Bamboo Shark

[Joeyt66]

Has anyone ever kept a bamboo shark? Ive read they need a min 180 gallons but has anyone kept other fish with them? Are they "very" Agrressive?

 

[Matty]

never actually kept one myself, but ive talked to guys with them and they recommend a 220g at least, preferably and ideally something much bigger. And in tanks that small, it is recommended as the shark be kept alone, as they will eat anything that doesnt have the room to escape.

 

[Sunny.C]

These sharks need a miniun of 125 galloms, bigger is always better. I have seen them grow to 110cm, so i say go bigger if you want to put others in there... muahahhaha They are all going to dieeee heheh
Joke

 

[Matty]

125 gallons? I dont think you could house that shark comfortably in a 125 gallon tank. I've heard 180 gallons being the bare minimum for the smallest species of saltwater shark.

I think we're looking at this from the wrong angle. we shouldnt be asking what the smallest tank is that we could house a shark, we should be asking how to house the shark so that it would be happy for the rest of their life.

Think about it. If i locked you in a closet and gave you food, a light and air, you could live, but would you be happy?

 

[Chac]

IMO these type of animal are simply not suitable for home aquariums

 

[amstar15]

bamboo sharks prefer a sandy bottom due to their soft under belly. they are more of a bottom dwelling shark, than a swimmer.. but they will swim through out the tank . when they first "hatch" i fed mine ghost shrimp from a feeding stick. as far as tank size goes. the longer/wider the better, height not so much. i found that mine was alot more mobile at night. as far as being aggressive.. not as much as you would think. i can not think of what type of eater it is called but it is not know to "hunt" and eat fish. it is more of a invert type eater. will it eat fish.. sure its still a shark.

but again as stated above.. do not try to find the smallest you could get by with. at first you could house it in a 4 foot long tank.. no rocks or at least have them elevated at least 8-12inches from the bottom to give enough space for it to swim. but again... not a wise idea. its still a shark.

at first it maybe cool to have a shark, but without the right environment for the shark.. you will end up with a dead shark... not so cool

 

[crazyelece]

Get "Aquarium Sharks and Rays, by Scott Micheal". It will tell you everything you need to know about how to care for it, minimum requirements, etc. Don't be discouraged by the parroting of those with no experience. Try and find a local fish store that cares for these types of animals. It is very possible to keep sharks as long as you do the research. If you want to keep any shark you must build the tank around it. There are 13 sharks commonly refered to as bamboo sharks so you really need to nail down which particular one you are wanting. The three most common max out around 24" so a 180 IMO is a large enough tank and IMO a 4x2x2 120 would be the absolute minimum. Bamboo sharks are possibly the best choice for shark keeping so if you really want to do it I say go for it. Don't let the negativity get to you.

 

[superman]

A little alarm should go off in your head when the adult length of a fish you want to keep happens to either be larger or the same as one of the dimensions of the tank you want to keep it in. Don't go to a local fish store and ask them about keeping this type of animal, the will 9 times out of 10 tell you that you can keep one no problem, they are out to make a buck. If you really want to talk to someone that has experience keeping this type of animal talk to someone who works at a public aquarium of some kind (like me for instance) where you will get a non biased opinion. Let's try to be as responsible as possible, our hobby is one that confines living things, we do however need to draw a line of morality somewhere. This voice isn't one of "negativity" but more of a "voice of reason".

 

[Matty]

good point superman

i was wondering if your aquariums housed bonnethead, sharpnose or black tip reef sharks. Ive heard that you would need a tank 12 ft in diameter to keep these species. about how many gallons are you looking at and how hard are they to keep?

 

[superman]

good point superman

i was wondering if your aquariums housed bonnethead, sharpnose or black tip reef sharks. Ive heard that you would need a tank 12 ft in diameter to keep these species. about how many gallons are you looking at and how hard are they to keep?

The aquariums I care for do not house bonnethead, sharpnose, or black tip reef sharks. I can only tell you what I have witnessed at the public aquarium where I am friends with the curator, and what I have read on the subject. My personal opinion is that these sharks would do ok in a Quarantine tank of 12' in diameter, but as far as long term display tank options...you're looking at 30' x 30' minimum with a depth of at least 5 feet.

 

[bunjiweb]

as long term display tank options...you're looking at 30' x 30' minimum with a depth of at least 5 feet.

That's what i'm aiming for.

Personally i don't think larger sharks are suited for the "home" aquarium. But then i wouldnt percieve a 30x30 foot aquarium to be a "home" aquarium because you'd probably need an extension for it...

If you can't house one to anywhere near these minimum suggested requirements then it would probably be unfair to it on a permanent basis. However this is just my opinion, what you do is entierely up to you.

Ben

 

[crazyelece]

24 iches is max size. average size is more like 18-20. The bamboo sharks do not need to stay in motion like the larger sharks. The LFSes that I was refering to would be ones that also set up, maintain, design, etc. There are at least three in my area and all three have experience with sharks and rays. When I researched rays you wouldn't believe the info people would parrot that was wrong. If you truly are interested you need to find someone who has kept the specific species you are interested in and talk to them about what has worked, what hasn't, and anything they'd change with their setups.