So, ive seen alot of black tip reef sharks and im fascinated by their looks and size thinking i could probably put one in an aquarium that would be possible to build, so how big of an aquarium footprint do i have to build in order to be able to keep a black tip pup ( somewhere between 30-40 cm) for a couple of years before needing to upgrade it to a bigger tank ?
Black Tip Reef Shark
- Thread starter SimpleLogic
- Start date
isn't it a waste of time building a temporary tank when you could build one to house it for life?
I'm going with 5,000 gallons. Never kept one, only worked at a place that had them.....it was 5,000 gallons
but having the same aquarium for the shark's whole lifetime would mean, when the shark is small he gets an aquarium thats (lets say 3 times its size) and when the shark is big, the aquarium would be (lets say 2 times its size) constantly upgrading the aquarium IMO would be better i think
also how big is the 5000 gallon, footprint wise ?
You see the last line in my sig? There's a lot to be gained by listening to old men with wisdom from experience.
Do everything right the 1st time....
ONCE........
so you don't have to go and do it all over again and kick yourself for all the mistakes you made previously.
I remember it was a cylindrical tank of acrylic, my guess is 10' H and 10' in diameter. At one point the MOST they had in it as juveniles were 2 Blacktip reefs, 2 Bamboo sharks, a large Moray and a fairly large White-Spotted Grouper (sp/ssp?). Their claim to fame was their 5,000 gallon shark tank.
smitty03281964
Do I remember that right, brother?Also, even more useful than any advice prior, get a pair of chainmail gloves or Kevlar if you plan on hand-feeding. Sharks' teeth are made for cutting, not piercing or grasping like reptiles or mammals'. They will go through bone like BUTTER.
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IDK if it helps OR makes you feel bad like it does me, but the slightly larger dominant female Blacktip ended up using her dominance to starve the smaller one to death. This all happened before I started working there because 5,000 gallons is not big enough for a Blacktip even as a sub-adult. This is not a "small" shark for AQUARIUMS despite labels given by "____________" < (insert names) I understand 7' is not their max.........
.......many people report much larger specimens.
.......many people report much larger specimens.
yes, a smaller female that posed no other REAL threat other than consuming the same organisms. Think cichlids are territorial? There are much worse out there.
Sharks are the oldest and most evolved form of "chordate" predator on this planet along with lobe-finned fishes (unless you consider Lampreys/Hagfish a success rather than a failure). Second most evolved in total, after scorpions/arachnids.
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24 foot diameter could house it for life, but 30 feet of course would be better
Yes 5000 Gallon is tiny for a blacktip sadly. You need something alot larger.