freshwater bamboo shark

[Moontanman]

I've read in one of my aquarium books that people are able to keep fresh water and salt water fish in the same tank by disolving synthetic sugar in their tank as opposed to synthetic salt. The sugar is not supposed to effect the fresh water fish, but supposed to increase the specific gravity enough of to keep that salt water fish's bladder happy. I just read it in a book and don't know if this is true, can someone else expand on this or confirm that its BS?

There was a product on the market like that several years ago, it didn't stay around very long, probably because it was a less than ideal way to keep fish. Calcium chloride can replace much of the sodium chloride in water and allow many fish to live in both. It works really well for some fish but I'm not sure it would work with sharks.

 

[krj-1168]

Damn for some reason it didnt add the rest of your quote. Bit off topic but question for the Aquarium working guys and girls (and KRJ and anyone else with knowlegde) have any of you seen Bull sharks kept in fresh there whole life? I wish i had payed more attention to exactly what Aquarium it was so i could go have a look but last nite i saw a thing on TV about an Aquarium here in Aus (maybe NZ) that had 3-4' bull sharks kept in totally fresh with murray cod and saratoga and other Aussie native fresh water stuff. Was an Awesome tank. Have any of you seen anything similar, and do yas reckon they do well in there or do they probably just keep them a few months and swap them with more smaller ones?

I think Matt & Emi - kind covered the questions about the Bull Shark.

But it does seem that many species of Carcharhinid sharks are generally better suited to tolerate changes in the water salinity levels - than most carpet sharks are. There are several species of carcharhinid sharks known in the Southeastern & Gulf Coast states that annually make the marine estuaries & sounds, which tend to be brackish (roughly 1.014 SG or higher) as their pupping grounds.

But only a tiny fraction of these species including the Bull Sharks & it's closest relatives, that are known to live in freshwater for extended periods of at least several months or more.

 

[Moontanman]

Ok, since we seem tio have several shark experts here I'll ask the obvious question, How many known species of shark inhabit freshwater? I've herd none but bullsharks and i've heard several. Are there more than bullsharks and what species are they. Even google isn't very good for this question.

 

[chrisdef15]

I think Matt & Emi - kind covered the questions about the Bull Shark.

But it does seem that many species of Carcharhinid sharks are generally better suited to tolerate changes in the water salinity levels - than most carpet sharks are. There are several species of carcharhinid sharks known in the Southeastern & Gulf Coast states that annually make the marine estuaries & sounds, which tend to be brackish (roughly 1.014 SG or higher) as their pupping grounds.

But only a tiny fraction of these species including the Bull Sharks & it's closest relatives, that are known to live in freshwater for extended periods of at least several months or more.

Thanks everyone for answering. I new we had some freshwater species along with a few other countries but just wasnt sure if the bull sharks could live forever in fresh. Pretty cool they can ide love to have some in a giant fresh tank and probably be alot cheaper then making a salt tank/lagoon ect. Just thought i better clarify as well i wasnt saying keeping bamboo's in freshwater is ok coz you can keep bull's in it, my question just sort of fitted in with the topic. Ofcourse keeping bamboo's in fresh is a stupid idea.

 

[chrisdef15]

Ok, since we seem tio have several shark experts here I'll ask the obvious question, How many known species of shark inhabit freshwater? I've herd none but bullsharks and i've heard several. Are there more than bullsharks and what species are they. Even google isn't very good for this question.

Im not even close to an expert but am bored so thought ille add as far as i know here in Aus, parts of Asia and India and possibly parts of SA have species very similar to bulls but not the same species which stay smaller. But then ive also read others think they are just juvenile bullsharks. Like you said there isnt much info out there on the net so im not sure how much anyone knows about them.

 

[The Ippster]

i think swordtails are happy in full salt too

 

[yourbestfriend]

Weird.....I doubt the poor thing lived very long. All sharks are saltwater.

untrue. there have been many cases of bull sharks in the mississippi. and that water is fully fresh, not brakish or salt at all

 

[ermgravy]

a bit of topic but are there not populations of land locked bull sharks that live in fw pools for long periords of time? Just evryone generally is sayin that sharks die in fw???

 

[Nabbig2]

untrue. there have been many cases of bull sharks in the mississippi. and that water is fully fresh, not brakish or salt at all

Hmmmm. Well you proved me wrong on that point, I didn't know about that.

However, Bull Sharks naturally occur in water; also, exactly how long did they live in the rivers in mississippi?

 

[Nabbig2]

Okay I can't edit it for some reason......but anyway I meant they occur Naturally in SALT water.