]

Shut up, what, are you some animal naturalist ("animals are best in the wild"). I have studied sharks for 10 yrs, and they should be in:

Leopards = 3600 through anything above, though I personally would recommend 4000 round to 5500 square or rectangular.

blacktips need around 5500 to 6500.

bonnetheads and smoothhounds should be in a 3600 gallon.

__________________________________________________

Love this how but MY WALLET IS RUNNING DRY HERE!

Not sure where you studied for ten years, but perhaps you should not start a post off with "shut up". You don't come off as creditable.

 

[thenewguy997]

my opinion is that i think you would have to basically have a facility built for this animal. You could probably keep a huge shark in a circle tank where it swims in circles all day but i think to really give it a good enviroment youd basically have to have a building built or warehouse where you can house a tank big enough for the animal to actually swim with speed.

Small sharks are a different story.

 

[SwampyBill]

This persons sharks seem happy.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2390762

Oh my...!! :lolspin: I wonder if they shared a cig afterwards...? :love1:

 

[Zoodiver]

Personally I would never keep sharks simply because it would be like keeping a bear or tiger. Sure, you could keep it in as big a tank as money could buy but its still not the same as being in the wild. Sharks are extremely active and scientists have studied activity showing them traveling miles and miles in a singe day. Unlike smaller fish most of us keep, these guys are just too big to be in a tank.

Actually, of the 360+ species of elasmobranchs, most stay fairly small compared to what the general public thinks. Most of the benthic sharks occupy a small area in the wild that they establish similar to a 'territory'. Once they find a good place to hide and a food source, they typically don't stray far.


As for the original question: Assuming Black tip shark -Carcharhinus limbatus, not Pacific Black tip reef shark - Carcharhinus melanopterus, those are two VERY different sharks to deal with.
Black tips are VERY high strung animals that then to bolt/dart around quickly went startled. They are also more aggressive towards tank mates and will be a good 3 ft longer than the Black tip reef shark counter parts.
Black tip reef (BTR) on the other hand stay somewhat smaller in comparison and are a more laid back shark. Yes, you still need a very large foot print (swimming pool size), but you don't usually have to deal with the other problems that arise with regular black tips.

I have dealt with both species.

 

[thenewguy997]

Baby tiger shark in a 10g nano?

 

[Keoki18]

Zoodiver has very good (and logical) points over the captive care of elasmobranchs.
C. limbatus is the common "black tip" seen in the aquarium trade. They are much easier to maintain, and do not grow as large. This being said, they will still require a fairly large pool about 25ft in diameter (IME) to be fully healthy. Another common problem with keeping elasmoranchs in captivity, is the stability of consumed Iodine. Sharks, in specific, require large amounts of Iodine to reduce risk of goiter. Also, lack of proper diet leads to growth abnormalities such as enlarged heads.

I do not have a problem with people keeping sharks, just as long as they do it right.

+1 to airplanes post

 

[fraggin corals]

Carcharhinus limbatus is the common blacktip and, as stated by Zoodiver, not maintained by public aquarias due to its behavior. Carcharhinus melanopterus is the blacktip reef shark and is what is commonly available.

 

[Keoki18]

My apologies, FC is correct. C. melanopterus is the common one seen in trade.

 

[Illhaveanother]

Personally I'm not up for taking any apex type predator fish out of the ocean because the ocean really needs them worse than we do just look at the tuna and the red roughy!

 

[Vilas]

When you get a collection permit for your tank here, it specifically states that you are not permitted to keep a great white shark. Makes me wonder why that was a necessary inclusion.

 

[FrightyDog]

My LFS was once selling a shark called "grey shark". It was silver with these amazing silver eyes. Probably your average marine shark. I am not sure what happened to them, but they were not "pet material". I work there and these customers were asking "Can I put a 2 sharks and a stingray in a 60 gallon?" I laughed and said 100 minimum for an unhappy cat banded shark.