Sharks

[Matty]

Does anyone know where i can buy one online? I know there was a website where you can buy a great hammerhead, but i seem to have lost the link. thanks for your help.

 

[Opcn]

Dude you don't wan't a shark, not unless you have atleast 500 gallons, then the most you can get is say a catshark of some sort (long and skinny sharks). Sharks get big, hammerheads are huge, you need tens of thousands of gallons to keep them, bonnetheads are similar and smaller but they still get to be many feet long. If you have a large custom tank say 5000 gallons or so maybe you can get a Port Jackson or a spiny dogfish, you also need a massive skimmer. I have a friend who worked at a public aquarium and the smallest shark tank still had a skimmer that held 250 gallons. There are othe rcool fish that you can keep however.

Also, the fact that you can't find any sharks online is sortof a tipoff that you haven't done your research, had you come on and said I'm looking for X type of shark but I am only able to find types Y and Z that might signal that you've done a bit of reading online.

 

[Matty]

wow, relax. first of all, im not buying a shark now, im looking into the cost of building a 20 000 gallon shark tank, which would, surprise, surprise, include the cost of the shark. I know i can buy a black tipped reef for $3000 + $500 shipping, a great hammerhead for $8000 + $1000 shipping + the cost of renting a truck to pick it up, or a port jackson for $250, but i forgot the link of the website of the company in california which sells them and i was wondering if anyone knew it offhand. Yes, i realize that i would need a massive skimmer, structural concrete reinforcement, an established (15 years) foundation to ensure that it is settled and stable. I also realize that i would need a massive wet/dry sump, UV sterilizers, fluidized beds and 10 000 gallon/hour pumps, as well as 3600 lbs of sand ok? I know what i amm doing/getting into ok? all you had to say was that you didnt know the link, not tell me that i havent done my research.

 

[J-Money]

http/www.sharksondemand.com/

 

[Matty]

why thank you j-money!

 

[J-Money]

no problem, didn't know if that was the one you were looking for but it wuz the only one i had so....lol

 

[Matty]

well, i found another one called sharks-for-sale.com, but they dont list sizes and prices of species that they dont have in stock, which is pretty much all of them at the moment. I was really looking for maximum sizes so that i will know how big the aquarium and components must be, as well as how structurally sound the aquarium would have to be.

 

[Navarre]

Thats a big project

The sheer amount of fresh sea water needed daily will be staggering, how do you intend keeping hte water so clean? UV/Ozone and Skimmers all do their job nicely but they also remove alot of trace eliments. This means regualr water changes and on something this size i would imagine the running costs would be staggering. I also do not know of any public aquarium that has succesffully kept hammerheads alive in anything other than the largest of tanks with true seawater, artificual sea water for some reason doesnt agree with these creatures so well, I hope you live close to the sea, this way you can simply pump the water right out of the ocean and into the tanks.. err is ontario landlocked or does it have a coastline?

Good luck with the venture anyway.

 

[Matty]

landlocked.

guys, i dont think i made it clear...this is a project that i hope to undertake in...um, 15-20 years. im just looking into it now to gain knowledge and prepare myself for the challenge. Since yesterday, ive already decided that the scalloped hammerhead is too large/risky to keep, therefore i will try something like bonnethead, sharpnose and port jackson sharks. The aquarium will be in the ballpark of 5000g, much less than the 20 000 g i anticipated. also, ive ehard that with an aquarium that large, water changes are next to unnecessary.

 

[Disco]

Are you by any chance a James Bond style baddy. Are you going to attach a laser to its head Dr evil style and feed it on a diet of secret service agents. A uk marine wholesaler has a 20000 gallon system and it has two 36' tall skimmers on it that are 6' wide. Every pump has a back up and they have a back up generator.

 

[Matty]

yeah, my lfs found out the benefits of having a generator backup the hard way during the massive blackout in 2003. They lost all their saltwater stock, including 1 leopard shark, 1 gian grouper, 6 morey eels and 3 black tip reef sharks