So you want to buy a shark? (Shark primer)

From what I've read and pending on the size of the home you have for them, is that conspecific males can get a little rambunctious with each other. Maybe G or Alprazo can chime in on how many females would safely go with a single male. Also, by the way, thank you for the post Alprazo, keeping everyone up to date like always :)
 
It is hit or miss. Some males don't seem to mind each other. Others attack any similar male in the tank, juvenile or adult. My male short tail tolerated one male shark in the past but will kill any other male I put in the tank.
 
I agree, it varies with the shark. Specifically speaking of benthic sharks: I've kept large mixed sex groups together without issue, but I've also seen the flip side where males will bit claspers and fins of other similar species males. My best luck was excess space and blocking line of sight. If they had enough places to get away and hide from each other, they seemed to do better with multiple males in the same display.
ORVs don't tend to have the same male vs male issues that I've seen with benthics.
 
After reading this and many other articles i would like to say thank you! I had planned on making my 180 a shark tank, but after reading and reading i decided not to. Not fair for the shark to be in a small tank like that!
Oh yeah by the way new member here! Lots and lots of good info on this site!
 
So how about a 62" x 62" x 24" custom aquarium with the overflow in the middle of the tank? Maybe an eppie and a bamboo/smaller cat? I have a really good friend of mine who does custom acrylic and since i just got a new house i have been planning a bigger aquarium. I would probably need at least an 80 plus gal sump? I would want a pump that would turn over the tank volume 6-8 times an hour. Huge skimmer. I assume lots of live rock or are ppl still using bio balls for the FOWLR?
 
Most of the bamboos, epaulettes and tropical catsharks would do just fine.
If you want to do something a little more unique, look into a good chiller and that will open the door for cold water catsharks and swell sharks.
 
Well general speaking - minimum for bamboo sharks would be about the following
Length = 4 x maximum species length
Width = 1.5 x maximum species length.
Height = 0.8 x maximum species length.

So minimum for a Grey Bamboo - would be a tank about 10 feet x 4 feet x 2 feet. Since their maximum size is about 30 inches.

But to make it comfy - then go with at least a 10 feet x 5 feet x 2.5 feet = which about 900 gallons.
 
There use to be a LFS in Kansas City that had 3 Lemon sharks in the 2 to 3 foot range in a 16 foot diameter round pool. They swam non-stop round and round in circles. Not a good life for a shark.
 
Lemon Sharks normally take breaks from swimming. They like to lie and rest on the bottom. Believe it or not, they are not ORV or obligate ram ventilators.
All that to the side, the sharks average adult size is outrageous for an aquarist to keep unless they are the owner of a Mega-Aquarium. That, and Lemons are notoriously aggressive. A two-foot Lemon pup is practically a new born.

Lots of better options out there. If you must have a shark, and you are not in the Forbes Top "Whatever" list, stick with a bamboo, eppie, cat shark or the like. And you'll still need a custom aquarium, or better yet pond, the size of a decent bedroom, with lots and lots of electricity powering big pieces of Filtration Equipment.
 
I agree. When it comes to sharks, it's usually cheaper to think outside the tank - go pond or pool. For the money you'd spend on a bare minimum size glass tank/stand, you could have several thousand gallons of above ground pool.
 
Lemon Sharks are a species which should allowed to never be kept by private aquarists or in LFS. When you consider the size of pond or tank need to keep one for life(at least 100,000 gallons), and the maximum size of adults(11-12 feet). These sharks truly need to be kept in a public aquarium.
 
Hello everyone,

First off I wanted to that you guys for such a great primer!
And secondly I wanted to bounce ideas off of you guys and ask a few questions.

I have the opportunity to get a custom made tank for basically any size I want (within reason) and have been in love with horn sharks for about a decade but have never had a tank to house one for its entire life. I have been bouncing detentions around and am leaning towards 96"X32"X24" or 100"X32"X24". It will be a mixed reef with nothing to crazy on fish or coral.

What would your reservations be about keeping a California Horn Shark in this sized tank?

I have also seen many recommendations to supplement with vitamins in the food. What brands/products do you personally use or recommend.

Thanks for the help :)
 
I fed my shark scollops, every once in awhile soacked in iodine. I had a few corals that my shark swam through and killed. Sharks and reefs dont work IMO.
 
Just throwing this out there, Cali horn sharks (and most horn sharks) generally thrive in cooler/cold water set ups. It will be a touch over 3 feet long as an adult.
I used to keep them in the mid/upper 60F range. I wouldn't let them get much warmer than about 71/72F at the top end for temp range (kind of cold for most typical coral). It will greatly shorten lifespan of the shark when kept warmer. Also, sharks can crash water quality quickly and will hide from the bright lights required for coral.
 
What is the best way to insulate the bottom of the 8' round stock pond from ambient temps?

We get 3" thick, 2'x8' Styrofoam sheets at work for various jobs. No clue what they will support in weight evenly distributed or long term. Walking on them doesn't seem to hurt them much. Just a first thought.

Thank you,
Matt
 
I have had 3" styro sheets with the same dimensions under my pond for over 5 years now with no trouble. On the sides i have, if i remember correctly 1" or 1.5" then 3/4" plyboard. Then there are two 90mil EPDM pond liners on top of all that. I try not to walk on it as much as possible. Im sure by now there's been a great deal of compacting on the bottom 3" styro. Its such a large body of water that it does remain pretty stable. I control the temperature by the ambient room temperature. This is simple because around more than half of the pond's outer sides lies baseboard heating. Then in the warmer months, despite being in the basement, there are window wells with normal-size windows for ACs and exhaust fans.
 
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