A shark discussion

[rusticore]

I just saw marbled bamboo sharks at my local fish store - they've got two of them in a massive 2000-gallon pond, and a baby nurse shark that's actually headed to the Shedd Aquarium. Even the store owners are saying they'll need to rehome all the sharks eventually.

[tigeron]

I've got two Arius seemani in my tank and I'm absolutely loving them. They're such stunning fish. I remember when I first got them, they were just a few inches long, but after acclimatising them to full salt conditions, they just took off - growing about a centimetre a week, it's incredible.

Their colouring is beautiful when they're young, all subtle and whatnot, but as they mature, it changes to this lovely grey tone, just like a real shark. And the way they move, always cruising around the tank, never stopping - it's like they're on a mission. I highly recommend them for a marine tank, especially if you've got fish that are big enough not to be seen as a snack.

What I love about these fish is how hardy they are in marine conditions. They're so tolerant of changing salinity levels, it's amazing. And the way they can just swim between fresh and salt water with no issues, it's like they're built for it. I feel sorry for the ones that are kept in freshwater, they always look so thin and stunted.

In my experience, they can grow up to around 14-16 inches on average, with some specimens reaching up to 18 inches in a tank environment. And the best part is, they're so much smaller than a Bamboo Shark, but they've got all the appeal of a real shark. Plus, they're a breeze to feed and care for, and they've got such great personalities - mine will even take cockles from your fingers, although I do use a feeding stick, just in case.

I've been told that their bites have blood anticoagulant properties, and their dorsal fin is venomous, but it's not too bad, apparently it's like a bee sting. And the way they look, with their little whiskers, it's just hilarious - no one would ever guess they're not real sharks.

[flame9x]

I just saw marbled bamboo sharks at my local fish store - they've got two of them in a massive 2000-gallon pond, and a baby nurse shark that's actually headed to the Shedd Aquarium. Even the store owners are saying they'll need to rehome all the sharks eventually.

I can just imagine how amazing that must look. A local fish store I used to visit had a bamboo shark in a ridiculously small setup - it was basically a kiddie pool. The shark itself was about two feet long, which is just crazy considering the tiny space it was in. I have no idea what kind of filtration they were using or if it was even connected to their main system, but it can't have been good for the shark. That store has since closed down, which doesn't surprise me.

[zenfox8]

I'm not entirely convinced that a shark is out of the question for a 450l tank. While it's true that sharks generally require a lot of space, some species are more suitable for smaller tanks than others. The smaller Epaullette and Bamboo sharks, for instance, don't grow much larger than 24 inches and have relatively low activity levels. They're also capable of resting on the bottom, which means they don't need to constantly swim to breathe. In terms of tank size, I think an 8x4 footprint would be more than sufficient for housing a shark, and a 6x3 could potentially work for a single specimen.