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Saltwater Aquarium Sharks

Adding a shark to a saltwater aquarium requires carefully decision on the species. Some sharks are obviously not suited to a home or office aquarium, while others are ideal.

One of the best saltwater aquarium shark species is the brown banded type of bamboo shark. As long as it is kept well fed this bamboo shark is going to be an excellent addition to a saltwater aquarium tank. What’s important that other fish in the tank are too large for the shark to be able to feed on. Fish such as the green chromis which is small and timid should not be included in a saltwater aquarium that has a bamboo or any other type of shark.

The bamboo shark will grow to a length of one to five feet, depending on how big the tank is. A tank should be 100 gallons or larger. Not only does this give the saltwater aquarium bamboo shark room to grow and swim, but it also gives the other fish ample space to keep out of its way and feel less intimated. Bamboo sharks are happiest, and generally found, sitting on the tank bottom doing nothing at all. They love water temperature between 76 and 78 degrees.

The aquarium owner should always keep in mind that no matter what species of shark, no matter how small or large, a shark is a predator. Besides including only large fish in the tank with the shark, the other counter to its aggression is to keep it well fed on scallops and shrimp.

A cat shark, at least twice as large as the brown banded bamboo shark, is the ideal shark for a very large saltwater aquarium. A tank would need to be 400 gallon at least to accommodate a cat shark, and most home aquariums are not this large. But the cat shark is easy to care for, with no specific lighting requirements. Its diet consists of many varieties of large meats as well as fish, shrimp, squid and live goldfish. The cat shark likes to eat a little bit several times each day. The cat shark doesn’t have any specific water temperature requirements and is highly compatible with all fish that are too large for its consumption.

A horned shark, such as a port Jackson, pig or bullhead shark, is the smallest and the most docile of sharks, and as such is an excellent shark for a saltwater aquarium. The only drawback to having this horned shark in the aquarium is that it requires cool water. The horned shark only grows to a length of 38 inches maximum and requires a diet of meat, fish, shrimp, squid and live goldfish. It likes to eat several times a day and spends its lazy days lying around at the bottom of the tank. A tank should be at least 150 gallon to accommodate this horned shark.