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hey guys, i just went to the aquarium of the pacific in long beach, ca, for the first time today and i must say it was great. the bat rays stuck their heads out of the water for about a minute and let you pet them.

now, on to my question. in the shark lagoon, they have touch pools featuring several species of sharks including nurse sharks, two species of bamboo sharks, and juvenille zebra sharks. in the pool with the bamboos and zebra juvies they had several speices of tropical marine fish including, but not limited to, tangs and triggerfish. i was wondering if these fish would be compatable in a large aquarium, such as a glass-cages 810g tank (144x36x37in.)?

Last edited by thegoldendojo at 03-Oct-2004 20:56

A shark would probably be alright with the larger tangs etc. If I wanted to house a shark long term I'd probably want a tank about twice as large as 800 gallons though.

i think a three fot shark would be fine in a twelve foot tank.

36"x37"....I somehow don't think a 36" shark will much enjoy a tank thats only 36" wide

Agreed, we were looking at a minimum of 5ft wide for banded bamboo shark tank, you could loose a bit of the height, to say maybe 2ft. So I'd say the min size you really want is 10ft x 5ft x 2ft, 12 x 5 x 2 would be better though.

it's no better than an oscar in a 55, or an angelfish in a 29.

God, I wish I would win the lottery. Then I could afford a 1500g tank. Easily big enough for a meter long Bamboo Shark, dimensions are 120x48x60".

i think a three fot shark would be fine in a twelve foot tank

Hi, i dont mean to sound rude -but do you honestly believe that?

-DL



Cake > Pie

Actually they will do fine. I know of several bamboo, horn, wobilongs, eppilets, and banded coral sharks that live in 7-8 foot tanks, and do very well. Have lived there for years. Just make sure the water quality is super. As for the nurse shark, this one is a no no, for many other reasons. The Califonia Horn Shark, and banded coral shark, both have been bred in captivity, and I know of both being bred in tanks of less than 300 gals.

A pic of my California Horn Shark in a 7 foot tank;



This is the tank or wall divider in my living room/dining room;



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There is always a bigger fish...

I know what your saying but i just have very optimistic views on tank size and the fish we keep.... i mean, i felt a twinge of guilt putting a zebrasoma flavescens in my 120G reef with a 6 line wrasse and 2 amphiprion! I know she is fine, as likely are the sharks we are discussing and im sorry if i came across a bit short but, im sure you know what i meant but i just cant seem to word anything lately.

-DL

Cake > Pie

No your wording is/was fine. Its just that when dealing with certain fish, their size is not always a consideration, or that main consideration. Sometimes they have specific needs and their size is not one of them. These fish can completely bend in half, as this is one of their defenses, to bend in half and pinch their preditor with the "horns" on their dorsal fins. So a 3 foot shark, can basically catch its own tail, making it around a foot in diameter when full grown. As this tank is 24 inches wide, there is more than enough room for him to turn.

And just to add, the tank you see, has 400 gals of sump and other tanks in the basement. Total gals is around 700.

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There is always a bigger fish...