I bought a nurse shark for my 265

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Zoodiver;2102748; said:
I think petstore owners need to man up and stop getting 10 foot sharks people can't take care of. What happens when it outgrows the 10K tank? I do not know of a single private tank in the US that can hold an adult nurse shark.
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maybe we could sneak in airapimaG's house, dump a couple tons of salt in the big tank and hope he doesn't kill us :D

if you kinda feel bad about going back on the guy.. and still want a shark.. offer to buy a catshark or something through him..

but honestly if you didn't know enough about sharks to knwot hat nurses should be avoided and that they get to like 13 feet.. maybe you aren't ready for one.. no offence

just keeping giving him business (if he's worth it) and there's no reason fro him to feel bad
 
BIGgourami;2103013; said:
maybe we could sneak in airapimaG's house, dump a couple tons of salt in the big tank and hope he doesn't kill us :D

if you kinda feel bad about going back on the guy.. and still want a shark.. offer to buy a catshark or something through him..

but honestly if you didn't know enough about sharks to knwot hat nurses should be avoided and that they get to like 13 feet.. maybe you aren't ready for one.. no offence

just keeping giving him business (if he's worth it) and there's no reason fro him to feel bad
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Well, I knew full well that they get too big, but the offer to take it back in a few years got me. Not to mention they look so dang cool and have really cool personalities. I later changed my mind though because I don't like the idea of buying something that I can't house it's whole life.
 
While - I agree that Nurse Sharks are best not to be sold in LFS - as they aren't really suited for the vast majority of private aquarists. I also know that it's possible for a really commited private aquarist to keep an adult Nurse Shark for life. But to do so requires nothing less that a large swimming pool size Shark Lagoon with of footprint of at least 600-700 sq.ft. and a volume of over 20,000 gallons. However very few private aquarists have the space or funds to keep a 8-10 ft, 300+ lbs shark for at least 25-30 years. So for these reasons - this is absolutely Not a shark that should be sold in a LFS.

Yeah - I agree that Nurses have can have wonderful "personalities", and the juveniles can be very cute. But they are also known to eat like pigs, and are very capable of growing twice as fast in captivity as they normally do in the wild.

My best recommendation for any one considering getting a Nurse Shark - First take a trip to your nearest Public Aquarium. Chances are you'll likely get to see just how big an Adult Nurse can get. Most public aquariums that I've been to often have a couple of Nurse sharks - in the 8-10' range. And after seeing a couple of 8-10 ft Nurse sharks in even a 250,000 gallon shark tank - you'll quickly realized that it's not possible for very many private aquarists to have a tank large enough to keep this species.
 
I agree with dreams of peace.

You did make the right decision though. I would wait a bit a do some more research on sharks before you buy one. That way you don't waste money or much more importantly a sharks life.
 
serafino;2107544; said:
I agree with dreams of peace.

You did make the right decision though. I would wait a bit a do some more research on sharks before you buy one. That way you don't waste money or much more importantly a sharks life.
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I have and decided that any shark really gets too big for a 265 IMO. The foot print is only 7' X 2' and all sharks I could find grow over 24". Perhaps one day, but for now I'll stick to other sea life.
 
That guy is a butthead for stocking nurse sharks. Profit above all else I guess.
 
Yeah - a tank with a 7' x 2' footprint - really isn't suited for keeping any of the commonly available species of aquarium sharks for life.

And while it's easy to blame the LFS for selling species - which really aren't suited for home Aquariums. And to say that they are more interested in profit than the well being of the fish.

There may also be cases where the owners of LFS is misinformed by the dealers- as to exactly which species they are receiving in their shipments. Although I find it quite hard to believe that the owner of any LFS doesn't know what a Nurse Shark looks like or that it can reach 8-10' long.

And of course there's the common myth that many LFS owners & employees tell customers - that the fish will only get a big as the tank that it kept in. Which is naturally a giant load of Cow pies.
 
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