What tank size would 2 blue marlins need?

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Wouldnt be possible. They are oceanic roamers, they dont have a territory that can be simulated in captivity. Same reason I dont think we should keep Cetaceans in captivity. Also, I think Marlin would spook easily and smash their face into the glass, and probably injure or break their jaws.
 
Get the measurements of the Pacific ocean. That's how many gallons you need to house you some marlins
 
Regarding Atlanta's whale sharks, there are pics floating around from several yrs ago of when they were having issues, and one of them did indeed look emaciated. I think they actually had one die at one point iirc.

However, I was there a couple yrs ago, and I also swam in their tank, and they looked healthy then. We talked to several of the staff and they've come a long way in husbandry and feeding. You're not allowed to touch them but one actually came up and rubbed against my husband. :). They got it on video.

As far as marlin tank, I don't think they'd physically need as big a tank as you think, but I'd assume it would have to be round considering the speeds they can get to to keep them from breaking their nose or back. Too big of a tank might actually be bad, kind of like with juvie gar, because they could build up enough speed to kill themselves running into it.

I've never seen any captivity though, so they must not be easy to keep alive. At the least I'd assume they need A LOT of feeding and the proper nutrients to keep up with their metabolic rate.
 
ShadowBass said:
As far as marlin tank, I don't think they'd physically need as big a tank as you think, but I'd assume it would have to be round considering the speeds they can get to to keep them from breaking their nose or back. Too big of a tank might actually be bad, kind of like with juvie gar, because they could build up enough speed to kill themselves running into it.
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I've never been a fan of this argument. Perhaps the fact that they startle easily and can reach speeds high enough to cause fatal injury is a reason to not keep them in captivity whatsoever. Cramming them into a little box (or cylinder) so that they can't build up enough speed to hurt themselves seems like a horrible way to rationalize keeping these types of fish.

Another option might be to tie a string onto their tail and attach it to some sort of anchor so that they can't build up enough speed to crash into the side of the tank and hurt themselves? :grinno:

I really hope this thread doesn't give someone the bright idea of trying to raise one of these awesome fish. :nono:
 
GA did loose several whale sharks. And due to that, they have stated they will not be trying more after the current stock. Instead they are focusing on other big sharks and their Manta program.


As for the marlin: most bill fish (swords, marlin, sailfish etc...) won't do well in captive settings for the reasons discussed. They need space to release those bursts of speed. They also have very high metabolism which can be hard to deal with. The method of feeding in the wild would be near impossible to replicate in a man made setting.
 
aldiaz33 said:
I've never been a fan of this argument. Perhaps the fact that they startle easily and can reach speeds high enough to cause fatal injury is a reason to not keep them in captivity whatsoever. Cramming them into a little box (or cylinder) so that they can't build up enough speed to hurt themselves seems like a horrible way to rationalize keeping these types of fish.

Another option might be to tie a string onto their tail and attach it to some sort of anchor so that they can't build up enough speed to crash into the side of the tank and hurt themselves? :grinno:

I really hope this thread doesn't give someone the bright idea of trying to raise one of these awesome fish. :nono:
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I wasn't trying to rationalize keeping them, I was stating what I think would probably be needed to keep them alive in captivity.

I agree they're not well suited for captivity, nor are a lot of other fish and animals that aquariums and zoos have. I think it's especially sad to see large aquatic mammals in captivity (other than some of the rescues), even though they do have ways to maintain them long term. Whenever I see dolphins they look incredibly bored most of the time compared to the ones I see in the wild.
 
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