smallest free-swimming shark

[ae2359]

what is the smallest free-swimming shark and what would be a good sized pond or tank that could house this animal comfortably for life.

i was thinking along the lines of some of the smoothhound sp. but wasn't really sure how well they dod in captivity

[rottbo]

banded cat shark are the easiest IMO

[fishnthings]

so is that what you have rottbo? i saw a shark egg i believe was yours:naughty:

[thefishofdoom]

banded cat shark are the easiest IMO
banded cat sharks arnt free swiming hes talking like always moving never resting lol

[rottbo]

ah i see and no i b=never had a sharkegg pic on here

[rottbo]

my friend has a white tip and a black tip reef shark in his 2700 gallon pond but you better have some serious dough to buy one of these sharks

[wild caught]

ive never seen a dusky smoothhound for sale, so if you can find one lemme know where......im curious.

theres a couple of dogfish that are possible of getting hold of. and if i had the money to throw around id get a bonnethead.

[fishnthings]

ah i see and no i b=never had a sharkegg pic on here
o, well someone had a vid of a bamboo shark or something in its egg, not for sale just to show

[Oddball]

The smallest known extant shark species appears to be Etmopterus perryi, males of which mature at 16 to 17.5 cm TL and gravid females have been found at 19 to 20 cm TL (Springer & Burgess 1985). One 19-cm TL specimen of E. perryi was found to contain three 6-cm embryos, each bearing external gill filaments. In comparison, the smallest mature male E. hillianus examined by Schofield & Burgess (1997) was 20 cm TL. Until the discovery of E. perryi, the smallest living shark was widely considered to be Squaliolus laticaudus, males of which mature at about 15 cm TL and females at about 17 to 20 cm TL (Compagno 1984). This and other tiny squaloids are closely rivaled by the carcharhinoid Eridacnis radcliffei, males of which mature by 18 to 19 cm TL, females possibly mature at 15 to 16 cm TL.

All these diminutive sharks seem to mature at roughly the same length. Given the difficulties in determining reproductive maturity in elasmobranchs, caution is warranted in determining one species the final, absolute winner for the title of World's Smallest Living Shark. Most of the length at maturity numbers presented in the literature are estimates based on gross (superficial) examination of the urogenital tract. Due largely to energetic differences in parental investment, male elasamobranchs typically mature at a smaller size than females of the same species. Size at maturity of females is generally regarded to be more significant in limiting clutch size and in determining the likelihood of pup survival than size at maturity of males. Thus, size at maturity of female sharks seems an expedient index for comparison among species.

[rottbo]

oddballs got me beat

[thefishofdoom]

o, well someone had a vid of a bamboo shark or something in its egg, not for sale just to show
that was me :D :D :D :D :D :D

[Keeper of Sharks]

I would suggest starting off with one of the bamboo sharks. I like the white spotted bamboos myself or maybe an epaulette shark. It’s cool to get them in an egg and raise it from egg to adult. As for size of tank, the bigger the better. I would stay away from the smooth hounds, I have seen too few do well in home systems. Whitetips and blacktips would be cool but you have to have a REALLY big system. They are cool, and they get big.

[Zoodiver]

To do a small ram ventilator, you're looking at 8,500 gallons or more. That would be about 15x15x5 feet. Even that will be small for an adult.

Keeper is right, start off with something a little less demanding.

[davo]

that was me :D :D :D :D :D :D
that reminds me. what are you guna keep with it?

[edotero]

Are there any small hammerhead sharks that can be kept in a large tank??

[wild caught]

Are there any small hammerhead sharks that can be kept in a large tank??



http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/Bonnethead-tb1.jpg

bonnetheads

[thefishofdoom]

that reminds me. what are you guna keep with it?
i will keep a lion fish and maby a small moray.

[fishnthings]

that was me :D :D :D :D :D :D
see im not crazy:swear:

[fishnthings]

bonnetheads still get to large to keep in a aquarium unless its huge

they max out alittle over three feet and are always on the move.. they would need alot of swimming space even though they are still a "smaller" species

[Zoodiver]

I've kept bonnets before. You're looking at a lot of horizontal space and NO CORNERS. Big round curvey edges are best. You're looking at 30' across for a pool to handle and adult.

[ae2359]

I'm not really planning on getting one anytime soon but eventually I would like to build a large saltwater pond and put some sp. of free swimming shark in there.

[dmarinko]

A banded cat Shark is good and get like 1.5' long and need more than 150 gal.

[krj-1168]

Well - there is a list of small free swimming sharks.

The general guigelines for free swimmers is that the pool is round or oval(no sharp corners), and is at least 3 x the sharks' maximum adult size. Also the tank's depth should be at least 2 to 3 x the shark's height(belly to dorsal tip).

Here's the basic list of small free swimmers. The gallon listing is gallons per single shark. So if you had 3 sharks of one species means the tank(volume in gallons will need to be three times as large.

1) Brown Smoothhound - about 3 ft long - at least 1,200 gallons (9' diameter x 2' deep)- water temp - 60-70F - lives in Californian waters - Price about $ 150

2.) Grey Smoothhound - about 4 ft long - at least 1,900 gallons (12' diameter x 2.25' deep) - Water temps- 60-70F - Californian waters - about $ 200.

3.) Dusky(Atlantic) Smoothhound - about 4 ft long - at least 1,900 gallons( 12' dia. x 2.25' deep) - water temps - 68-78F - east coast,USA - about $ 250.

4.) Spiny Dog Fish - about 4 ft long - at least 1,900 gallons - water temp - 68-78F - eastern US coast - about $ 235

5.) Atlantic Sharpnose - about 3.9 ft long - at least 2,100 gallons (12' diameter x 2.5' deep) - water temp - 77-86F - SE US coast - about $ 450 - smallest species of requiem shark available in USA - related to the Blue shark - but is a coastal species that can also be found in coastal estuaries.

6.) Bonnethead - about 4.6 ft long - at least 3,400 gallons (14' diameter x 3' deep) - water temps - 76-85F - SE US Coast - about $ 800 - smallest hammerhead species - also a coastal species that is sometimes found in estuaries.


7.) Blacktip reef - about 6 ft long - at least 7,600 gallons(18' diameter x 4' deep) - water temps - 74-82F - SW Pacific - perfers tropical reefs - about $ 1,200 - most common of the requiem sharks in the US Fish trade.

8.) Leopard - about 6 ft long - at least 6,600 gallons (18' diameter x 3.5' deep) - water temps - 60-70 F - Californian coast - about 1,000(for a 3' shark)


Hope this helps .

[Elasmofreak]

I'm not really planning on getting one anytime soon but eventually I would like to build a large saltwater pond and put some sp. of free swimming shark in there.

Your better off starting with what was mentioned before... Catsharks, bamboos, and epaullettes. All will cruise for food when they are hungy, and if you feed them the same time every other day, or every 2 days, they will start to cruise just before feeding time! Those 3 species do best, and can stay in relatively smaller quarters. I ruitinely feed all my sharks on a regiment, and an hour or 2 before feeding time, usually night, they begin to cruise. The 3 species mentioned are generally all nocturnal, so they sleep/hide all day and cruise/hunt all night. Thats where moonlights come in handy... :naughty: However if your heart is set on a more active species, i would stick with bonnetheads or smoothhounds.

[Zoodiver]

5.) Atlantic Sharpnose - about 3.9 ft long - at least 2,100 gallons (12' diameter x 2.5' deep) - water temp - 77-86F - SE US coast - about $ 450 - smallest species of requiem shark available in USA - related to the Blue shark - but is a coastal species that can also be found in coastal estuaries.

6.) Bonnethead - about 4.6 ft long - at least 3,400 gallons (14' diameter x 3' deep) - water temps - 76-85F - SE US Coast - about $ 800 - smallest hammerhead species - also a coastal species that is sometimes found in estuaries.


7.) Blacktip reef - about 6 ft long - at least 7,600 gallons(18' diameter x 4' deep) - water temps - 74-82F - SW Pacific - perfers tropical reefs - about $ 1,200 - most common of the requiem sharks in the US Fish trade.



I'll just comment on these three. The info is wrong. Maybe pups in that size holding is ok, but they won't do well for life. Bonnets are a pain - even for a pro. They don't feed well, once they do start feeding, any little change sends them off food again. Eye issues occur a lot due to tank edges and obstructions. Sharpnose are good feeders in captivity, but I've seen them close to 6'. With the speed they are capible of, that pool won't last long. The black tip - same thing....tank size is good a grow out pool, but not for life.

You're talking about putting highly active sharks in a tank that only allows them to swim three times their body length before making a turn. Short term effects of that are beat up noses. Anyone who has kept any of these sharks will tell you that a facial injury will start to tone down feeding. Sharks are a lot of work to get back on food once they go off. Long term effects are sharks that 'pace', poor muscle tone, failing metabolism and a host of other things.

[krj-1168]

Well - Zoodiver - I had actually heard that about Bonnetheads. And that the keeper needs to be a professional at shark keeping - to take care of bonnetheads .

As for Atlantic sharpnose Sharks - Living in N.C.(as I do) I seen dozens of these shark caught be fishermen both from piers & the shore during the simmer months. These are often called "sand" sharks. And I've never seen any sharpnose above 40 inches in length. I've heard of the reaching up to 4 ft in length - but the atlantic species never gets close to the 6 ft in length as you've stated. All of the biological sources(written by either marine biologists or shark experts), I've ever read on the Atlantic Sharpnose - state that the maximum length for this species of sharpnose only grows to be about 3.6 to 4 ft in length. And the only sharpnose species the actually comes close to 6ft in length is the Pacific Sharpnose or Milk Shark.

The fact is there are at least 5 different species of sharpnose sharks - The Atlantic, the Caribbean, The Brazilian, the Pacific(Milk), & the Australian. The Pacific is the largest(nearly 6 ft long), the Brazilian is the smallest (about 2.5 ft long), with the other 3 species, all about 3-4ft in length.


I know that The Atlantic Sharpnose prefer to living in schools, & perfer very warm water(about 79F or hotter).

Also for the record - my estimates for gallons size of each species is based on a single shark. So if someone were to keep 4 sharpnoses together - your tank would need to be at least 8,400 gallons(18 ft diameter x 4-4.5ft deep). Also I would recommend re-enforcing the walls with fiberglass or heavy plastic, plus an additional 2 ft plex-glass wall(above the normal wall) aroung the tank(to prevent jumping out).

Still I would recommend the Atlantic Sharpnose over the Blacktip Reef - any day for some one who's seriously considering a requiem shark - due to it's(sharpnose) temperment

As for Blacktip Reef Sharks - these guys are commonly seen in the trade - and alot of miss information about them. They will regularly reach 5-6ft in length, can get up to 6.5ft long. And yes, they are powerful swimmers. So like the sharpnose they really need a reenforced tank(as adults).

Of course some people actually confuse the Blacktip Reef(Indo-Pacific species) with the Blacktip(Atlantic species). These are by no means the same sharks. The Atlantic species is larger (averages 6.5ft , maxs out at about 8ft), and has a more aggressive personality.

Truth is the Atlantic Blacktip should only be kept by public aquariums or shark experts.

[krj-1168]

Opps - I made a little mistake(okay 3 small mistakes) -

The first is - I said there were at 5 different species of sharpnose - there's actually 7.

The 2nd - I said the smallest was the Brazilian(R. lalandii) - actually, the smallest is the Australian(R. taylori) - it's grows to about 27 inches(68 cm)

The 3rd - is saying that the Milk shark & Pacific Sharpnose are the same - they aren't - they are two different species.

The Milk Shark(R. acutus) maxs out at 70 inches(1.78 meters) in length - it is the largest of the Sharpnose Family - and it is found in the Indian ocean, and possible the eastern Atlantic(near the African coast).

The Pacific Sharpnose(R. longurio) - max out at just around 5.5 ft (about 168cm), but usually average about 4.9 ft (150cm) They home range is in the eastern Pacific - from Southern California to Peru. In fact they are very common just off the Southern Californian & Mexican coasts.

The Caribbean Sharpnose(R.porosus) - grows to about 3.6ft (1.1 meters). It's home range is the Caribbean Sea & the coastal waters of northern central & South America. And is considered to be by some a possible southern sub-species of the Atlantic Sharpnose(R. terraenovae).

The Atlantic Sharpnose(R. terraenovae) - maxs out at 3.9ft(1.2 meters). But it averages about 3.4-3.6 ft (1.03-1.1 meters). Also the Atlantic is the only species that sports small light spots along it's back as adults. It is commonly found along the entire eastern coast of the U.S. and into the Gulf of Mexico. But it seems to prefer the coastal estuaries of the North Carolina,South Carolina, Florida, & Texas as it's main nursing grounds.

It should be noted that all species of sharpnose are greyish in color with whitish bellys

[concord]

The smallest are deep see so I'd give you my life savings if you could simulate those conditions:D

[krj-1168]

I'm not really planning on getting one anytime soon but eventually I would like to build a large saltwater pond and put some sp. of free swimming shark in there.

Well - ae2359 - It's kind of complex question.

Smoothhounds are generally easier to keep than Bonnetheads, the Atlantic Sharpnose, or Blacktip Reef. They are generally very hardy sharks - but while the smooth hounds are considered free-swimming(and they do about 85-90% of the time). They also known to rest on the bottom for brief periods of time.

the smallest free-swimmer is the Brown Smoothhound(@ 3 ft in length) - which is a cool water species (needs water temps - least than 70 F).

The Dusky or Atlantic Smoothhound is possible the best Smoothhound - since they prefer warmer waters (between 65-79 F) - but the average 4 ft long.

The Brown Smoothhound would require at least a 10ft diameter pool.

While the Dusky(Atlantic) Smoothhound require at least a 12ft diameter pool

But as Elasmofreak - stated - the best sharks to begin with Bamboos,catsharks, & eppies. Also I would like to add the Horn as a really good choice. All of these could be kept in a small pool. About 6ft in diameter for smaller species like the catsharks or Grey or Arabian Bamboos. About 8ft. in diameter for larger species like the Brown-banded, Epaulette, & Horn sharks.