Shark/Ray keeping advice

[Icewing726]

Hi all got a couple hundred questions but ill try and limit myself to a manageable number. I had a tank and a large amount of success but all my success was no match for the power company refusing to give me electricity on a weekend(when i moved). All carefully packed fish and live rock went to a fish store for 133 bucks... then he lists my 5 inch panther grouper as a large lol. Some poor hobbyist is in for a horrible surprise with that one.

Anyway on to the questions. I want to go big with my aquarium (Sharks/Rays). Me and my wife would like to a)own a tank thats very durable(were military and move) or b)build a tank into our home at each location.

Starting with option a. From what ive seen and read it would be more benificial for a shark or ray (S/R from now on) to have more surface area rather than depth. Now I would love to have a tank the size of a room but thats not really portable. What would the ideal dimensions be for a portable acrylic tank be. Nows a good time to mention please list out the types of S/Rs that I should look at housing in the type of tanks you suggest if you know of any.

Moving on to option b. We are very ok with restarting a tank at each new house we end up at but have no idea of the cost associated with installing large one side viewable tanks(all concrete with one acrylic side for viewing). So if we went with this option what species would do good with what dimensions and how many gallons.

Please include any info you have come across as info on this topic isnt readily available. Im looking for the sharks and rays book for hopefully more info on how to properly care for these animals. If you think its a good book please say so. Also cost is a big part of the planning stage as well. I see these awesome tanks many of you have built and I never see the cost associated so once again I know it can be done but not whats needed. So please please please give me your estimates.

In summary tell me what you think about option a and b, dimensions on your suggestion along with gallons, and what S/Rs are good to go with these set ups. Oh yeah speaking of set ups please include in cost estimate the amount for stand, filtration eq, and installation if applicable. Ill go ahead and thank those of you who post helpful comments in advance. For the rest of you ill respond in due time .

 

[chrisdef15]

How bout you come up with something more specific? From 8lx3wx2d would be a minimum for the smallest benthic species or up to 10s of thousands of gallons. So ide be budgeting $1500-3000 for a basic benthic setup upto millions for the big guys. How much you wanna spend roughly? What sorta sharks where you interested in? Dunno much about rays but they will be the least of your problems. Sorry i just dont get how ppl ask complete strangers on a forum questions like that. Ya need to go do ALOT of research and then come back with some more specific questions.

 

[Icewing726]

The only shark ive had any experience with is the black banded cat shark. sites say min 150 gallons(no i wouldnt do the min just mentioning it). The larger the acrylic tank the harder it is to transport. So I was trying to see what my options would be for an acrylic tank (since a comparable sized glass one would be way to hard to deal with seam wise) thats still movable once every few years. Im looking for about as large as I can get. I know theyll make me a huge one if I ask but someone out there probably knows how large the average mover will be able to handle. I was also hoping someone would be able to tell me if there were any species of shark besides the black banded that may be an option for that size tank.

As for the built in option that leaves the topic even more on specified i know heres an attempt to narrow it. I was hoping there might be some average cost per thousand gallon type ratio but if not then id be happy hearing from people who have had a custom one built in their home size and what it cost to install. In this case id say a minimum of 2000 gallons size but if you have a cost idea on anything smaller then that please mention it.

As for what can be kept in these tanks I am trying to do research but its real hard to do when you have no clue what species can be kept. If I searched the internet for nurse shark care for example I find listings that say a 2000 gallon tank is plenty to a 50000 is needed and plenty in between. I figured id ask complete strangers in hopes that one complete stranger may be keeping sharks and have some useful advise rather then people who sell them as they would probly ok a shark to a 300 gallon if you were ready to pay. All im doing here is trying to expand my research to species that are an option. I have a pretty good idea of what sharks are out there and how they handle in captivity but rays are still a real mystery to me. So if you keep rays which ones would you recommend.

In my own research I found that the largest aquarium i could get delivered was around 5000 all inclusive. I dont know if this is the maximum surface area they can ship or not so please respond if you know.

Also before i get called on this I would restart my tank at each location even if i was moving it. Im not considering moving sharks and rays.

I hope this cleared up what im asking if not hope it doesnt piss anyone off.

 

[Zoodiver]

There are vast variations in the two approaches. How long are you planning on being in the miliatary?
From my point of veiw, your BEST bet is to wait until you have a place you'll be for awhile, and just build into the house. The thought of building each time you move is very expensice. Plus, in order to properly cycle a tank of the volume you'd be looking at will take more than a month. So you'd have at least two months lay over that you'd have no place for the animals. I'd build something with only one acrylic window, so you don't waste money on an all acrylic tank.
If you choose to move the tank, I'd go at least 50% thicker acrylic than your average tank wall. Acrylic is the way to go. Easy to take out a scratch, chip or crack. Glass isn't that forgiving. I'd have something made that is rectangular and at least 2 feet deep if not more. A good solid top is a MUST. Look at having a stand built to take it up about 3' off the floor. A stand that can be taken down and reassembled will help with the moving issue. I'd look at making a plywood padded crate to move the tank in. It would just be easier to have something like that around when you know you'll be moving it repeatedly.

You are right, surface area is where it's at. Something with a large foot print is the only way to do a elsamo tank. Good filtration is your next primary issue.

As for species, small rays and bamboo or catsharks are a good place to start.

 

[krj-1168]

Yeah - a Military life style & keeping an Elasmobranch(shark/ray) tank - isn't very compatible.

While I'm not saying it impossible to do - it just very difficult, and would require a great deal of highly detailed planning. And them monitoring the tank for a couple fo months at the new location.

Still the best type of filtration for this type of system would likely be a fully biological one. Which includes Live rock (cured), Live sand, Macro-algea, and live (Miracle) Mudd. Also adding good sand Filter & Protein skimmer would be very helpful & highly recommended.

Naturally the Live Biological parts of the filtration system would need to be transported in saltwater(tank water) - to help protect their de-nitrification abilities.

Also agree - you best sharks are the small benthic "aquaria friendly" species such as coral cats, bamboos, and epaulettes. Your best rays - are the round rays - such as the Cortez, or Yellow.

 

[nativelover]

10ft long, 6ft wide, and 3ft tall is a good start.

bamboo sharks or small rays are the only thing id really suggest.

you could get a leopard shark, but its hard to get juvis and to keep them from the wild they need to be 36"...

if you go cold water. maybe a swell shark or one of my local grey smooth hounds.

 

[krj-1168]

As

for what can be kept in these tanks I am trying to do research but its real hard to do when you have no clue what species can be kept. If I searched the internet for nurse shark care for example I find listings that say a 2000 gallon tank is plenty to a 50000 is needed and plenty in between. I figured id ask complete strangers in hopes that one complete stranger may be keeping sharks and have some useful advise rather then people who sell them as they would probly ok a shark to a 300 gallon if you were ready to pay. All im doing here is trying to expand my research to species that are an option. I have a pretty good idea of what sharks are out there and how they handle in captivity but rays are still a real mystery to me. So if you keep rays which ones would you recommend.

Researching is very key in making educated decisions about which species to keep.

For Example - While the Nurse Shark - may be very popular - it's also a very bad choice. While as pups - the Nurse is relatively easy(in terms of shark), the big problem is they eventually get huge (at least 8-10') - and require equally huge tanks or ponds (at least 20,000-50,000 gallons -depending on exact dimensions). So this is species that isn't suited for any private aquarists - unless you have a lot of land(for a big pond), and financial resources to cover food (a 300+ lbs shark eats alot of seafood), vitamins, meds, water changes, and maintainence of the pond.

Truth is you best options as already said are the small benthic species

With a tank that's about 8' Long x 4' Wide x 2' tall (about 480 gal) - you have some nice options - namely small bamboos & coral catsharks.

Another possibility is going with a small poly pond (like Rubbermaid has) instead of tank. They generally come in the following sizes - 300-350 gallons(6' diameter), 600- 650 gallons(8' diameter), and 900-1000 gallons (9' diameter). Which would be perfect for build a small habitat for the shark/ray.

 

[willsfishtank]

i wquld build a wooden tank with 1.5 inch thick acrylic that mesured 8x4x8 lenghtxhieghtxwidth that would be 2000 gallons and the acrylic on that you could find under 500 for sure just shop around although you probly only nee 1 inch because it would only be 4 feet high also before you got into something like this you should think about the cost of water/salt for the water/filtration/wood to build stand/acrylic/and everything else your looking at some serious cash. and if your moving bro i would suggest something smaller sorry unless you wanna get a water carring truck to move your cycled water for you everytime and build a new tank every time.

 

[Daffydanny]

Currently I have a juvinile bamboo shark in my 80 gallon and its doing fine but ofcourse there are signs of stress so im getting a larger aquarium soon

 

[krj-1168]

While - a small shark(a pup) is much easier to keep (since they can live in smaller tank) and move around. They still will get big - eventually(usually only a few years), and require a very large tank.

Which bring us back to one of the original questions - think about how much larger you have in the military. If it's only fairly short time (say 12-24 months), and not likely to be moving much during that period - then you might be able to get a shark that can fit in descent size tank(such as a 180-300 gal). If on the other hand -you have 3 years or more - you might consider waiting until you get closer to being ready to leave the military.