I have a fish only 220 Gallon tank, and I have been considering getting a shark for it. Of course, a Banded Bamboo Shark was my first choice, as they don't get to big, needing only 180 gallons as adults and they are relatively inexpensive, but I saw a nurse shark. I have been searching and reading and got to the conclusion that my tank was way to small for one of those, but there is some kind of "Short Tail Nurse Shark" that only gets 2.5 feet. I went to a local store and they had a Nurse Shark about 1.5 feet. I asked the owner and he told me that in my tank it would only get about a foot longer so, I have a couple of questions.
1) Would my tank be big enough for a Nurse Shark?
2) Would a Nurse Shark only get about 2.5 feet in my tank? I supposed the maximum size of the fish does depend on the size of the tank, but up to what point?
3) What are the differences between a Nurse Shark and a Short Tail Nurse Shark? I have been looking everywhere for this and have found nothing!
Thanks in advance, I'm waiting for your answers to get my shark.
Nurse Shark
25 posts • Page 1 of 3
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schigara - Posts: 468
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:42 pm
1. NO.....even at a mere 2.5 feet in length, a 220 is a terribly small tank.
2. Short tail Nurse sharks only grow to about 2.5 feet in length
3. Difference between Nurse and Short tail Nurse sharks is about 12 feet.
According to Wikipedia, scientists still aren't sure what the diet of the nurse shark is.
2. Short tail Nurse sharks only grow to about 2.5 feet in length
3. Difference between Nurse and Short tail Nurse sharks is about 12 feet.
According to Wikipedia, scientists still aren't sure what the diet of the nurse shark is.
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dram5376799 - Posts: 12
- Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 5:07 pm
Thanks, I know about th lenght difference, but I mean, any physical differences, like tail or head shape?
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schigara - Posts: 468
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:42 pm
I don't know. How would that affect your choice to put a 2.5 foot shark in a tiny 220g tank?
I would recommend you to check reefcentral.com but even the largest marine aqaurium forum on the internet, doesn't have a category for sharks. I wonder why....................
I would recommend you to check reefcentral.com but even the largest marine aqaurium forum on the internet, doesn't have a category for sharks. I wonder why....................
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jweb1369 - Posts: 547
- Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 2:55 am
Nurse sharks eat everything. They have found license plates, boots, and all kinds of miscellaneous stuff inside of them. My mother used to work for the marine fisheries, and she did shark research. Her job was to net them, cut open their stomachs and record all the findings. I would not get any kind of shark. The cost alone would be crazy. Think about how much food it would need every day...
However, if you do get one I have some advice. If you want it to become more docile buy a crap load of powerheads with air hoses so you get those microscopic bubbles all in the tank. Scientists have recently discovered that sharks actually breed in areas with higher oxygenation and are wayyyyyy more docile because they don't have to swim as much to receive the oxygen they need.
However, if you do get one I have some advice. If you want it to become more docile buy a crap load of powerheads with air hoses so you get those microscopic bubbles all in the tank. Scientists have recently discovered that sharks actually breed in areas with higher oxygenation and are wayyyyyy more docile because they don't have to swim as much to receive the oxygen they need.
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dram5376799 - Posts: 12
- Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 5:07 pm
I'll probably get a Bamboo Shark. They don't get to big and eat silversides and squid. I think that would be the safe choice.
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puffedupseagull - Posts: 623
- Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2008 8:38 am
you need a big a tank for a shark.bamboo is prob ur best pick, but a horn shark, which need around 400g might be ok. Over here we call them port jackson sharks.
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blueshoes2208 - Posts: 1077
- Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:01 pm
To the new guy,
personally i dont think anyone should consider a shark unless they are pushing 400 or even 500 gallons. Thats just me though, i mean think of the size ratio there if you have a footlong shark in even a 5 foot aquarium you can put 5 of him in a row, i see that you have some blue reef chromis, thats the same as putting one of them in a 10 in. long tank.
To the regulars, were seeing this question arise like at twice a week now......
personally i dont think anyone should consider a shark unless they are pushing 400 or even 500 gallons. Thats just me though, i mean think of the size ratio there if you have a footlong shark in even a 5 foot aquarium you can put 5 of him in a row, i see that you have some blue reef chromis, thats the same as putting one of them in a 10 in. long tank.
To the regulars, were seeing this question arise like at twice a week now......
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dram5376799 - Posts: 12
- Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 5:07 pm
Ok, my tank is 72x24x30 inches, I think is big enough for a Bamboo Shark, but that's just me. A Horn Shark, which you can see in the first picture needs aminimum of 300 gallons, as it grows to be 4 feet. A Port Jackson Shark, second picture, gets up to 5 feet long, for which one woud need at least a 1000 gallon tank.
