Need help with Banded Shark feeding

fausto

Reefing newb
I am new to the saltwater aquarium hobby, although my roommate is not new to it. I have a couple questions, one not so much about the topic. First things first: I have read in multiple places that feeding banded sharks is a very very tricky thing to do from the start. We've tried feeding him 4 times since we've had him (a little over a week) and he doesn't seem to want any of it. We have a stingray, which we have heard/noticed is a huge pig and a food whore, so we try and separate them during feeding time. We've tried feeding him cut up silverbacks, tiny chunks of shark formula, frozen krill, and chunks of squid. We've also tried putting him into a small Tupperware container so he has no competition/agitation during feeding. I'm in class currently so I don't know how it's going right now but I'll update when I get home. We've put the food RIGHT on the shark's mouth and it just swims away or it nudges his head the other way. I've heard that live white shrimp or krill will help with feeding but I wanted some advice from experienced hobbyists. If there are any suggestions on how to get my banded shark to eat these would be greatly appreciated, I don't want him to die! I also have a question about an anemone and a couple clown fish. Is there a way to coax the clown fish into the anemone? The anemone has moved under the rock and granted the fish probably can't see the anemone, but they just kinda float on the right side of the tank while the anemone chills in the middle of the tank. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!:bounce:
 
1st...Welcome to Living Reefs
Now let me get this straight. You have a stingray, banded shark, clown fish and anemone in a 4' 120g tank and you have 2 weeks experience in saltwater? If that's the case...I'm speechless.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!:bounce:
Take everything out except the clowns.
 
Well like I said in the post, I myself have 2 weeks of experience, my roommate has had saltwater aquariums before, i think a few years of experience. But apparently having a shark and stingray and about 6 or 7 other fish is a bad idea? In that case since I've already gotten in this bad situation, without taking things out since I have no where else to put them, what would be the best alternative, or perhaps how do I fix the origional problems that were posted. And also the tank is 6 feet long
 
How old is the tank?

2 weeks?

If the tank is less than 1 year old, the anenome will most likely die.
What kind of lighting do you have? Anenomes need intense lighting.

I dont have any experience with sharks or rays but do know that they need large tanks
Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Cat Shark, Black Banded
It says min of 180 gallons

Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Spotted Caribbean Stingray
Also says min 180 gallons.

They need lots of room to swim and just wont get it in your tank

Take it back to the LFS for a refund or credit. It will be better for you and the live stock

Brian
 
I'm pretty sure we have enough light, we have 3 fairly high output lights, although I'm not sure what wattage the bulbs are. and the shark doesn't rly swim a lot, he just kinda lays there most of the time
 
Be nice capt.:bowdown: First take the stingray and shark out and take them back to the lfs. How long has this tank been up and running. Anemeanies need atleast a 1 year old tank so the water paramiters are stable. After that is done then just keep fish that are for beginners. Like clowns, yellow tangs, 6line wrasse, blennies, anything in that nature. If your friend has had any experiance in a saltwater tank, his 1st rcommendation should have been for you not to get a shark and a stingray. your just not ready for those advanced fish.Sorry to be a lil blunt but somone needs to tell you:frustrat:
 
fair enough, he was the one that got the stingray and he told me to get a shark, so I'm assuming that he either is BSing me on his previous knowledge, didn't research much, or was just over excited. The tank has been up for 2 weeks yes, so more than likely I should take the anemone out huh?
 
Also the shark will grow to be 4' long thats not much room in a 6' tank. And if your going with a reef tank he is not reef safe. i only say that cause you have a anemeanie.
 
If that aneminie dies under the rock he crawled under and you dont get him out he will send out some toxins that will kill your entire tank.:frustrat:
 
Yeah I was reading up on that, the anemone seems to be doing fine, I'm just worried about the shark eating, and now I'm worried about how much room they have together =/ no bueno
 
another thing that I forgot to mention was that we only have the house until the beginning of august, at which point my roommate is going to take the fish home. For the time being is the tank suitable for what we have? If it is for the time being then awesome, I'll tell him to make sure to get a much bigger tank for when they grow, if not, I'll probably take all of your advice and so about returning the shark, anemone, and stingray.
 
wow only 2 weeks? You shouldn't have ANYTHING in that tank! let alone a shark and stingray!!

first off let me defend myself, I have a shark yes, but its in an EGG case and as soon as it hatches is going into my neighbors 120 until he is about 1ft long, then he is going to the aquarium where he will live happily ever after there where I work...

Lets see where to start where to start... first off sharks and stingrays both need LOTS of room on the bottom of a tank to swim, if each of the ONE of them needs a MIN of 180 gallons then you're tank should be at LEAST 300+ to have JUST those two things in there. No other fish will last in a tank with them, weather the are bottom dwellers or not. Your shark is probably stressed to the MAX. have you tested your water? I bet the ammonia is SOOOO HIGH that its causing it to become sick, which equals not eating. Its probaby stressed from lack of space as well. Your room mate is NOT very bright and doesn't have years of experience if you already have those sort of things in a 2 week old tank. It hasn't even started to cycle.

I'm afraid your best bet is to take EVERYTHING back and go get "Salt water aquariums for dummies" and read it... front to back SEVERAL times. Your roommate needs to know hes killing off endangered species (yes, sharks are endangered) because of too much excitement and a lack of knowledge. Sharks need very percise care in order to be maintained in our home aquarium, and only have my 6 years of training on them at the aquarium ahve I attempted to raise one from an egg without their supervision. the reason I can do this is becase I have teh knowledge at the aquarium at my disposal so its not a problem for me. People who just go out and buy sharks are typically new to the hobby in cases like this.

ALso... find a new LFS. those guys are on something to sell you a shark, ray, and an anemone when your tank hasn't even cycled yet.

return everything and learn all you can first before getting anything else. even if they dont give you store credit or a refund save the poor creatures lives and give em back.


conerning your first question, the shark isn't going to eat regardless of what you do. Its stressed and its obvious why. Not enough room to swim, not an established tank, and terrortory probably too. just because you don't care about how much room they have just makes you a mean person who SHOULDN"T be in this hobby. it would be like me saying "Oh live in a 3x4 BOX the rest of your life, i don't care that you can't move much" to you... you wound't like that. they dont like it either. Just because he "sits there" doesnt mean he isn't going to move. Sharks are nocturnal which means they move around and eat during the EVENING/NIGHT. therefore just toss some live shrimp in there and you'll find them gone-that is IF your tank wasn't the problem.


i know that sounds harsh, i'm just an avid shark protector and i hate to see anyone treat animals like that. I'm really a nice person! LOL. I just think you really need to read up on EVERYTHING and then you'll see hwat exactly you guys are doing wrong.

Also, the people here are VERY knowledgeable and anything they say, totally goes!
 
Last edited:
Well, it usually takes a saltwater tank at least 4 weeks before it is ready for even one small fish. And lots of times, that one small fish doesn't survive. You have several large fish (and very sensitive, difficult to keep ones) in a 2 week old tank. I hate to say it, but prospects are grim.

Anemones will rarely survive in a tank that has been set up for less than a year. They are just really really hard animals to keep alive. To me, it sounds like the clowns are the only ones that have a shot.

You seem to also be uncertain about what type of tank you intend this to be. You can't keep clowns and an anemone with a ray and a shark. Rays and sharks need lots of swimming space and lots of sand. Clowns and anemones need lots of caves, crevices and rock work. This is why people have to keep predator tanks separate from reef tanks. The animals in a predator tank are usually not compatible with the animals in a reef tank.

I hope you can return the animals and at least try to get your money back. The shark isn't eating because it's unhappy and stressed. Your water quality is probably awful.
 
Sometimes anemones take a few weeks to die. They may look happy and exhibit normal behavior, but trust me, there's a snowball's chance in hell that thing is happy in that tank right now. I can only imagine the ammonia levels with all the attempted feeding going on. I know how it is to get a tank going and get really excited and want to add the whole ocean in there, but its really best in this hobby to start very slowly and take things one little step at a time. You are after all, creating your own little ecosystem in that glass box full of water. Take everyone else's advise and take the livestock back to the store. Not trying to be harsh, just want to help you and the animals you have.
 
Ok well first off it's a 6 foot tank. Second I never claimed to want to put in the entire Ocean. My roommate said he had a few years experience and I took his advice on what would be compatible. I also was curious as why the pet store person kept these fish in a tiny little 10 gallon enclosure each. The ray seems to be moving around fine and eating great. We have also checked the nitrite, ammonia, and nitrate levels and they are all at very safe levels. I just wonder if bringing them back to the pet store is the best option, 120g tank>10 gallon enclosure? the anemone on the other hand would probably fare better at the pet store I agree. I appreciate the advice, however condescending it may appear to be. I did a little research on what we had and what we were getting but apparently I didn't do enough. If this helps we have about 80-90 pounds of live rock and about 100 pounds of live sand as well. I don't want these animals to die, if anyone got that impression then you are sadly mistaken. I guess next time I will make sure to study up on anything before I buy it.
 
Back
Top