Sharks

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Jmh30us

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I have been reading this forum for a week now and have seen multiple different answers to same questions. Its pretty clear which carpet shark's one can have but not real clear about the larger ones. If people can own nurse sharks, why can't they own a tiger or Mako shark? I'm a long time freshwater aquarium owner and don't know. Its my understanding that none of the bigger ones should be owned by a hobbyist, regardless of their setup. I know it's illegal by Texas law to own a Mako but that's not the point.
 
Do you want a shark? Do you realize how big they get and therefore how HUGE the aquarium needs to be? I little Tang needs a 75g to 150g tank, what do you think a shark would need? Just because you see the idiots on Tanked add a shark to a aquarium, doesn't mean it's a good idea. IMHO, it would be like keeping a lion in your spare bedroom. Cruel and unhealthy for the animal.

If you want to see a shark, go scuba dive or snorkel. We see them all the time when we go snorkeling. Or go to a public aquarium, they have them too. And IMHO, often their tanks aren't really big enough.
 
I have been reading this forum for a week now and have seen multiple different answers to same questions. Its pretty clear which carpet shark's one can have but not real clear about the larger ones. If people can own nurse sharks, why can't they own a tiger or Mako shark? I'm a long time freshwater aquarium owner and don't know. Its my understanding that none of the bigger ones should be owned by a hobbyist, regardless of their setup. I know it's illegal by Texas law to own a Mako but that's not the point.

An adult Mako grows to 2.5m-4.5m and an adult Tiger shark grows to 3.25-4.25m. Most amateur aquarist's tanks are only as big as the shark's adult length, if that, let alone the amount of space these sharks need to move. That's not even mentioning the distance these animals cover in the wild.

Unless you're trained to care for these animals and have a tank the size of a public aquarium, it's irresponsible to own a creature of this size even as a juvenile as there are no guarantees you would be able to re-home it as it reaches adulthood.
 
I have been reading this forum for a week now and have seen multiple different answers to same questions. Its pretty clear which carpet shark's one can have but not real clear about the larger ones. If people can own nurse sharks, why can't they own a tiger or Mako shark? I'm a long time freshwater aquarium owner and don't know. Its my understanding that none of the bigger ones should be owned by a hobbyist, regardless of their setup. I know it's illegal by Texas law to own a Mako but that's not the point.
In the first place, a Mako is one of the "whaler" sharks, and yes, sometimes the come to the "inshore" waters, but they are large, deep water sharks, that's one of the reasons why you don't see them in the big shark tanks at the aquariums, not even Sea World has them. Enough said about Mako's!
Yes, there are a few sharks that, for very experienced marine aquarium keeps, with the proper tanks can keep. Otherwise it's not fair to either the sharks, or the people keeping them. They're absolutely not for a novice saltwater tank enthusiast. Just like seahorses are not for novice reef keepers.
I'm still a novice saltwater tank enthusiast, but have a lifetime experience growing up, in total respect for the Ocean's, especially the Atlantic, where I grew up. I have caught, and released many of the inshore species of sharks, and some off shore sharks. They are creatures I am in awe of, respect, and have had a healthy fear of in my swimming days.

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Like everyone has stated, most sharks need a large space for proper growth and behavior. Most (if not all) hobbyist aquaria are not suited to keep these species. Like lady stated above, most public aquaria are not well suited for some species. The difference between nurses and makos/ tigers (all three are big sharks) is that nurse sharks can manually pump water over there gills (buccal pumping) when resting where as makos/ tigers are ram obligate ventilators. This means that they need to constantly swim or they drown. Buccal pumping sharks can survive (emphasis on survive) in a smaller foot print system because they do not require a large area to swim to "ram" water through their gill arches. That is the technical answer I think you are looking for. In either case, sharks don't make good pets. Very few species can do well in a hobby setting.
 
LMAO obviously my "humor" is lost to many :celeb1:

Just bored and posting a silly reply to what I thought was a trolling "sucker" thread from 1st time poster. Regardless, yes the photo is real, yes it's me and yes it's a live female Tiger shark I was swimming with. All of the other "details" in my post, not so much. No cats or turtles were harmed during my research, I promise :spin3:
 
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