Redman - There is no need to take a defensive position here, no one is try to prove you wrong, but rather to help you understand the differences of the two species, and the common errors made by many LFS. No it is not true that ALL fish stores lie to their customers, and knowingly sell them animals mis-identified, just to make a quick buck. Yes that does happen, but no, not all stores or their owners and employees are that low. More frequently, you will see minimally educated store operators, who purchase these animals from suppliers who knowingly mis-tag their animals in order to sell their stock. When this happens, sure there is some blame left to be placed on the retail sector, but the bulk of deception lies with the wholesalers, and perhaps even collectors, if they were to intentionally mislead the wholesalers. Even still, we would like to believe that anyone disbursing these animals on a regular basis, would be well educated on the species and physical characteristics, and not simply take the word of others. Sadly though, that is not always the case. Like I have said before, it is a domino effect, and rarely is there ever one party to blame. The consumer however - this would be you - also holds a chunk of responsibility. Knowing the animals you bring under your care, and knowing not only their physical characteristics, as to identify them properly, no matter what someone else tells you, but also their dietary and ecological needs, is solely the responsibility of you - not your LFS, not your friends, co-workers, or acquaintances on here, or anywhere else for that matter. This is because in the end, you are the one purchasing the animal, you are the one housing and caring for the animal, and like I have said before, should anything go wrong, you are going to be the one answering questions. Your LFS is not going to coach you along - though sometimes they like to think they are that educated. Your friends might be memorized by your animal - who wouldn't be, but unless you roll with a distinguished crowd, more than likely, they won't have much knowledge on the species or captive requirements either. And considering that you are going to be the one solely responsible for the life of this animal, and the one who will be caring for it on a daily basis, and spending the most amount of time with it - - The responsibility, A-Z from identification, to housing, and feeding, all the way to potential medical emergencies, is your responsibility. Any why wouldn't you want it to be?
Our goal here is to educate, not ridicule. Ken (KRJ) can sometimes come across a little heavy when trying to make a point, he knows that, we all do, but he never just jumps on anyone or tries to make them feel stupid. He is passionate about these animals, and he is dedicated to sharing information for those who seek it, so if you felt like he was pushing a little too hard, I apologize on his behalf, but trust me, his only motive was to educate you on the beautiful shark that you have, and to encourage you to take further steps to ensure you were prepared, and competent enough to handle such a task, as shark keeping is not for the light-hearted or ill-informed.
Moving on to your shark specifically, I know why you would be convinced that your's is a Short-tailed, especially considering that sometimes, even we (Aquatic Professionals) get species confused the first go-around. Other than slight physical differences, that are sometimes hard to distinguish, Short-tails on a whole looks very much like G. Cirratum, which is why the lowly suppliers can get off claiming that they are Short-tails and not Common Nurses. Problem is however, that once they start growing, and their nubby pup features smooth out, and round off, fill in, and lengthen - it becomes painstakingly obvious that a much larger issue exists, and often times this leads to the demise of the animal, the unexpected hardship on the keeper, or the all too common request to donate species to zoo's and aquariums - which on a side note - please don't ever consider this as an option when purchasing these animals.
For your shark though, I think you have been slightly mis-lead. I do not feel this is in fact a true Short-Tailed Nurse, and if you would like me to give you the exact reasons why, I will be more than happy to post my observations of the physical characteristics of your animal, compared to those that I know are of true Short-Tailed Nurses. And if not, thats fine too. Either way, your shark is beautiful, and appears to be healthy, so you are doing a good job right now. And you said you have had this one for about a year now? How old was it said to have been when you purchased it? By the way, I hate saying "it" so since I can't tell from this particular picture - claspers or no claspers? LOL.
Further consideration for everyone:
Zoo's and aquariums alike, are not open-door donation portals, and most of the time will reject your offer flat. This is for a number of reasons. One is because animals kept in these facilities are matched not only by species, sex, size, and temperament, but also according to the exhibit design, and compatible numbers of occupants, according to their specific habitats, ecological needs, and footprint of the holding. Another is because animals are constantly being assessed and shifted around in these facilities, whether it be for medical evaluations, re-introduction, new-comer's, hangers (those without a permanent exhibit yet), or those being held for transport to other facilities. Everything within is a closely monitored, elaborately planned, and extremely detailed procession, leaving little - if any, room for unexpected guests. And then you have to consider things like the health of your shark, which regardless, requires quarantine, and med-eval.'s, monitoring, and so on. Furthermore, we are individually regulated and monitored as to just how many animals we can house, and of what species, sex, and size. There are penalties for those facilities who ignore such, and it's not something they would be willing to risk just to take one animal off of an ignorant individual's hands - no matter their passion for animals. It's not just as simple as "Hey, when this guy out-grows my tank, I'll just take him to the aquarium and be a good patron, and provide them with another animal!" - No, no, no, no.... Please don't ever do this!!
Our goal here is to educate, not ridicule. Ken (KRJ) can sometimes come across a little heavy when trying to make a point, he knows that, we all do, but he never just jumps on anyone or tries to make them feel stupid. He is passionate about these animals, and he is dedicated to sharing information for those who seek it, so if you felt like he was pushing a little too hard, I apologize on his behalf, but trust me, his only motive was to educate you on the beautiful shark that you have, and to encourage you to take further steps to ensure you were prepared, and competent enough to handle such a task, as shark keeping is not for the light-hearted or ill-informed.
Moving on to your shark specifically, I know why you would be convinced that your's is a Short-tailed, especially considering that sometimes, even we (Aquatic Professionals) get species confused the first go-around. Other than slight physical differences, that are sometimes hard to distinguish, Short-tails on a whole looks very much like G. Cirratum, which is why the lowly suppliers can get off claiming that they are Short-tails and not Common Nurses. Problem is however, that once they start growing, and their nubby pup features smooth out, and round off, fill in, and lengthen - it becomes painstakingly obvious that a much larger issue exists, and often times this leads to the demise of the animal, the unexpected hardship on the keeper, or the all too common request to donate species to zoo's and aquariums - which on a side note - please don't ever consider this as an option when purchasing these animals.
For your shark though, I think you have been slightly mis-lead. I do not feel this is in fact a true Short-Tailed Nurse, and if you would like me to give you the exact reasons why, I will be more than happy to post my observations of the physical characteristics of your animal, compared to those that I know are of true Short-Tailed Nurses. And if not, thats fine too. Either way, your shark is beautiful, and appears to be healthy, so you are doing a good job right now. And you said you have had this one for about a year now? How old was it said to have been when you purchased it? By the way, I hate saying "it" so since I can't tell from this particular picture - claspers or no claspers? LOL.
Further consideration for everyone:
Zoo's and aquariums alike, are not open-door donation portals, and most of the time will reject your offer flat. This is for a number of reasons. One is because animals kept in these facilities are matched not only by species, sex, size, and temperament, but also according to the exhibit design, and compatible numbers of occupants, according to their specific habitats, ecological needs, and footprint of the holding. Another is because animals are constantly being assessed and shifted around in these facilities, whether it be for medical evaluations, re-introduction, new-comer's, hangers (those without a permanent exhibit yet), or those being held for transport to other facilities. Everything within is a closely monitored, elaborately planned, and extremely detailed procession, leaving little - if any, room for unexpected guests. And then you have to consider things like the health of your shark, which regardless, requires quarantine, and med-eval.'s, monitoring, and so on. Furthermore, we are individually regulated and monitored as to just how many animals we can house, and of what species, sex, and size. There are penalties for those facilities who ignore such, and it's not something they would be willing to risk just to take one animal off of an ignorant individual's hands - no matter their passion for animals. It's not just as simple as "Hey, when this guy out-grows my tank, I'll just take him to the aquarium and be a good patron, and provide them with another animal!" - No, no, no, no.... Please don't ever do this!!
