400 gal shark tank

paveking1 · #1 12/17/2007, 10:50 PM

I am getting my 400 gal tank bye tenecor in 2 weeks . I was wondering what kind of sharks to put in it. blacktip reef get to big too quick . I was hoping for some help .

FishyMel · #2 12/17/2007, 10:55 PM

What is the foot print, that is the main deal with sharks. You can probably keep eppulettes, banded bamboos, and coral cats.

reefer334 · #3 12/17/2007, 10:57 PM

Beware of bashers with this thread.I would go with cat sharks,eppaulettes,horn shark,port jackson shark,bamboo shark,I would go with one or two of those.What are the dimensions of your tank?A black tip would die very quickly in a 400 gal tank even when small in my oppinion.Good luck and make sure you cycle your tank very well before adding the sharks.Good luck, Chris

paveking1 · #4 12/17/2007, 11:21 PM

The tank is 96x36x30 custom 8 returns 4 1"inlets custom corner curved overflows . deltec skimmer , 2 blueline 1000s, 120 gal custom sump. I was thinking 2 striped bamboo sharks. thanks

reefer334 · #5 12/17/2007, 11:45 PM

Sounds very sweet.I would check out the whitespot bamboo shark they are my favorite.If you do not have the book,Aquarium Sharks and Rays ,by Scott W Michael I would get it as it is one of the only reference guide for these types of sharks.Sounds like it will be a very nice setup.

paveking1 · #6 12/17/2007, 11:49 PM

Thanks i have that book was looking for some hands on exp . thanks again will send pics when finished.

paveking1 · #7 12/17/2007, 11:53 PM

I was wondering how you keep that many triggers in one tank .

gunny03 · #8 12/18/2007, 12:02 AM

go to www.sharkraycentral.com they have a lot of info

TheSaltwaterGuy · #9 12/18/2007, 07:41 AM

I wouldn't go with a Horn, Whitespotted Bamboo, Brownbanded Bamboo, Port Jackson or even Epaulettes unless you plan on upgrading later on. With that footprint, I would go with a pair of Coral Cats and maybe a ray or two. 36" Wide just isn't enough for a 3.5 ' shark, IMO.

gunny03 · #10 12/18/2007, 10:26 AM

chad, do you know anyone that sells coral cats?

reefer334 · #11 12/18/2007, 12:43 PM

So I gues we have people on here that know more than Scott W Michael LOL!!!!!

reefer334 · #12 12/18/2007, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by paveking1
I was wondering how you keep that many triggers in one tank .

I just like to push the boundaries of our hobby.I think if you have a lot of triggers it workd out better with aggreesion as opposed to a couple together and thie big tank I am sure helps to.

TheSaltwaterGuy · #13 12/18/2007, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by reefer334
So I gues we have people on here that know more than Scott W Michael LOL!!!!!

Why is it that every time I post what I think and what I think is sufficient you always give me crap? If you actually think that Scott W Michael's MIN. Aquarium sizes in "Aquarium sharks & rays" were accurate and actually large enough, you need to think again. 170g for a Brownbanded Bamboo? No. 110g for a Gray Bamboo? Definitely not. So just give me some space to say what I want to say and lets try to help this guy out as much as we can, K?

TheSaltwaterGuy · #14 12/18/2007, 03:30 PM

Besides, who in their right mind would suggest a Port jackson, a species that gets well over 4', closer to 5', could fit in a 8' x 3' tank? Wow.

TheSaltwaterGuy · #15 12/18/2007, 03:31 PM

Sorry to all you others, just had to vent.

Crumbs · #16 12/19/2007, 01:29 PM

I would have to agree with TheSaltwaterGuy

JHemdal · #17 12/19/2007, 01:40 PM

Chad,

You're correct about the tank sizes, I wonder if Scott's editor wanted to go with a small minimum tank size for some of the sharks just to keep the book marketable. He gives the maximum size for a brownbanded bamboo at 40.6" and the minimum tank size of 170 gallons....a bit too cozy for my tastes.

Here is an excerpt from my "Advanced Marine Aquarium Techniques" -

Banded Bamboo Shark
Most aquarists are not aware that this common aquarium inhabitant is capable of reaching more than five feet in length, and that as they mature, they grow much larger in diameter and become more active in the aquarium. In fact, they end up having much the same appeal as a large nurse shark – a fish most advanced aquarists know to avoid.

So here we have two books from the same publisher, both with different information. Scott apparently got his maximum size from www.fishbase.org. My max. size is taken from my memory of a shark we had when I worked for the Shedd Aq. Of course, that was 20 years ago, so I could be wrong, but I'm not mistaken.

Jay Hemdal

Lrgclasper · #18 12/19/2007, 03:59 PM

A horn shark would be fine in a tank that size. Port Jackson..no way.

LisaD · #19 12/19/2007, 05:04 PM

I'm not a shark keeper, but I have kept a lot of other marine fish over many years and am a Scott Michael fan. The ONLY real criticism I have of his books is that often minimum tank size is not large enough for the bigger animals. For whatever reason, I think he often misses on this. Everything else is great.

TheSaltwaterGuy · #20 12/19/2007, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lrgclasper
A horn shark would be fine in a tank that size. Port Jackson..no way.

Horn Sharks are a "no way" as well. Are you aware that they reach around 4' long? To me, that just isn't enough. IMO, the ABSOLUTE MIN. tank size for a Horn is about 8-10' x 4-5'.

lendz · #21 12/19/2007, 08:50 PM

I have a 3 ft banded bamboo shark and a coral catshark in my 400gallon tank with a lipstick tang.

IMO,some black tip reef sharks here in the Philippines are kept in a 400gallon tank,especially in petshops. And they do well. They eat like pigs. But obviously,a 400 gallon tank is not enough. So better stick to "stagnant" and small sharks like bamboos.

paveking1 · #22 12/19/2007, 08:57 PM

Thanks for all the help guys . This going to a well thought decison.

TheSaltwaterGuy · #23 12/20/2007, 07:35 AM

Just be sure not to "impulse buy" and you should do fine keeping sharks.

lendz · #24 12/20/2007, 10:00 AM

Just take time. Plan it out. Sharks are easier to keep in my experience. And it gives you plus points to the girls you bring to your house. LOL! Kidding!

Goodluck bro!

Lrgclasper · #25 12/20/2007, 04:22 PM

Good luck finding a horn shark 4' long; especially if you get a male. A 4' max length would have to be a female and a well fed one at that. The majority are no greater than 3 and you can restrict some growth by controlling food intake. Often the max size given is based on an L infinity that calculated from a growth curve. The L infinity is is the asymtope of the curve. I kept a couple Cali Horns for 6 years and they basically reached a slow growth rate at about 2.5 feet. These guys basically stopped at two 1/2 feet. Granted sharks do not experience terminal growth (i.e., they will continue to grow throughout a lifespan), many species really slow down after sexual maturity. Moreover the L infinity length is different for males and females. Females are generally larger. You can futher slow/restrict this growth by controlling feeding.So if you feed carefully, get a male, you can keep em.