Shark for a 30g??

[ichthyogeek]

Haha. It's entirely possible the information I got was wrong. This was quite a while ago and the info originally came from a LFS and then I googled. Sure there were some that mentioned smaller tanks but most said larger for happy peas. I stopped looking at that point because I wanted happy peas so didn't look further into them. LOL

Then someone on here was asking for fish for a 5g (or maybe it was a 7g). This had me reading the thread because I've been looking at starting a pico or small nano. A couple small gobies were mentioned and I thought "great" there is something other than shrimp that can be kept in tanks that small. When I googled the tank size for one of them it was minimum 10g. I think the goby was the size of a dime. Haha. I haven't done any further research into them so maybe they can be happily kept in something smaller.

Even some of my freshwater gobies who are in tanks larger than the minimum look like they'd be even happier in tanks that are larger based on the pacing they do. I suspect they wouldn't stop roaming at 3' in the wild and they are tiny gobies.

I think that that's mostly just a water quality issue. And also a "how experienced of an aquarist am I" issue. Like, I would be willing to assume that a yellow clown goby (G. okinawae) could do quite well in a 2.5 gallon tank IF the tank was plumbed to a larger system to handle wastes, temperature swings, etc. The problem with picos, is more due to their inherent instability with such a small water volume, as opposed to the space they provide (assuming you're working with a suitable species).

It's also a "how much do I know about this fish" issue. With site-attached fish (like the yellow clown goby, and the Trimma goby that Tired mentioned), they don't really move that much, and stick around their host coral (usually acroporas) their entire life. But with the Stiphodons (and other freshwater gobies), I bet it's a matter of space due to feeding (aufwuchs/biofilms, right?). So they need that large amount of surface area in order to get the food they need. And they're probably also used to sometimes being blown quite far based off of the rivers/streams/waterfalls they're on.

 

[ReefHomieJon]

Red Tailed Black Sharks would fit in a 30, although I personally think they belong in a 55. Same with rainbow sharks as well.

Bala sharks too lol

 

[Krj-2501]

Yeah - I agree the only "sharks" which can be kept in 30 gallon tank would be some of the smaller freshwater "sharks". For true saltwater sharks - the smaller benthic species (catsharks, bamboos & epaulettes) which grow to about 18-40 inches, you would need a minimum tank/pond of 180-750 gallons. As for swimming sharks - this is where you need the big budgets, as the minimum pond size for the hound sharks(Grey Smooth hound, Banded Hound shark, Leopard shark) will be at least 2,500-12,000 gallons. And keeping carcharhinids (sharks which everyone thinks of) will need even larger systems, with even bigger budgets.

Note - these are minimums only - for all these species a larger tank/pond would be better.

 

[Salt Addiction]

I would say go with a bigger tank even for a nursery. Years ago when I had my banded cat pair I hatched them both out in a 75 gallon, and that only lasted me about eight months before I moved them to the big display. The other issue is transporting them can be a hassle as they can be very sensitive. Plus even for the 'small' ones you need a tank in the hundreds of gallons range, or in my case an indoor salt pool at the time I kept. If you got an area for it an indoor salt pond is my suggestion as the solid non reflective walls and rounded sides are best for avoiding overly bumped noses.

Edit: Also if you are just starting out do NOT use anything other than RODI like you would a normal reef. Many older houses and municipalities have copper in places pipe wise that leaks into the water.

 

[Krj-2501]

Well - banded cat sharks or to be more specific Brown banded Bamboo sharks are not the best sharks for home aquaria. They are just to most commonly available. The Brown banded Bamboo (Chiloscyllium punctatum) max out at about 52-56" (132-144 cm) long. So at that size it really needs a tanks/pond of at least 2,000 gallons.