Shark in Reef Tank

[IntrinsicReef]

I know, I know. A few corals barely qualifies as a reef tank. But this shark has grown on me. He swims out and greets me when I work on the tank. I added him six months ago, and so far the only casualties are a pair of clowfish.



He came from Dr. Reef and has done great. I cringed a bit when my client requested a shark, but now I look forward to seeing and feeding him. He does dig the sand out like crazy.

 

[KrisReef]

I would try and get him some more clownfish. :face-savoring-food:

 

[IntrinsicReef]

I would try and get him some more clownfish. :face-savoring-food:

You're joking , but the client has requested I add more clownfish several times now. I need to find a adult pair of a larger clownfish ( not maroons!)
Interestingly enough, he ate the clownfish fairly quickly, but left the similar sized Banggai Cardinalfish alone.

 

[KrisReef]

You're joking , but the client has requested I add more clownfish several times now. I need to find a adult pair of a larger clownfish ( not maroons!)
Interestingly enough, he ate the clownfish fairly quickly, but left the similar sized Banggai Cardinalfish alone.

I have a pair of Tomatoes that could probably avoid a shark? They have been with me for many years and I got tired of her rearranging frags and clams and dumping everything into her back corner graveyard for stuff she didn't want filling in her tank space.

And I am not joking. Lots of people give away clownfish after they realize how behaviorally challenged little Nemo's often are. The shark deserves a healthy, natural diet and Nemo's are bred for culling. :cool:

 

[EliMelly]

How big is that tank? I would love to do this haha

 

[IntrinsicReef]

I have a pair of Tomatoes that could probably avoid a shark? They have been with me for many years and I got tired of her rearranging frags and clams and dumping everything into her back corner graveyard for stuff she didn't want filling in her tank space.

And I am not joking. Lots of people give away clownfish after they realize how behaviorally challenged little Nemo's often are. The shark deserves a healthy, natural diet and Nemo's are bred for culling. :cool:

I was thinking some adult Clarkiis or something. I have had my knuckles bit by Maroons and Tomatoes enough for one lifetime.
The clownfish were captive bred ( along with the yellow tangs and cardinalfish.) So I don't feel too bad about the shark carrying out his natural instinct. He would be eating fish in the wild. I don't think I have the heart to source clownfish culls and feed him live. He gets mixed seafood that is probably a better diet than majority of people get.
Also, with his underslung mouth, I imagine he is hunting mostly bottom dwelling crustaceans in the wild. He loves krill, squid, scallop, shrimp.

 

[IntrinsicReef]

How big is that tank? I would love to do this haha

8ft by 3ft with a mostly open sand bed.

 

[Harpo]

I had one of those in a 240 and all he did was splash saltwater on my hard wood floors. I had to rehome it

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

@KrisReef has a point about culling out the unwanted. Ive got an ex or two I could nominate for this chore.

 

[IntrinsicReef]

@KrisReef has a point about culling out the unwanted. Ive got an ex or two I could nominate for this chore.

 

[IntrinsicReef]

I had one of those in a 240 and all he did was splash saltwater on my hard wood floors. I had to rehome it

Yes, he does some splashing when he gets excited. Luckily this tank has some rim bracing that blocks some of the splashing.

 

[IntrinsicReef]

How big is that tank? I would love to do this haha

Here's the full tank shot. He has quite a bit of swimming space. He sleeps in his little cave pits under the rock most of the time. He gets active when people walk up.

 

[BryanM]

This still seems too small for this guy long term.

And a steady diet of clown fish will be a big feeding bill :o

 

[Science/G]

I had one of those in a 240 and all he did was splash saltwater on my hard wood floors. I had to rehome it

I had a Leopard Shark in a 310 reef years ago that would go crazy and splash water everywhere if you approached the tank too quickly. He was amazing though. He now lives in SeaWorld.

 

[IntrinsicReef]

This still seems too small for this guy long term.

And a steady diet of clown fish will be a big feeding bill :eek:

What makes you say that?

 

[Science/G]

Beautiful tank and Bamboo Shark! Enjoy him while you can. Sharks grow slowly, and this guy can live for 20 years or so. You'll know when it's time to rehome him.

 

[Science/G]

He can max out at over 3 feet

 

[BryanM]

What makes you say that?

they get to 2.5-3ft long, and from what I've read a minimum of a 12 foot reef tank is required...Even then, at 2 feet, I'd want a 4ft wide tank to give him room to turn, etc.

I'm really just not a fan of sharks in reef tanks, almost every instance I've seen it will be in a tank that is too small.

I wanted one, as well as a ray, and I just don't have the room to support a reef tank big enough for these guys.

 

[Science/G]

they get to 2.5-3ft long, and from what I've read a minimum of a 12 foot reef tank is required...Even then, at 2 feet, I'd want a 4ft wide tank to give him room to turn, etc.

I'm really just not a fan of sharks in reef tanks, almost every instance I've seen it will be in a tank that is too small.

I wanted one, as well as a ray, and I just don't have the room to support a reef tank big enough for these guys.

That shark is fine for now IMHO. Remember, they can turn on a dime with their cartilaginous skeleton. The reef scape is set up perfectly for him/her to be happy.

 

[IntrinsicReef]

He can max out at over 3 feet

Beautiful tank and Bamboo Shark! Enjoy him while you can. Sharks grow slowly, and this guy can live for 20 years or so. You'll know when it's time to rehome him.

Thanks. This will be my first long term care of a shark. I went with the smallest and most sedentary species I researched. Since I operate a service company, I do have some options if he gets too large.
I am curious about it's growth rate in aquariums. Thanks for suggesting it will have slow growth. Fish like Tangs will max out a certain sizes, in say a 6ft tank, but will be dinner plate size in a public aquarium. I wonder if it will be similar in this species.