Shark Question/s... sel., health, fdg., sys.   11/14/06
Hey Bob,
       I am located in Toronto, Canada and was browsing your website and was fascinated by all the useful information I found. For the past 1 and a half months I have been doing a lot of research on the Brown Banded Bamboo sharks. I have read and gone threw
<through>
multiple websites, joined multiple forums, and bought many books including Scott Michaels " Aquarium Sharks and Rays" which was very informative. I will be purchasing a 250-300 gallon aquarium soon which will be the home for 2 Brown Banded Bamboo sharks. It will be a flat back hexagon shape with the dimensions 84x24x10x64 with a 30" height. Do these dimensions sound good for Brown Banded Bamboo sharks?
<For a short while, for small specimens>
For feeding would you recommend live food?
<No... fresh/or defrosted meaty foods>
Or frozen food. Most people I have talked to recommended frozen would, on a feeding stick to ensure I give both an equal share.
But some say its easier to get them acclimated with live food?
<Unnecessary>
Is this correct or no? As well when I first introduce them into the aquarium how do I go about acclimating them?
<See WWM re... marine fishes period>
When I purchase them they will either be in eggs still or newly hatched. Should I leave them in the bags and place those bags in the aquarium like most fish are acclimated. Or should I place them in bucket with the same water as in the aquarium and then half of the water from the bag they came in?
<This latter>
Please let me know as I want to offer these sharks the best living conditions I possible can, and want to make the transition from the store to my aquarium as stress free as possible. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks,
             Brenden Hewko
<Will need more room in time. Bob Fenner>
 

Epaulette sharks Parasites  9/18/06 OK I have gotten the new tank up and running. It is run by an Eheim 1262, 9 watt UV filter, 1 Berlin Turbo Skimmer, 1 Prism Skimmer, <Need something much more serious> large refugium under the tank, Magnum canister filter with Reef Carbon and a PolyFilter pad in the overflow box. No powerheads in the tank and 1 red sea pump for the Skimmer with a grounding probe in the same chamber as the pump.       The Epaulette in question was isolated in a large container for 3 days. 2 days treated with PraziPro (from Hikari) and formalin. The third day the water was replaced with new water and treated with Erythromycin. He is still rolling over and scratching on the substrate. A close examination of the skin looks like small bumps under the skin. Almost like warts. http://www.poseidonsrealm.com/stuff%20238.jpg. <Good pic> Since what is bothering him is internal, how do I treat him? <... am not so sure there is "something" internal going on here that is "treatable"...> Tonight I soaked some krill in vitamins and erythromycin and let it soak for a while. <Need much more volume than soaking can/will provide... to "sneak" such materials in capsule form inside foods... Have you investigated Mazuri's site? www.mazuri.com> He then ate all 8-10 pieces or krill without issue. I have Scott Michael's and the Noga disease books but have found nothing that looks the same so far. How are internal parasites in sharks treated?   Thank you for your assistance,   Mike <I would go the immune system bolstering route here... No more formalin and vermifuges... vitamins, HUFAs, Iodine/ide in capsules in the foods. Bob Fenner>

Bamboo shark won't eat... Nutritional deficiency most likely  9/18/06
Crew at WWM,
<HC>
I have a Bamboo shark I hatched from an egg about 2 years ago. The shark is about 23" in length which most of the growth occurred over the past year. I do water changes every week to every other week no less than 10% of the tank which is a 125 gal. The water is from tap which goes through a R.O. filtration unit plus a D.I. unit. Where I live the city water is pretty bad with copper and other minerals. Up to about a week to 10 days ago my shark had been eating every day (silversides) and some Brine shrimp which falls to the bottom that is fed to the fellow tank mates. The tank mates include:
1-Regal tang, 1- Niger Trigger, 4-small yellow tail blue Damsel, 2-large black Damsel, 2-Pencil Urchins a few small hermit crabs & sand sifter stars.
When I feed and allow the Silversides to fall to the bottom my shark is not interested nor acknowledges the food. I have tried Mysid shrimp which was the sharks staple up to about a length of 12" along with Krill. I had noticed about 4 days ago the shark had twitched and rubbed on some of the live rocks in the tank. (no ich is present) when I cleaned a pre-filter to the wet/dry filter  there was a lot of Amphipods and the sump filters have a lot of very small Feather duster babies, not sure if these critters larva are causing the eating problem.
<Highly unlikely>
The water condition in the tank is as follows:
Temp. 78 degrees
Ammonia- 0.1
Nitrate-30
<A bit high... would keep under ten ppm>
Nitrite-0
Calcium-540
<Way too high... would keep under 450 ppm>
Phosphate-4.5
<Again... should be less than 1.0 ppm>
Iron-0
Alkalinity-70
pH.-7.9-8.0
<A bit low...>
Salinity-1.023-1.024
I have attached a couple of photo's of the shark, I have not noticed any weight loss but the not eating is concerning me.
If you have some advise please help.
<I do... you don't mention the use of vitamins, supplementation including iodine/ide... This is likely the primary problem here... Deficiency syndrome. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharkfeedingfaqs.htm
and the linked files above... At this point, you may have to force feed this specimen, or have someone inject it... to have it resume feeding behavior on its own. Bob Fenner>

Bamboo shark not eating (five weeks in)   8/18/06
Hi there guys, firstly thanks for all the help over the past year on the site it has been an invaluable source of info. However I find myself stuck.
As of this Sunday it will be five weeks since my bamboo shark hatched. As with the info on your site and Scott Michaels book I have systematically
gone through a wide variety of foods with no luck. However I did make the mistake of only dimming lights for feeding over the first two weeks, but as
we know she may not want to eat during that time.
So far the food list is muscles, prawn, krill, ocean nutrition squid and shark formula, brine shrimp on the off chance, and a bit of herring. Without the
specific numbers water parameters are all ok.
<W/o numbers I can't help you>
Ive
<This is your tenth English error thus far...>
tested the water for current but all under 0.1v. I feel it may be time to try the force feeding?
<Not encouraged>
Scott Michael does suggest live foods but im unsure on what to do about this. During the force feeding im assuming like other larger species she
will go into the trance state when turned upside down. Is this going to be to stressful especially if she's weak?
<Uhh, yes>
As for her behaviour its completely normal, sleep during day relatively active at night. The other morning I found two hermit crab shells so hoping that maybe she's eaten them in the meantime. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
thanks very much Jonathan
<Check your system... other tankmate behavior... not listed, change the water temp. (upward), NSW concentration? Use your spelling, grammar checkers. BobF>

- Shark Questions!  LFS advised to change my ways -   6/14/06
Currently I have a 2000 gallon tank with a 16" bamboo shark, 18" black tip reef shark, assorted damsels and tangs. I have a huge Wet/Dry, a large power head pumping the water in a counter-clockwise direction. <Too bad the black tip will out-grow even this tank.>
Question 1
I have been advised to add a second power head pumping in a clockwise direction and put them on a timer so they rotate X amount of time one way and then the other (to simulate its natural environment). Didn't sound like a bad idea but is it necessary? <Well... an opposing current would help create turbulence in the water which would help deal with some of the issues you list below. A singular source of water flow always creates a laminar flow - these do you no favors. On the other hand, electromagnetic devices in the same container as sharks is ill-advised. Even simple pieces of metal will interfere with their electromagnetic senses which they use to locate prey. Best to offer such enhanced circulation in a closed loop with the pumps outside of the tank.>
Question 2
Currently I am feeding them daily and a set time/place/amount and have had no problems. I get fish from a local market, carve it, freeze what I won't use within 2 days, and refrigerate the next days food overnight in a Vitamin solution. Now I am being advised to feed only every other day instead, at what ever time, only fresh fish. <Well... every other day is probably better for a couple of reasons: one, you don't want them growing too quickly and secondly, this will tax your filtration system. But more importantly, sharks generally have a very slow digestive system and just don't need constant feedings to stay healthy. On the fresh vs. frozen debate, as long as you are going through the frozen stuff pretty quickly (isn't becoming freezer burned), then I don't see any real difference nutritionally - just make sure you thaw the food before offering it.>
Question 3
The tank has a sand bottom that tends to get dark over the week from algae growth, before the black tip arrived we used a rake and stirred it a little to clear it up, but in doing so made the water cloudy for hours. <More circulation in the tank would help this.> Since the Black tips arrival we have been limiting the stirring to 1/8th at a time to keep the water from being cloudy.  My thoughts being the shark could become disoriented smack into the walls.  LFS says its ok to just stir it all at once. <Would think more regular stirs would be fine. Sharks don't have particularly great eyesight and rely on other mechanisms to locate prey, etc... should do fine in a sandstorm.>
Thanks for the help ahead of time!
<Cheers, J -- >

Feeding Sharks, using WWM    5/2/06
I have a pair of coral catsharks, female is about 19 inches, male is about 16 inches. I have had them almost a week. the Female ate a silverside the
next day, the male ate a shrimp 2 days after I got them. since then neither of them has eaten anything. I know sharks only eat 1-3 times a week but what
should I do to get them to eat?
<...>
I soak their food in Selcon and garlic guard.
<Just like in the wild...>
Should I even worry about it and try to feed them just once a week. I understand they are adults and eat little.
<Please "I", not "I"... and read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/sharkfeedingfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Re-do/try: Feeding Shark info...  - 5/2/2006
Lets try this again shall we.
Hi, I have read through your FAQs extensively. I still have a few questions I would like answered. First off let me start by saying I have a 180 gallon
tank with a large wet/dry filter with a 1200gph pump in it, 2 marineland emperor 400s, and 2 Rio 1100 powerheads for circulation. I have a female
Coral Catshark at 19 inches, and a male Coral Catshark at 16 inches in the tank with a Volitans Lion and Harlequin Tusk. I have had the sharks for a
week as of today. I have been soaking their food in Selcon and Garlic Guard.
Is this a good thing to do?
<There are better means of encouraging health, palatability... Encapsulated vitamins (hard to get "enough" via liquid prep.s) and garlic is of dubious value...>
I have been feeding them frozen silversides and shrimp from a grocery store with no head, soaked over night, and yesterday
my female ate a Ocean Nutrition Shark Formula cube. I have read on your sight that silversides are not good for sharks, is this true?
<Not good as in a steady diet, however not bad nutritionally>
Also, does the food I have been giving them provide them with a good diet?
<Not from what you list here>
Here's my real concern. As I stated, I have had them for a week today. My female has eaten twice, my male just once. The female ate one day after I received them, one
soaked silverside. The male ate two days after I received them, a big piece of headless, soaked shrimp. Yesterday my female ate for the second time,
five soaked silversides and one Shark Formula cube. The male wouldn't eat. I have tried almost everyday to see if they were hungry, but they only have
eaten on the days I have mentioned.
<Not unusual for new specimens not to take food... and sharks of size/species don't eat all that often... Are these two thin? Do they display a low index of fitness?>
I have been feeding them by rubbing the food near their mouth lightly, holding it with a pair of plastic Aquatongs.
My concern is, are they eating enough? I have heard that adult sharks do not eat as much as juveniles, is this true?
<Yes>
Also, I understand they are nocturnal. They hide all day and only move when I attempt to feed them. Is this normal?
<For the most part, for this species, family, yes>
Are they still getting acclimated to the tank, could this be causing the lack of movement?
<Very much just getting acclimated... takes weeks to a few months>
Do you think the other fish in the tank have something to do with their lack of movement.
<Mmm, no, not likely>
The fish never go near the sharks if that helps you out any. Thank you for taking the time to read this e-mail. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have made a significant
investment in these sharks and want to make sure they are happy. I plan on getting a grounding probe as I have read on your site it helps sharks with their senses.
<Mmm, any metal exposure... is to be avoided... including such probes. The electromagnetic receptive sense in sharks is extremely acute...>
I do plan on breeding these animals, and I have read the "Aquarium Sharks and Rays" book. Again thank you.
<Good luck, life to you and your sharks. Bob Fenner>

Re: Shark Feeding  - 5/2/2006
To respond to your question of how fit do they look, I think they look good.
However, I am no expert.
<Will soon be...>
The female of Course is a little thicker, but she is eating a lot more than the male. The male does not have a sunken stomach
<Good>
or any other visual problems, like those I have seen in the Aquarium Shark book. Yesterday I did notice that after I was trying to feed him, and he was
not accepting and moving away from me, that under his mouth was a little pink.
<Good observation... not atypical... through rubbing, the collection, shipping process... but I see below...>
I think it was just from him rubbing on some nearby rocks. I have small crushed coral as my substrate. I do not think it would be enough to scratch him.
<Actually...>
Should i change it to sand, and if so can I use the Caribbean Play Sand from like Home Depot.
<Yes and yes>
Do you think it would be better if I took out the rocks I have in the tank that make them a cave and simply have pieces of PVC pipe in the tank for them to hide it?
<Not likely an issue if there is sufficient room, space around the perimeter of the tank, rock>
I have seen this done on www.Tropicorium.com where they have built a large pond and are breeding Epaulette sharks.
<Yes... Dick Perrin "knows his stuff">
I have one piece of PVC in there now, but they seem to like the rock cave better. I don't want it falling on them or tearing there skin up. Last thing, should I use the human vitamins like B-12 and others, or should I use the ones made for sharks and rays available from Mazuri.com
<The latter are far superior>
that I have seen suggested on your site before. Thank you again for reading this and responding.
<A pleasure, honor to serve. Bob Fenner>

Re: Force Feeding a Coral Catshark   5/9/06
Well I guess you were right when you said I may be back, because here I am.
<Possessed of strong pet-fish intuition...>
It has been 10 days since my male 15" Coral Catshark has eaten. I am not sure what to do. I have read through your FAQs quite extensively and have
come to the conclusion I probably have 2 options, either force feed or a B12 injection.
<... about it/this>
I have the book "Aquarium Sharks and Rays" and feel I should be able to handle the force feeding they suggest. My question is this, while he
of course isn't thick from eating, he is not emaciated. He still swims actively at night and I have tried feeding him at this time.
<Good>
I saw him digging through the sand with his snout and placed several silversides down in the sand as I have seen in pictures. He did get near one but wouldn't
eat. The female did eat one. When I woke the next morning they were all gone but I don't know who ate them. When should I force feed him?
<I would hold off on this procedure at this time...>
Is the time now, it has been 10 days? How much should I force feed him. I plan to put a mixture of vitamins and food in him. B12 is a appetite booster correct?
<Yes>
I have ordered the Mazuri Shark and Ray vitamins but haven't gotten them yet. Do you think force feeding is the right way to go, or the B12 injection?
<Neither... as you state, the animal is not emaciated, still active... can go for long periods w/o eating... I'd try adding vitamin soaking to a mixture of meaty foods (crustacean, fish flesh...) and a "feeding stick"... waving the food items toward "lights out" in front of the animal...>
Thank you for your help once more. Because of you assistance my sharks will hopefully live well.
Don
<Mainly your efforts. Bob Fenner>

Good news... re Coral Catshark, eating, health - 05/16/2006
Hi again,
<Hello>
Just wanted to tell you thank you for all your help. Yesterday I came home about an hour after the lights in the tank went off and my male Coral Catshark was swimming all around the tank. He hadn't eaten in almost three weeks but still looked good, I emailed you several times about him. Anyway his eyes were all wide open and big so I thought I would try to feed him. I put a silverside in there and he ate it. I was so happy. I decided to see if he would eat more and he did, three total.
<Yay!>
I know silversides aren't the best for him but he did eat after almost three weeks. I am going to try to feed him again in a couple of days. If nothing happens then I am just going to start feeding the pair at night as they are nocturnal and have only been recently brought into captive life. Thanks for all your help. I hope he keeps eating. I plan on feeding him squid that they sell at the Tropicorium, which they feed all of their sharks they breed, with the Mazuri vitamins.
<Thank you for sharing this good news. Bob Fenner>

Juvenile sharks, feeding    5/2/06
        I have a banded cat shark that hatched from its egg a week ago and i was wondering what i should do to get him to eat or should i worry about it this early and what would be the best food to start him out on. I have been trying the frozen krill and what would be the best techniques to deliver the food to a juvenile shark to get him to accept it.
                                                Thank You,
                                                   Sheri Kitsmiller
<Please... read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharkfaq.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Vacation Question ... feeding a shark in a too-small system- 2/28/2006
Hi Bob,
<Amanda & Chris>
My husband and I have a 125 gallon salt water tank, and in it is a Bamboo Shark (don't worry we are getting a 300+ gal within the next few months for
him) He is 10 months old and doing great. We are leaving Friday for a trip and will not be returning until Wednesday. We want him to be fed while we
are gone and I am not sure if we will have someone to come here this time. Do you have any suggestions? We normally feed him Raw Shrimp, Scallops, or
Live Ghost Shrimp. He refuses any of the Frozen Shark Cubes that you get from a pet store.
<Mmmm. I would elect to not feed this animal myself... but if you're adamant AND have someone who knows what to do, will do it, I would pre-make the food allotment, hide all other foods... leave explicit instructions...>
I was also wondering, Bandit (the shark) has a white eye, and I am thinking that he bumped into a piece of rock.
<Very common with sharks, small systems>
It kind of looks like a cataract. It doesn't seem like he bothered at all by it. Do you know if it could be something serious or if it is not really anything to worry about?
<I am concerned, would move to the larger, new system ASAPractical>
Sorry but one last thing, my husband wants to know if you have ever heard of and know where we can get Garden Eels (type of Goby)?
<Perhaps Pholodichthys? Look on the Net re... are available. Actual Garden Eels (Ophichthyids) are very difficult to keep in home settings>
Thank you for your time!!
Amanda & Chris    
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Bamboo Shark/Feeding
Hi, <Hello>
I have a week old Banded Bamboo Shark, can I give it baby vitamins (human)?  If so what brand, do I have to by marine vitamins if the
shark is the only fish in the tank?  <Read FAQ's here.  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharkfeedingfaqs.htm>
Thanks <You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>

Bamboo shark/feeding   2/1/06
Last night some time my bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium Punctatum) hatched, and I just want to know what would be the best thing to feed it.  Also I hear a lot <No such word.>
about a vitamin type formula thing, what is the name of it so I can buy that for
him. <Interesting that you know the Latin name for the shark but don't know what to feed it.  Read the FAQ's here and see what others have done.  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharkfeedingfaqs.htm
As far as the vitamin, I'm thinking of Selcon.  James (Salty Dog)> <<Nope... read the provided link... RMF>>

Re: Bamboo Shark/Feeding   2/1/06
I know what to feed it but the stores where I go told me two different
things. One told me frozen Mysis shrimp, and the other told me ghost shrimp. <The FAQ's should have steered you in the right direction if you read them.>
And also I noticed him eating some type of worms that were in my tank, is
this ok. <They are scavengers and will eat most anything.  Don't see a problem eating the worms in your tank.  Marcel, in future replies, do include original email and response.  It makes it easier to route the mail to the crewmember involved.  Thanks, James (Salty Dog)>

Banded Cat Shark  12/7/05
Hi,
I recently hatched a Banded Cat Shark and he quickly began eating. Woo hooo!! I feed him small chunks of raw tiger shrimp and he appears to love it. (I'm also trying silversides).  Today he took a large chunk and I noticed a piece of
the shrimp he just ate was hanging out of his gill.
1) Tell me he'll manage to clear it without a problem.
2) Verify that helping him by removing it would be bad and may harm his gill. 
<<If it were my shark I'd be hand-feeding him/her (have you sexed it yet?) bits of the shrimp, as well as krill.  Just keep your fingertips turned under, even if it latches onto you it shouldn't be able to do any damage (though it may scare you).>>
<I'd let nature take its course right now.>
He was hatched in quarantine and I intend to keep him there long enough to establish a healthy eating pattern. (Stick feed) Then I intend to move him to my 150 FOWLR. (I know I know.. it's small. I'll get a larger tank later. ;)
3) How long do you think I should leave him in quarantine? 
<At least 21-28 days> 
4) Can you suggest a vitamin supplement that I can use to mix with his food? I'm looking for something that I can use on my Porcupine Puffer, Niger Trigger, Volitans Lion, Yellow tang and Squirrelfish. I take it Centrum would be bad.. right? ;) <I'd use a vitamin formulated for marine life not human life. Selcon is one such product. Please read articles on this link so you know what you are getting into. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharksys3.htm >
Thanks!! 
<You're welcome, James (Salty Dog)> 

Banded Cat Shark  11/18/05
Hi,
I've read about everything I could, but I can't seem to find an answer to my question. I have a 125 tank with a panther grouper and the shark. The water quality is good and I recently did a water change. The shark hatched on 11-6-04 and until recently was very healthy. A short time ago he started swimming very erratically and hunched almost like his back was broken. He lays on the bottom on his back. He is breathing normally and was eating with help now he won't take food at all. He is still thick bodied so the food isn't a real issue yet. I could force feed him if it came down to it, but I'm not exactly sure how to go about doing that.
<This is posted on WWM: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharkfeedingfaqs.htm >
Please help I hate to have to watch him this way and worse I don't want him to die. Please any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks, Bill
<Read. If your shark is not taking food, you need to take matters into hand. Bob Fenner> 

Banded cat shark  11/16/05
Hi,
I don't know if this where I am supposed to send this question, but maybe you can help me. I have a cat shark that is a year old I hatched him 11-6-04. Recently he has started swimming very erratically and hunched almost like his back was broken. He lays on the bottom on his back. He is breathing normally and eating with help. Is there anything I can do?
Thanks, Bill Ward
<Likely a lack of nutrient at play here... Not enough information offered... as to system, history, foods/feeding... These issues are covered on WWM... http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/index.htm.  Go there, now... and read re. Bob Fenner> 

Re: banded cat shark  11/16/05
Hi,
The system is a 125 acrylic with a extra large wet dry filter that has 5 gallons of bio balls in it, the protein skimmer is a ETSS evolution 500, and there is a 25 watt U.V light setup. As for feeding I was feeding him along with the large panther grouper shrimp without the heads.
<Not a good diet...>
<<Yeah, most of the flavor (and nutrients!) is in the head!  MH>>
He was eating to the point they would almost race to see which could finish all the shrimp first. Since he started having issues I've been feeding him cut squid with a probe because he has a problem getting to the food. Any help would be
appreciated.
Thanks,
Bill Ward
<Read... Bob Fenner> 

Bamboo Cat shark Question 7/6/05
I read through all the forums, that took some time!! But I have a question about a behavour that my cat shark is doing. I have about 2 inches of fine sand in my 125gal tank and there are a lot of live stuff seen in the sand. My shark actually pushes his noses and mouth into the sand and shakes around and then he will come up and I can see the sand sifting through his gills and then back in the sand he goes. Is he eating all the live critters in the sand??
<Is likely looking for food organisms>
He also eats squid and krill with no problems. I didn't know until today that they need vitamins too.
<Yes... as do you and I... from foods, exogenously if not>
I will purchase vitamin first thing and start offering them to him. If I were to do the vitamins and his other tank mates eat them will it be ok??
<Yes>
It's hard to get the food to him, sometimes. The grouper and lionfish eat the squid as soon as it hits the water. Once they are full then I can stick feed him. But sometimes they get that food too. I just need to know if this act he's doing is safe.
Thanks a lot!!
Stephanie
<Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>

Chiloscyllium punctatum egg 6/13/05
If I were to consider raising a Chiloscyllium punctatum egg and would like to provide it with the best food possible, what live foods could I consider culturing ahead of time?  I had considered trying Poecilia reticulata and feeding them live brine shrimp fed on cultured phytoplankton and copepods. I had read though they like shrimp a lot as well.  Is there a species of shrimp that is not impossible to breed and that would be a healthy died for a small shark of this species? <I commend your willingness to culture live foods, but it is impractical and unnecessary.  Quality frozen foods are available or can be made at home.  Mysis and chopped squid are high in HUFAs which are necessary for early development larger sharks will do fine on a diet of just about any meaty marine foods as long as you provide variety.  Occasional supplements of vitamins and iodine (hidden or injected into food) are a good idea.>
I am months away from purchasing an egg, and trying to learn as much as possible.  Do you think a 96 gallon corner tank would be sufficient for a single shark of this species and nothing else?
<Not even close.  A standard 180 is a bare minimum.  The shark should be able to comfortably turn around in it's home, and at adult size, this would be tight even in a 180.  At it's full size of about 36", it might be able to turn around in the corner tank, but it would be able to do little else but chase it's own tail.>
I have read your article at “http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharks.htm” as well as a great deal of
“http://www.colszoo.org/internal/drum_croaker/pdf/2004SS2.pdf” are there any text you would suggest buying or pulling out of the library that could help me to further understand this species.  I also want to find out if it would hurt to have computer speakers in the same room as the animal, or if music or television noise in the same room would bother a Chiloscyllium punctatum.  Any and all information greatly appreciated.  Jon Gordon.  <There aren't any sharks that should be kept in any smaller than a 180, and we generally discourage the notion of keeping one in a smaller tank with the intention of upgrading later.  It seems that no matter how well intentioned we are, such upgrades rarely come.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>

Nurse Shark Questions 6/13/05
I just put a 2.5 foot nurse shark on layaway while I get the enclosure prepared.  my plans are to use a 1500+ gallon spa and later move him to a pool (not prepared to spend the money on salt for a pool size at this time).  He/she has been at the LFS for 2 years NFS in a 200 gal.
<Keeping this shark in a 1500 gal spa is marginal.  A 200 gallon aquarium is flat out cruel.  If you aren't prepared for the expense of the salt for a larger pool, have you considered the ongoing cost of food and water changes for this animal?  Also, these animals can be difficult to maintain in well designed technologically advanced systems.  Trying to do so in a make-shift situation can be a real challenge.  I am not trying to be harsh or pessimistic, but these are demanding animals!>
We will need to be moving him across Houston (50 miles at least).  Any tips on this to keep it calm, acclimating once it arrives, etc?  I was going to move it in a large tote with a powerhead but I didn't see much about this on the FAQ.
<The tote is probably the best idea, but I would plumb it with an external pump that would draw water from behind the shark and return it toward the head.  You will also need a vessel that is both deep enough and has a tight enough lid to prevent excessive water loss.  I would not attempt any kind of sedation without the assistance of a marine vet.>
what kinda of vitamins will need to be added to his diet and where can i get them if any are needed?  I currently make food for my triggers by blending squid, smelt, frozen trigger food, shrimp, scallops, and anything cool that the bait shops are selling cheap and freezing it in ice trays.  I was planning to do the same thing for this little guy so that I could add anything he might need.  
<Your food recipe sounds fine, but considering the meal sizes that this shark will require, it may be tedious to prepare and make too small pieces.  Frozen squid is cheap, easy to come by and nutritious.  Try to find other whole foods (guts, heads, etc. intact) at your local sea food market.  No specific vitamins should be necessary if you use these good foods, especially since this shark is no longer a juvenile, but small amounts of a general fish vitamin can be injected into meaty foods.  You can also stuff whole small fish with Nori or dulce for added nutrition (especially iodine which is important).>
The guy says he eats goldfish which seems overly stupid to me as there is no way he would ever encounter them in the wild, so I kinda figured a trigger-like diet would be better but larger.  I was planning on freezing it in plastic cups.  I was also curious about piggy perch and things like that which I could put in there live and he could eat them whenever he wanted and have something to make him work for his food so to speak.  a meal with mental enrichment.  I don't know if this is important for sharks but I have several exotic animals and it is very important for them.  what kinds of live food from the Galveston bait stores would be good/safe.
<Indeed, goldfish are among the worst food choices for marine predators.  In fact, I would question the current owner for further info on what the staples of this fish's diet have been.  If it has been goldfish, I would pass on it for fear of poor nutrition.  Any kind of live marine fish that isn't obviously dangerous (stonefish, etc.) if fine and will indeed provide much needed stimulation, but it will also come with a risk of disease.  Also, to reiterate.... be sure to keep the pieces of your shark food preparation large enough that bits won't be lost to rot in the tank.>
I saw something on the faq for shark moving where the guy stressed that he was not using playground sand.  Is this bad for the shark?  The shark and a remora (if I have the extra money when I'm ready to buy him) would be the only things in the tank.
<Aragonite sand is a better choice than silica sand, but silica is acceptable.  Fine grain substrates reduce the risk of abrasion.>
I plan to build a wall that would go around the spa so if it jumped out (I hear they are jumpers) it would fall back in.  good idea/bad idea? <A very good idea, probably a requirement.>
basically my idea is to put the spa into my deck and cover the deck.  from there I would install fans in the walls to keep good air circulation and I have 2 pool pumps to circulate water into 2 bathtubs for filtration.  I wanted to run this all by the experts for a professional opinion as I do not trust LFS guys very much.  Thanks for your time, Michelle Walton <Please be sure that all of the components of this system are saltwater safe.  Sharks are very sensitive to metals, so any corroding fittings, drains, pump parts, etc could be dangerous to the shark as well as to you and your family.  You will need some serious filtration, both mechanical and biological for this system.  Sand filters work well, and backwashing can be combined with water changes.  Simply using the tubs as large sumps with conventional filtration techniques may be difficult, but a few gallons of bioballs prefiltered with frequently changed filter pads should do nicely.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>