Cat/bamboo/epaulette sharks with non-venomous urchins?

[LadAShark]

I know I've recently been asking a lot of questions, but I'd rather be very certain of what I'm building, setting up, and doing before having some catastrophe come up because of some carelessness.

My question really originates from my problem of finding a cleanup crew for said sharks. Coral cat, white spotted bamboo, and a white spotted bamboo shark are what I am planning to keep (in a 1000 gallon aquarium, don't worry about that bit, I won't try to keep them in a 50 gallon tank or a fish bowl lol). Anyway, seeing as I am avoiding getting horn sharks so that I can actually get a defensive cleanup crew (so far abalones and queen conches are on the list), would I be able to add in pencil urchins/pincussion urchins/ tuxedo urchins? I have purposefully went out to select the nontoxic and generally reef friendly (except for mister pencil) so as to avoid anything that would kill or injure my sharks, but I know that sharks are quite sensitive, and would like to know whether urchins would be compatible with these fellows?

I hope you guys will be willing to put up with my nonstop questioning. I usually take things into my own hands to research, but there are many topics with no real good information, so that's when I come here to forums ;P

 

[Atumi]

Why are you so desperate for a CUC in a predator tank? most shark keepers just accept the fact anything smaller than the sharks mouth will be lunch and plan their filtration equipment accordingly.

 

[LadAShark]

Why are you so desperate for a CUC in a predator tank? most shark keepers just accept the fact anything smaller than the sharks mouth will be lunch and plan their filtration equipment accordingly.

I like to have a variety of creatures in my tanks. The more natural it is, the better. I don't see why it's such a problem to have a CUC that sharks won't/can't eat? I'm not desperate, but I'm not going to give up just because "most shark keepers" do.

 

[LadAShark]

Besides, tuxedo urchins and pencil urchins are big enough that they will NOT fit in a shark's mouth.

 

[Atumi]

Fair enough, A big horshoe crab would probably work.

 

[LadAShark]

Fair enough, A big horshoe crab would probably work.

Huh. I was under the impression that they didn'r fare so well in captivity. I might just try it, my sand bed is pretty deep too...
Let's just hope that the sharks don't pick on it ;P though I doubt they would find it very appetizing due to how bony it is.

 

[L8braker]

I do have to agree that the filtration should be doing the job of cleaning your tank. Make sure you have good biofiltration and mechanical. Let us know you filter plans.

I would be leary of an urchin because sharks to run into things occasionally or when hunting down smells of food pieces. I would stick to crabs, cleaner shrimp, cleaner wrasse and snails for reducing any leftover food pieces (which there will inevitably be). Also what other fish do you plan to put in? Any schooling fish?

 

[LadAShark]

I do have to agree that the filtration should be doing the job of cleaning your tank. Make sure you have good biofiltration and mechanical. Let us know you filter plans.

I would be leary of an urchin because sharks to run into things occasionally or when hunting down smells of food pieces. I would stick to crabs, cleaner shrimp, cleaner wrasse and snails for reducing any leftover food pieces (which there will inevitably be). Also what other fish do you plan to put in? Any schooling fish?

Yeah, I actually plan to use a pool sand filter, combined with a large sump full of chaeto, a large protein skimmer, hundreds of pounds of live rock, and probably more if there was anything more I could do. Part of what I wanted to do was introduce some inedible detritivores to help take down the waste from the sharks, while also adding some cool new critters to my tank. Brittle stars, conches, abalone, chitin, and cowries are already on my list. Hermits may or may or may not survive. I have heard emerald crabs, if large and introduced first, may not get eaten.

And yes, I was quite leary about urchins. I was sort of hoping that as long as I didn't grab something with long spines I might be fine, but what I'm probably going to do is try it out for a little while, and throw them in the refugium if they give me reason to worry.

I've heard cleaner shrimp and wrasse get turned into a snack pretty quickly by sharks.

I plan to have a harlequin tusk, dragon wrasse, and hardwicke wrasse. I also intend to keep a sharksucker (echeneis naucrates/neucratoides) as the tank will be 1000 gallon+. I have also considered adding or attempting some sort of sweetlips, probably the clown/harlequin sweetlips, though I have heard that it is quite hard to get them earing in general. Whether I keep all these fish or only some mostly has to with how the tank reacts over time.

As for schooling fish, I was under the impression that basiclaly any schooling fish I can keep in the tank would be a snack for the sharks. Do you have any suggestions for schooling fish?

As for the previous post with horseshoe crab, any chance that could work?

 

[L8braker]

I've heard cleaner shrimp and wrasse get turned into a snack pretty quickly by sharks.

Who told you that? hahaha I had a cleaner wrasse that my sharks would let him go into their gills. Also had zero issues with a cleaner shrimp.

Same question goes for schooling fish. You have some options for schooling fish based on cost/water quality. Mono's (cheap and hardy), Grunts (cheap but don't transport well) and Lookdowns (Expensive and stressed easily). There are alot of other schooling fish so do some research.

Horshoe crab would possibly be ok, but I would bypass that and add in some stingrays(which will keep your send bed stirred up). All the horshoe crabs will do is run around trying to knock over your rock formations hahahaha

For filtration go with an Ultima Bead Filter instead of a sand filter. The won't clog as easily and work great. Again do your research. I would also consider adding ozone to your skimmer (provided you have a controller like Apex to monitor ORP). Also make sure you have lots of flow in the tank to keep the leftover food stirred up enough that it gets into your filter.