New Banded Cat Shark owner has questions

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Chago09

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 8, 2006
587
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Ontario
Ok I picked him up 2 days ago from a LFS. He fed him a small piece of shrimp meat and he seemed to have eaten it right away. I figured he should be good in my 180 if he is eating on demand like that at store. I brought him home the first day he hid in the rockwork and I threw down a piece of shrimp, fell right infront of it and he ignored it. He layed in same spot all day. Then after lights turned off I simply passed by the tank and noticed him going crazy on something and sand flying up. I think he finally went after that piece of shrimp.... I think.

Yesterday I didn't feed him. Today he is laying right smack in the front middle of the tank under the lights. I put a piece of shrimp, litterally fell on his head, he just layed there and let the current blow it away a few minutes later.

Here are my questions

1.) What is the best way to feed these guys? my tank is a in wall so using tongs to feed him is hard as I can't see from behind the tank.

2.) Is it better to feed with lights on or off?

3.) I have seen a lot of youtube videos of these sharks swimming all over tank and even off the sand. Why does mine seem to just lay still all day. Moving maybe just a few inches a day?


Thanks
 
Small ones should eat daily. As they grow, you can cut back a bit. Dropping food in from the top is fine, as long as the shark is getting to it. They are a naturally nocturnal hunter, but many will eat during the day as they get used to it. It will probably take a few days for it to eat 'normally' again after being moved to a new tank. Laying in a hiding spot is very normal, and it is what you'll see most of the time - you just don't see it on You Tube b/c nobody wants to see video of sharks laying still. :)
 
thanks zoodiver, I hope yoru right. I have been dipping shrimp in garlic xtreme then literally dropping infront of his face and leaving the stuff overnight. He is alone in the tank right now so no one should be touching his food. This morning I took a few pieces out that were going bad. I have seen some funny behaviour though. The thing I said earlier about him going nuts all of a sudden and stirring up sand. He did it again as soon as lights went off, about 3 or 4 times dashed into base of the rock and dug his face in as if he was catching something. There isn't anything in there except worms and pods.
 
You can skip the garlic dipping if you want. The natural oils coming off the shrimp will be the best scent for him to pick up on.
 
...I'll just tell you now before people start getting annoyed with tank sizes and such.... You may need to up grade in the future....future. I personally think he'll be fine in thier for life because thier not really a benthic shark, but bigger is always better lol

Also you can purchase a 6?? gallon tub for cheap $300 that lots of people been keeping rays and sharks. Also ^ this is primarily if your going to have more fish/sharks/rays....if you just going to keep that one shark think you can get away with a 180.

PICS would be great!!!!
 
he still has not eaten... at least I havent seen him. I have left food in there every day. Tried putting it right in his face, he wont touch it. Now if he is going around at night looking for it I don't know. I doubt it though because I can see some pieces that I can't reach just sitting there. He doesn't seem to be stressed though, breathing is anything seems fairly slow and not fast at all. He seems to be just chilling in the shade under a rock and sticks his face out slightly and looks forward. Its really starting to frustrate me. If I'm going to have to do a rain dance everytime to get this guy to eat maybe this isnt the fish for me. I want to be able to just drop some shrimp and squid in and watch him come up and eat it or at least look for it along the floor. I can't sit there and spoon feed my fish for a half hour, I have kids who I do that for.

Originally I was feeding him frozen shrimp from teh supermarket. I believe its cooked then frozen, is this ok? maybe becauseits cooked he don't like it? I have also fed hikari frozen krill and nothing, also hikari mysis frozen cube. There is no other fish in there to cause stress so I don't know what the problem is. He ate right in front of me immediatley at the store.
 
It shouldn't be cooked, then frozen. Fresh then frozen (slowly thawed) or fresh is best.

Try squid or salmon. Those two usually do the trick for newly aquired sharks. How big is this new guy? Dropping in food an hoping it will eat doesn't really happen when you move a shark. Usually it takes a lot of time and work to get them going on food.
 
Give it time, very common for them to stop eating for a week or two after being moved. Very common cause of death for banded cat shark is septicemia due to substrate. Should be on fine sand, no crush coral! Feed fresh or frozen raw shrimp no tail and peeled. I offer food from feeding stick initially. Keep eye on water parameters. Cool fish , just give time. Mine not only reguarily ate everything I offered but ate variety of tank mates as well. Eels are good tank mates. Good luck!
 
ok tomorrow I will stop at supermarket for a fresh piece of squid.

Substrate is reef sand. Nice and fine.
 
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