Salt Water Sharks

[pinkdolphin_113]

okay well my friend is wanting to set up a new marine tank. he has all the equipment from the previous tanks so nothing needed there. the tank he has is 6 x 2.5 x 3 foot. not sure how many gallons. anyway, this time round he is wanting a shark for it. is it possible to get marine sharks for tanks? if so, any one fancy pointing me in the right direction?

thanks

 

[SkiFletch]

8' minimum for a banded reef shark (smallest one) longterm

 

[Mr.September15]

IMO sharks aren't suited to live in aquariums, unless of course the public aquarium where they have loads and loads of space for it to swim. Try discouraging him, tell him that if he gets it half of asia will starve

 

[andywg]

The coral cat shark will only get to 24-28" normally, and if the tank is 3 feet front to back and 6 feet wide it should be ok for a coral cat. I make those dimensions in the region of 335 gallons, which should be a nice amount.

You will need a fair amount of swimming space and excellent filtration, however (meaning a sump is almost obligatory). Also, a grounding probe is highly recommended.

 

[raptorrex]

what about a columbian shark? i know it not a real shark. they look very cool, and are brackish, not saltwater. think this may be a good compromise!

 

[Dragonscales]

There are quite a few people over here in Australia who have had alot of success with keeping Port Jackson sharks in captivity. I am unsure of their availability overseas but they could be something to look into. Of course, I would recommend that your friend looks into it to a fair degree (read obsessive) and perhaps looks around online for forums containing people who do keep them before even considering them (I did a bit of research on it some years ago but my memory on it is a bit foggy due to how long it's been since I have even thought about it so will refrain giving any pointers right now as my research could do with it's own refresher course). IMO they aren't a species to be taken lightly if they are to be kept and require the person keeping them to be up to speed on every aspect of their needs before purchase is even considered. However, if your friend is willing to put in the hard yards then there is no reason why they couldn't be successful with these guys from what I have seen from others keeping them

Of course, Port Jacksons may not be exactly what he is looking for as they aren't a typical "shark" shape and are quite small in comparison to reef sharks, etc but they seem to do fairly well with the correct conditions and enough time and effort - something alot of other species cannot boast at this time.

 

[Lynden]

what about a columbian shark? i know it not a real shark. they look very cool, and are brackish, not saltwater. think this may be a good compromise!

Arius, like most brackish fish, will do better in full seawater as an adult.