Ok, you made me go back and look. Any reliable source I've found (including going down the hall and looking at adults of each) - Port Jacksons are smaller. I've had bamboos average much larger than published info on them. But then again, I'm keeping them in big tanks, not some Petco special.
RARE YELLOW SHARK
- Thread starter galatic
- Start date
Hmmm ...
Okay - Zoodiver - I have to ask - are your Port Jackson's fully grown - ie over 4' feet in length.
Granted I realize that a 5.5ft Port Jackson is like a 14' Nurse - rarely actually seen. But they still average around 4-4.5' in length - no bamboo or eppies gets that big, especially on for an average size.
I've never seen or even heard of a Bamboo over 40", or Epaulette over 42".
So Need Photos, please.
Okay - 1st off I wouldn't recommend any shark in a "Petco special" all "home aquarium" sharks need custom-built tanks that maximizes their potential swimming room. 2nd - Zoodiver - do you realize that the realize how dumb that comment sounds. It sounds like the LFS sales people who claim that - "Yes, you'll be able to keep this Nurse Shark in a 180 gallon aquarium - because it will stay small due to it's living in a small tank". Zoodiver- you should know that statement is pure BS.
It's a simple proven fact -Sharks don't dwarf due to the tank size they are kept in. They grow due to water temperature & how much they are feed.
Which brings me to questions about how your keeping the Port Jackson's - ie water temps.
Okay - Zoodiver - I have to ask - are your Port Jackson's fully grown - ie over 4' feet in length.
Granted I realize that a 5.5ft Port Jackson is like a 14' Nurse - rarely actually seen. But they still average around 4-4.5' in length - no bamboo or eppies gets that big, especially on for an average size.
Okay then may ask what are you feeding the Bamboos - "Miracle Grow".
I've never seen or even heard of a Bamboo over 40", or Epaulette over 42".
So Need Photos, please.
Okay - 1st off I wouldn't recommend any shark in a "Petco special" all "home aquarium" sharks need custom-built tanks that maximizes their potential swimming room. 2nd - Zoodiver - do you realize that the realize how dumb that comment sounds. It sounds like the LFS sales people who claim that - "Yes, you'll be able to keep this Nurse Shark in a 180 gallon aquarium - because it will stay small due to it's living in a small tank". Zoodiver- you should know that statement is pure BS.
It's a simple proven fact -Sharks don't dwarf due to the tank size they are kept in. They grow due to water temperature & how much they are feed.
Which brings me to questions about how your keeping the Port Jackson's - ie water temps.
Zoodiver was obviously being sarcastic in his comment about a Petco Special. Krj, I think maybe you should lighten up a bit. I have kept a port jackson in a public aquarium in 75 degree water and it had been there for many years and only was about 3 and a half feet long. Granted, Port Jackson's should normally be in water in the low 60's, but that is the way this aquarium wanted it.
Actually, now that i actually looked at a tape measure, I realize i have made a mistake. The port jackson i used to work with was only between 2.5 and 3 feet in length. Right now I work with 3 different species of bamboo sharks, including the largest which is the brown banded bamboo shark. Looking at the brown bandeds, i am pretty sure that they are larger than the port jackson that I worked with. I can get you all a measurement on friday.
Okay - I may have been a bit hard on Zoodiver.
Generally speaking - the Port Jackson's (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) grows much slower than any Bamboo, and well continue to grow. Bamboos generally reach sexual materity in 2-3 years. Where as Port Jackson's generally take 8-14 years just reach sexual materity at 2.5'-3'.
So while - your PJ is an adult - it hasn't reached it's full adult size yet. That could take 20+ years, to reach.
Also a 3' Horn or PJ is stockier & outweighs a 3' Brown banded Bamboo - even though both are the same length. It has to do with the general build of each species.
And just for the record - length isn't the only was to measure which species is largest. You can also use weight(mass).
Generally speaking - the Port Jackson's (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) grows much slower than any Bamboo, and well continue to grow. Bamboos generally reach sexual materity in 2-3 years. Where as Port Jackson's generally take 8-14 years just reach sexual materity at 2.5'-3'.
So while - your PJ is an adult - it hasn't reached it's full adult size yet. That could take 20+ years, to reach.
Also a 3' Horn or PJ is stockier & outweighs a 3' Brown banded Bamboo - even though both are the same length. It has to do with the general build of each species.
And just for the record - length isn't the only was to measure which species is largest. You can also use weight(mass).
Yes, Zoodiver - I have seen a Port Jackson's before. At a public Aquarium - but it wasn't full grown - only about 3' long I would estimate.
No, I've never seen a 4.5-5' Port Jackson's, personally. But then I've never had the pleasure of seeing a Whale Shark, or a Great White Shark, in person either. But I know they exist - I've seen Photos & video footage of them. Also I've seen photos(taken in the wild) of 14' Nurses & 5' Port Jackson's - so they exist also.
Just because you do see someting in person or have never experienced something does not mean it doesn't exist.
Based on all the wild reports I've read(including some for Australia) about the Port Jackson, they all state that it averages 4.5' in length at full size(maxs out at 5.5') - which takes nearly 20 years.
By the way Zoodiver - you keep saying that your bamboo is longer than your PJ. But what about their weights. Also how long have you had the PJ's and Bamboo?
Gee - let me think - How about the dozens of sharks that die every year do to being put in to aquariums that are too small(yes I know that it usually other health related issues that eventually kill the sharks). Caused by stupid, possible misinformed or unethical LFS sales people that keep saying to misinformed novice shark keepers that - yes the shark can stay in this small tank(a nurse in a 180 or a bamboo in a 50). It really the one biggest problems of Shark husbandary
Also by the way here's a good website for you to check out
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharks.htm
No, I've never seen a 4.5-5' Port Jackson's, personally. But then I've never had the pleasure of seeing a Whale Shark, or a Great White Shark, in person either. But I know they exist - I've seen Photos & video footage of them. Also I've seen photos(taken in the wild) of 14' Nurses & 5' Port Jackson's - so they exist also.
Just because you do see someting in person or have never experienced something does not mean it doesn't exist.
Based on all the wild reports I've read(including some for Australia) about the Port Jackson, they all state that it averages 4.5' in length at full size(maxs out at 5.5') - which takes nearly 20 years.
By the way Zoodiver - you keep saying that your bamboo is longer than your PJ. But what about their weights. Also how long have you had the PJ's and Bamboo?
Gee - let me think - How about the dozens of sharks that die every year do to being put in to aquariums that are too small(yes I know that it usually other health related issues that eventually kill the sharks). Caused by stupid, possible misinformed or unethical LFS sales people that keep saying to misinformed novice shark keepers that - yes the shark can stay in this small tank(a nurse in a 180 or a bamboo in a 50). It really the one biggest problems of Shark husbandary
Also by the way here's a good website for you to check out
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharks.htm
