Banded Cat Shark Hatched Advice.

The_Barrs_Reef · Jul 21, 2022

So we have had the banded cat shark egg a month or so watching it grow inside.
Did a bunch of research prior and during the whole experience and think we can make this work.
But one thing happened today and not 100% sure on the right action or if I take any action at all.

It hatched Naturally last night and we woke up to a baby shark, I have him in a 15x6x6 acclamation box inside my big tank, but he still has about a dime sized egg yolk attached.
Planning on just letting him hang out there and wait till it Disappears and waiting another week/2 weeks before feeding.

but does anyone else have any other advice?

thanks in advance.

Bucs20fan · Jul 21, 2022

He can survive on that yolk sack as nature intends for a while as he acclimates to his new home. He has the ability to eat and digest already at a new hatchling. Once they hatch they almost immediately look for a home and then shortly after begin to scavenge for crabs and snail under the sand. I think you are taking a great approach for sure, I would personally try feeding after a 1 week period just to avoid stress. What do you plan to offer as food as a start?

The_Barrs_Reef · Jul 21, 2022

Bucs20fan said:
He can survive on that yolk sack as nature intends for a while as he acclimates to his new home. He has the ability to eat and digest already at a new hatchling. Once they hatch they almost immediately look for a home and then shortly after begin to scavenge for crabs and snail under the sand. I think you are taking a great approach for sure, I would personally try feeding after a 1 week period just to avoid stress. What do you plan to offer as food as a start?

I was planning on starting with some small pieces of silversides/scallop/squid.
Also if he didn’t react to that many e take my small Bastet and tell to just shoot some Mysis in front of him to intice.
Also kinda up in the air to use some garlic and selcon additive with the food.
Also I wasn’t aware it would go after snails and crabs within a week, so I’ll definitely make sure I have plenty and put a few in the acclamation box just in case.

Bucs20fan · Jul 21, 2022

I highly doubt it would turn down scallops or squid once it is hungry. Cat sharks love crustaceans. Its is a large portion of their diet. Now they will absolutely eat fish if they get the opportunity or if they are hungry enough, it is after all, a shark LOL. I would refrain from adding a live crab to the box with it as it could injure the juvenile shark. I personally am not a huge fan of silversides but lots of people feed them to their sharks and nems and such so who am I to judge. I just prefer to buy inexpensive things from the seafood counter at the grocery store for my snowflake eel, and I would do the same if I had a shark. What kind of tank mates is the little guy going to have?

The_Barrs_Reef · Jul 21, 2022

Bucs20fan said:
I highly doubt it would turn down scallops or squid once it is hungry. Cat sharks love crustaceans. Its is a large portion of their diet. Now they will absolutely eat fish if they get the opportunity or if they are hungry enough, it is after all, a shark LOL. I would refrain from adding a live crab to the box with it as it could injure the juvenile shark. I personally am not a huge fan of silversides but lots of people feed them to their sharks and nems and such so who am I to judge. I just prefer to buy inexpensive things from the seafood counter at the grocery store for my snowflake eel, and I would do the same if I had a shark. What kind of tank mates is the little guy going to have?

He’s got a few tangs a lion fish a couple large clowns and a few damsels (if he eats the damzels I might buy him a lobster dinner lol ) and a snowflake.

None are bully’s, pretty peaceful.

Bucs20fan · Jul 21, 2022

Im sure you know to watch out for bullying as the baby will be vulnerable when you add him to the dt. He very well may be eating size depending on how big your lionfish is. If it is a dwarf you will be fine. The damsels may end up as a meal but thats a hazard of doing business. Essentially everything could be on the menu but we all know this, especially when it is fully grown. Good news is cat sharks are one of the better sharks for aquariums, just like snowflakes, as they prefer crunchy foods to our soft fishes. It would be a sight to see one day if you added a bunch of emerald crabs to the tank and watch the cat shark and snowflake hunt them down. Ive done the same for my fowlr tank with triggers, puffers and a snowflake. There is nowhere that snowflake cant reach.

Aspect · Jul 21, 2022

The_Barrs_Reef said:
I was planning on starting with some small pieces of silversides/scallop/squid.
Also if he didn’t react to that many e take my small Bastet and tell to just shoot some Mysis in front of him to intice.
Also kinda up in the air to use some garlic and selcon additive with the food.
Also I wasn’t aware it would go after snails and crabs within a week, so I’ll definitely make sure I have plenty and put a few in the acclamation box just in case.

Wouldn't feed Silversides, they offer relatively low nutrition. You can start off with PE Mysis to entice along with Selcon dripped on it. I would watch the powerheads as they can stuck to them when they are babies/juveniles as they are not very strong swimmers and will swim along the walls the aquarium in search for food. When you transition to frozen food make sure to find no preservative frozen, there is insufficient data on the preservatives that we use for our food on how it affects sharks.