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FAQs about Shark Foods, Feeding, Nutrition 2
Related Articles:
Sharks,
Sharks In My Living Room?,
Cartilaginous Fishes,
Blacktip Reef Shark, Nurse
Sharks, Coldwater Sharks, Leopard
Sharks, Port
Jackson Sharks, Moving Sharks,
Related FAQs: Shark Feeding 1,
Sharks in General, Shark Identification,
Shark Compatibility, Shark Behavior,
Selection, Systems for Sharks,
Diseases,
Shark, Ray Eggs, Coldwater
Sharks, Leopard
Sharks,
Heterodontus,
Blacktip Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks,
Moving Sharks, | 
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Re: New Shark Acting Strange, now nutrition – 10/31/09
Thanks for the fast reply. Did make sure to cover up the top good before
I got him. One final question though. I know iodine supplements are
needed for sharks but I've heard pouring it directly into the
water is a bad idea. What is the best way to get iodine into their
diets?
<Mmm, actually, better to supply the I2 with other needed
micro-nutrients... via concealed (hidden in food) supplements. Do see
Mazuri.com's site re sharks. B>
Re: New Shark Acting Strange
Thanks for the site. Do you recommend the shark/ray tablets or gel? Or
both perhaps?
<I like the tabs... easy to measure, see if they've been ingested. B>
Black Tip Reef Shark not eating. 1/14/09
Dear Bob,
I have
read some of the articles on your web, very interesting. Meanwhile I
have a issue with reef black shark 2.5 feet not having regular feed of
macreel ,
<Insufficient nutritionally... I hope you are using
vitamins, inserted inside...>
We have one of the best aquarium in the
country and is taken care by professionals but still we wish to know how
to sort out this issue. What do you normally attribute this problem to.
Ramesh Naidu, Mumbai.
<Mmm, need information to make any real
suggestion... the system, water tests... Likely a cumulative nutritional
deficiency at play here, with a stress component for sure... Please
read:
http://wetwebmedia.com/sharkfeedingfaqs.htm
and the linked
files above.
Bob Fenner> Mortimer the white spot
bamboo shark, fdg./hlth. 9/6/08
Dear Mr.
Fenner,
A few years back I wrote to you with this same problem .
Morty was 10 then and now he's almost 15 . Although I have a good idea
what you'll tell me , maybe you'll see a solution I don't . Morty is
obviously interested in all of the food I try feeding . But each and
every thing , he spits out .
I've tried so many things . Shrimp,
cocktail and fresh , squid, scallop, clams, oyster, and silversides
which he usually woofs down since he rarely gets them . I've also tried
live shrimp and live mollies, both of which were sucked in and spit out
! I'm going to go to a bait shop .
<Mmm, better by far to use
previously frozen fare... to avoid pests, parasites and more>
But I
can't imagine what they might have that won't evoke the same response .
The last time he gave me such a hard time , I gave in and fed the
silversides , which he doesn't want now .But it s been about three weeks
since we've been playing this game now. I see no indication of something
like goiter which would affect his ability to swallow . I've dealt with
that in another shark . That shark , an epaulette, we lost after trying
the force feeding thing . At the time Paul on your crew was helping me
out with his guidance. He even did a necropsy for me at The Monterey Bay
. It was determined that we had gotten the food into his stomach . So it
wasn't likely we did anything wrong . But I'm very scared to try to
force feed Morty , and lose him . I love him lots!
I wondered if you
could think of any reason for this behavior ? Or any other remedies ?
I'm at a loss .
Thanks to
you and your crew for your time .
Terri Rego
<... Do you use supplements in the foods? What brand,
make up, dosage? Bob Fenner> Re: Mortimer the white spot
bamboo shark – 09/07/08
Hi Mr. Fenner ,
As far as the
food I've been trying , including the bait shop idea which i haven't
done yet , it all was listed as things to entice him with in the book.
And the only supplement I was using was the Mazuri shark vitamin .
<A
worthy product. I would supplement this with iodide/ate... and try a
liquid HUFA prep. on the offered foods to stimulate feeding>
And I
was trying to get one pill in him a week . But since he became such a
picky eater , it's been a while since he's had any . But until I got in
touch with you all those four years ago , he never had any . Today I
plan to try some bay scallop and the frozen fresh shrimp again . I work
nights , and every morning when I get home he's out looking for me .
Obviously active and interested . I'm just baffled .
Thanks again ,
Terri Rego
<Perhaps... senescence... cumulative genetic/replicate
errors... BobF> Re: Mortimer the white spot bamboo shark –
09/07/08
Sir , I'm sorry but you will need to translate your
comments. How might I supplement the iodide,
<Posted on WWM...>
and I'm not familiar with a HUFA prep or where to acquire it.
<...
Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids... can be purchased in commercial
products for ornamental aquatics... Like Selcon...>
And what exactly
is senescence ... cumulative genetic/replicate errors ? Terri R
<...
Please use your search tools... Bob Fenner> Re: Mortimer
the white spot bamboo shark – 09/07/08
Mr. Fenner , sorry ,
I'm a little frazzled.
<You're in good company... This is my usual
state...>
I looked on your site and I see that you mention a product
called Selcon .
<Ah yes>
I will find that . And I also see that by
the senescence thing you mean maybe he's getting old . Bummer . Sorry
again for not checking first before asking you to explain . Terri R
<No worries Terri. BobF> Re: Mortimer the white spot
bamboo shark 9/8/08
Again I am sorry that I asked before I
looked . I didn't mean to seem lazy or stupid . I was tired and not
thinking clearly . I would not want to take advantage of your kindness .
T Rego
<No worries... and another pet-fish friend has written in with
comments:
Thought I might comment on this. This is exactly what
happened to my Bamboo Shark before I lost him. It went on for a month
before he expired, and I never was able to figure out what happened to
him, other than at the time I
had a substandard skimmer on the tank
and I think that water quality played a major role in his demise. It may
have been the nastiness in the tank that a quality skimmer should remove
that you cannot really measure with test
kits. I wish I had done some
major water changes at this time. Not much info, but a suggestion from
someone who dealt with a very similar occurrence.
Take care,
Thomas
<Bob Fenner> Re: Mortimer the white spot bamboo
shark 9/8/08
Sir , please don't kill me . My next question
would be , at what point do I give up this game and try to force feed
him ? As much as I don't want to . T
Rego
<Mmm, if this fish isn't
too terribly thin... I'd wait another few weeks. Bob Fenner>
Re: Mortimer the white spot bamboo shark 9/8/08
Mr. F , I
thank Thomas for his input . Although I recently did a water change , I
will plan another . Anything is worth trying . I'm also relieved to hear
that you would wait a while to try force feeding . I will look for
something like Selcon tomorrow . If you don't mind , I'll keep you
posted .
Terri R
<Please do Terri. BobF> Re:
Mortimer the white spot bamboo shark 9/10/08
Mr. F ,
Still having no luck . And it looks like I'll have to wait up to a week
for the store to get the Selcon . Do you know of any liquid supplement
that may help to sustain Morty ?
<Mmm, yes I do>
I'm thinking of
something that the food would be soaked in . Perhaps just chomping on
his food then might get some
vitamin into him ? Or perhaps an
intramuscular shot of some vitamin ?
<Can be done... do you have a
small syringe?>
Like B or whatever you think might help ? And the
iodide you mention , shouldn't the water changes take care of that ?
<No>
Do you think I should add iodine to his water after all this
time ?
<Yes>
And Sir , I wondered if you were still in touch with
Paul who used to be on the crew ?
<Paul Mansur has left our Crew... I
think he still lives in SF>
I lost the numbers I had for him . But I
sure would like to pick his brain about now .
I sure do appreciate
all your time and help . As always . Terri R
<Do look for "baby
vitamins"... liquid prep.s for young humans... BobF> Re:
Mortimer the white spot bamboo shark 9/11/08
Hi
Mr. F , you said you knew of a supplement that might help to sustain him
. Is that the baby vitamin you mentioned and should I soak the food in
it ?
<Yes... please read here and the next linked file above:
http://wetwebmedia.com/sharkfeedingfaqs.htm>
And as far as the shot
goes , I would ask my friend who's a DVM to give it to him . She would
need to know what to give him , where on his body , and sir , how much
should we give him ?
<RMF>
coral Catshark vitamin supplements 8/26/08
I have a
captive California Stingray (Urolophus halleri) and a coral Catshark
(Atelomycterus marmoratus). Both are still very young (both around 6" in
length). Currently I am feeding them a varied diet consisting of marine
fish flesh, shrimp, scallops and squid. All of their food is frozen to
prevent pathogenic infection. However, this leads to a loss in vitamins
so I know that a vitamin supplement is needed. I was wondering how you
supplement lost vitamins for small captive sharks that are too small to
be given tablets in their food (even when full grown) and where these
supplements can be purchased.
<Mmm, pieces of tablet/s snuck into
choice food items. See Mazuri.com>
If you can give me any information
it would be greatly appreciated, especially by my Elasmobranchs.
<See here: https://www.mazuri.com/PDF/5MD8.pdf
and look into
buying/using a "pill splitter". Bob Fenner>
Banded Cat Shark Feeding 1/3/08
Hello :)
<Hi>
All I needed
to know was if I could feed my banded cat shark feeder fish from the
local pet store. I really did try to find this, but it seemed as if
different sites held different opinions. I figured you guys could tell
my for sure. Thank you so very much.
Shelby
<No for a variety of
reasons, see here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharkfeedingfaqs.htm
and
here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/feedrfaqs.htm for more.>
<Chris>
Banded Cat Shark Issues, fdg. – 09/29/07
Crew,
<Tom>
Bob and I have discussed this a bit, but I'm still seeking his and
ya'lls (Georgia word) thoughts on the matter, as it really has me
stumped. First the background, in case it is not Bob reading. We
have a 200 gallon tank, 72"x24"x27". It is filtered by a Fluval FX5,
which has only ceramic biomedia and filter pads, which are
cleaned/rinsed at worst every two weeks.
I have a wet/dry filter
as well, with a prefilter pad which is also rinsed in the same time
frame. There is a large hang on protein skimmer with powerhead as
well, which produces waste and is cleaned as needed. Finally I use a
Magnum canister filter to run carbon through, though it is not rated
for this size tank, but it is solely for carbon filtration. The
salinity level is 1.024, 0 ppm for ammonia & nitrites. I did a
nitrate test last night and have 5 ppm or less. The tank temperature
runs from 80 to 82 degrees consistently (we live south of Houston,
it's friggin hot most of the time here.). Occupants of the tank are
a Passer Angel, about 5 to 6 inches, extremely healthy and beginning
the last phase of adult coloration (I think), two blue damsels, a
lunare wrasse, and a 8" banded cat shark. I would guess I have
approximately 100lbs of LR in the tank, stacked high to provide open
swimming space. There are bountiful numbers of copepods in the tank,
who come out at night and scurry into the rock in the day. The
substrate is 3 to 4 inches of fine sand. I perform 20 to 25 % water
changes every 7 to 10 days.
The shark was hatched in late
May/early June. At that time, they were all in an 80 gallon tank
(chastisement from here led to our 200 gallon purchase). The
transfer went well and all fish were well until we had an outbreak
of ich and even possibly velvet. The ich was definitely my fault for
introducing a fish w/o quarantine, the velvet may have been from the
purchase of Caulerpa algae for the tank from a LFS that had inverts
and fish in the same system. Until this time, the shark was an
excellent feeder, eating shark formula pieces with Zoë or Zoecon,
and the occasional offering of ghost shrimp. The ick was a horrible
battle, I lost numerous specimens, including a dogface puffer that I
had with me for 4 years, and a lovely yellow tang. It was to this
time that I link the problems with the shark.
I can't remember
exactly when that was, but probably mid August is when it became a
problem feeding the shark. I had to treat the tank with Quinine
Sulfate, from Natl.Fish Pharm. We did a 9 day treatment, at 3 day
intervals full dosing the Quinine after a 25% water change. Up until
that point, the shark would eat numerous pieces of the shark formula
and fill his belly.
Midway through this treatment, that changed.
Usually I would cut up half a formula cube into about 8 pieces and
he would eat at least 6. Now, he mouths them, tries to ingest them
it seems, and spits them back out, repeating the process until he
finally loses interest. If the food remains, the Angel swoops down
and eats it. The shark has gotten painfully thin, but still appears
in good spirits. I can see a line down his back (not bone, cartilage
spine, whatever) and the area behind his gills is mighty thin.
Any time food is present, he comes out and searches around, showing
an appetite. Every 4 or 5 days I will buy about 3 dozen ghost shrimp
and put them in the tank, and he attacks them and I have seen him
engulf a number of smaller ones. I have resorted now to cutting half
a cube of formula into tiny pieces, and turning off all but one
light in the house at night, and placing all of this food near his
head (which he starts to eat). I then run to the light switch and
turn the last light off, so that the angel won't eat the food and
the shark will have time to eat. Naturally I can't tell how much he
actually ingests since my night vision isn't so good.
<Try a
red/dish light...>
Also, I've been putting the ghost shrimp I buy
in a Tupperware dish, soaking some marine flake in Zoecon, and
feeding the shrimp for about 20 minutes before putting them in the
tank, hoping that this might give them some kind of nutritional
value.
<Good>
The only real factor I can think of is the
Quinine treatment, though NFP and Mr. Fenner agree that this should
not have bothered the shark.
<Mmm... may indirectly>
I do
know that it was day five of that treatment when the shark stopped
feeding regularly. The ich/velvet was eradicated by this treatment,
which was of the utmost importance, and I am grateful for WWW for
the advice which led me to the NFP and the steps needed to do this.
Since that time all remaining fish have been healthy and we even
introduced the wrasse after my first successful QT tank attempt. Bob
and I have discussed possibly trading in this shark, but
realistically there is not an LFS which I think will give this
animal the attention it deserves and needs to return it to health.
This shark is my responsibility. I may trade it in at some point,
but not until I have done what I feel needs to be done.
<Good>
I'm looking for maybe a brainstorm as to why this animal won't feed.
I believe all of my parameters
are in order. Can you point out
anything I may have missed?
<Possible metal contamination... try
adding a Polyfilter in your filter flow path... it may well show
color, indicating such...>
Could a shark be so picky in that he
prefers live food over anything else?
<Not likely>
He eats
these, has interest in the shark formula and attempts to eat it, but
has zero interest in squid, silversides, and krill. Of 40 ghost
shrimp that go into the tank every week, they all disappear. The
passer has his share, but I believe the shark eats them at night
while he's hunting. If he didn't, there'd be 100 in there somewhere
by now, and I know that's not the case.
Finally I'd like to deter
aquarists from purchasing these animals. They have been a
fascination for me since I was 5 years old, but their requirements
go way beyond the realm of the average fish keeper.
<We are in
total agreement>
I believe (thanks to this website, not any LFS)
I now have a properly maintained, large marine aquarium, and to lose
an animal with such personality is certainly more troubling that
having a damsel die. We are going to keep trying, though. I'm hoping
the crew might have some thoughts or ideas that have not yet been
tried.
Thomas Roach
<Force feeding this animal (plastic
tongs, wooden dowel...) may prove efficacious... till it resumes
self-feeding in earnest. Do try the Polyfilter. Bob Fenner>
Re: Banded Cat Shark Issues 10/2/07
Mr. Fenner
<Tom>
I
tested the nitrates on Friday night, and they were high, between 10
and 20 ppm.
<Very hard to control in tanks with predaceous
fishes... w/o very large filters that don't over-promote
nitrification, high circulation...>
Saturday I did a 30+ percent
water change, cleaned all pads, and replaced the carbon in the
canister filter with fresh.
<The pads and canister... are
producers...>
I also took the protein skimmer off the tank for a
day or so... since this is the only powerhead in the actual tank, I
am trying to see if maybe it causes some voltage or something that
he might not like.
<Doubtful... best to measure such possible
electrical current with an electronic meter>
I would imagine the
take
<tank?>
would be ok w/o the skimmer for 2 or three days,
right?
<Should be, yes>
I'm trying to determine if is had any
effect, I would think I might tell tonight when I try and feed him
again. I'm looking for PolyFilters, no one is going to have them
locally that I know of.
<May have to order>
During the water
change I was brainstorming as to where any metal contamination would
come from. Could it be from tossing pennies in the tank like a
wishing well? (Don't yell! Don't yell! This is a joke!!!).
<...
not rising to this! Heeee!>
I took the powerhead apart and
cleaned it, the only metal I could see is the magnet for the
impeller and a stainless shaft. For voltage, if there is stray
voltage from this skimmer, is there a way to negate it?
<Mmm,
yes... there are such things as grounding probes>
Most skimmers
as far as I can tell, rated for this size tank, are going to have
some form of powerhead submersed in the water. This model is a Jebo.
It produces good waste, so it seems really effective. I'm not saying
this is fixing the problem yet, maybe we can tell tonight. How long
can I leave that skimmer off, do you think?
<Possibly forever...
by testing for nitrates you should get some idea...>
Also, if you
pass the query around, if anyone else has any ideas I'd love to hear
them. The other fish are doing fabulous, it's just this durn
shark...
Thanks a million!
Thomas Roach
<Sharks are not
easily kept in captive circumstances... As you likely agree. B>
Re: Banded Cat Shark Issues 10/3/07
Oh, I definitely agree. I
kept a shark for a year in Atlanta in that 80 gallon I used to have,
and he did well. Moving to Houston, of course he couldn't come with
us so I traded him in. I had just always wanted another one. Looking
back on that, it obviously wouldn't have stayed rosy very long due
to the small tank. Heck, that one was overstocked, too.
I've been
using the process of elimination trying to figure this out as well.
Metal and inverts don't mix, correct?
<Yes>
I've got quite a
few obsolete snails in the tank, and bunches of copepods as well.
How would these critters react to metals, I wonder?
<Badly>
It all leads me back to the quinine dosing. So, you might mention
using quinine with caution, at least, with sharks. That was the
whole dilemma in the first place, finding a suitable treatment to
use with a shark.
<There are none with zero-sum negative
effects>
As I said, we had to get rid of the ich, anyway...
Setting up a hospital tank of the size needed while this tank went
fallow just wasn't practical. Man, that ounce of prevention...
The distressing part is seeing this fish seemingly waste away while
the others do incredibly well. You oughtta see this Passer. It's
colors are incredible, it's going from the intermediate color phase
to full adult phase, and it's beautiful.
<I have collected
hundreds of this Angel... seen many thousands... from Baja to the
Galapagos>
Definitely my show fish, for sure.
As far as the
canisters go, the magnum has only carbon, and I change that
regularly, so I don't believe it's a nitrate issue. When I had that
80 gallon set up, I just let that Fluval 404 run for months, the LFS
saying "Oh, yeah, that's fine!" Bah. With this FX5, which is a
monster water mover, at worst every two weeks I break it down and
rinse the filter pads clean, and rinse the biomedia in saltwater. It
is amazing the amount of funk that gets in there. The filter pad for
the wet/dry and the 'polishing sponge' are easy access, and I rinse
them every three days or so. Since I've had the 200 set up, even
when it was grossly overstocked, I've been able to keep the nitrates
below 10 ppm most of the time, so I think it's working ok.
<I
agree... but wouldn't it be great to have a monster size refugium...
with macroalgae, DSB... tied in with this system?>
Look, let me
know if you ever make it to Houston. I need to buy you an
adult
beverage.
<Ooooh, now you're talkin'. BobF>
Thomas Roach |
My new Wobbegong shark, fdg., sys., reading 9/27/07
G'Day, I purchased a wobbegong shark 4 days ago and he is not eating I
am offering him shrimp and whitebait every night and am getting no where
can you please give me some advice on how to get him eating.
<Don't
generally feed for a while when moved... Is this system new, cycled?
Water quality tests?>
He is about 30cm long and it is a 150gallon
tank with plenty of room
<Uh, no... Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/index.htm
The second tray...
On sharks in captivity, systems, feeding... Bob Fenner>
thanks Aaron
Re: Ick update 9/6/07
When I said I feed him by hand, he is a
Brown banded bamboo shark, or banded cat shark, I've seen it called
both.
<Me too>
He was about 6" when hatched, now he's closer to
9". I don't feed him by hand all the time...
<But... the point of
what is unusual... It is not to have this animal feed from a hand, nor
at night>
I did initially, when I wanted to see if he was definitely
eating, so I would make sure that small cubes of the shark formula
soaked in either Zoë or Zoecon was placed right by his nose. Up until
this quinine treatment he would eat them well.
You've seen the frozen
cubes, I'm sure. I would cut one in half, then cut the half into 4 to 6
pieces, soak them in the Zoë, then drop them down to wherever he was,
and he would eat them all. I never had to hand feed him after he started
eating. I've been doing it as of late because he hasn't been taking the
food. Now, I'll put one piece at a time in front of him, or let him take
it out of my fingers (No, we won't do this as he grows, trust me), and
he'll mouth it, spit it out, mouth it, spit it out, eventually leaving
it. It's almost like he's sucking the Zoë out of it, leaving the rest. I
bought more ghost shrimps yesterday, and watched him eat some of those.
I was really worried more about a mouth injury or infection, not sure
now after seeing him munch on some ghost shrimp. I'll purchase some
silversides today, and soak them in the vitamins as well, and see how
that goes.
<Better to insert parts of the tablets of Mazuri (.com)
inside such foodstuffs>
Water quality is 0 ppm both Ammonia &
Nitrites, Nitrates less than 10 ppm, PH is at 8.2, and the salinity is a
1.024, 200 gallon 72" tank. I have the FX5 for bio and water movement,
of which the pads are cleaned weekly now, I added a wet/dry because that
is good for a high bio load (it has a filter pad before the bio media
which I clean weekly), I run carbon in a magnum hang on periodically,
and I have a 200 gallon rated protein skimmer that produces nasty stuff.
As for the little tank, I'm going to put my live rock and snails in a
cooler and drain the tank and replace the substrate with sand, that way
I can pick the tank up and manipulate it to get the firefish out, I can
put him in my QT tank and treat it with copper, then just let him reside
in there for a month while the 20 gallon goes fallow. Then I can move
the snails.
Thomas Roach
<Well, the lack of feeding could be from
a few influences... the Quinine exposure... metabolites of many sorts...
I would add a few pounds of activated carbon to your filter flow path...
in bag/s, and be patient. Bob Fenner>
Bamboo Shark, Vitamins 9/5/07
Hey guys,
I have a Bamboo Shark,
she is about 2 years old. I read on your site a while back about Mazuri
vitamins. I have been trying on and off for months to get her to eat
them. I stick them in her food, She just eats the food, and then you see
the pill come flying out of the gills. Do you have any suggestions on
how I can get her to eat them?
thanks,
Jenny
<Smaller, tastier
food to push/plant it in... Like a silverside. Bob Fenner>
Mazuri Shark/Ray vitamin supplement tablets 9/3/07
WWM
Crew,
<Etay>
I have a question regarding the Mazuri vitamin
supplement for sharks. I have searched your website for an answer on
this specific question but was unable to find one.
<Lifetimes of
material missing...>
I went to the Mazuri website to order supplement
vitamins for my newly hatched banded cat shark as suggested many times
over in this site, and found that they offer 3 different products;
-
VitaZu Shark/Ray Tablets [5M24]
- VitaZu Shark/Ray II Tables [5MD8]
- VitaZu Shark/Ray w/ Tables Potassium Iodate [5B4Z]
I read all the
above products' PDF specifications and was unable to understand the
difference between them. The products' descriptions are very general and
there are no specific guidelines as to what one product does differently
than the others.
<Too often the case in our interest>
I have
compared the contents listed on each product and have noticed several
common ingredients and several different ones, and I am not sure which
are more appropriate and/or better for a newly hatched shark. I also
noticed that the first two products mentioned above contain Iodine as
Calcium Iodate and the latter contains Iodine as Potassium Iodate, and I
am not sure as to the difference here, either.
<The latter (if memory
serves) is more appropriate for larger, more mature specimens... the
Calcium compound better for young, fast-growing sharks>
A second
question I have is related to the dosage needed. The product's manual
specifies usage in tablets per lbs of food given, and in the case of the
0.19g tablets, it specifies 1 tablet per 8Oz of food. The problem is,
the shark will not eat 8 Oz every day and I read on the FAQ that
grinding these pills and mixing with 8Oz of food will not be effective
and is better given as whole tablets.
<Mmmm, better to get/use a
"pill splitter"... and feed the whole split piece mixed in with food>
I am not sure how to dose these vitamins; If I give 1 tablet with every
feeding it will be over the dosage listed.
<I would NOT do this>
Should I measure how many
feedings makes 8Oz of food and then give 1
tablet as per that many feedings, or should I just give the tablet on a
weekly / By-Weekly basis?
<Split the pills>
I have searched WWM,
intensively, looking for answers to these questions and could not find
an answer that specifically discusses the product differences, I
apologize in advance if I missed one :)
Regards,
Etay
<No
worries. Vitamins and some other materials are an important supplement
for captive shark husbandry... supplying them through supplements is a
realistic means of supply... But overdosing is to be avoided as well.
Bob Fenner>
Bamboo Shark Not Eating... poor maint., English 7/8/07
Dear
Dear WWM crew,
I have e-mailed you 1 time before about my bamboo
shark and found your advise very help full. I have had my bamboo shark
for about a year and it is about 13 or 14 inches. It is in a 125 gallon
tank and has nitrate levels of about 80-90 ppm (I know this is way to
much and I have planned a 75% water change in the next couple days).
<... not useful in the long or ongoing term... YOU need to address this
issue definitively... NOW>
The nitrate levels in my tank have always
been very high and my shark has only had a problem once before (he had a
red rash on his belly which went away once I moved him into a larger
tank, lowered the levels and started to feed him the shark formula food
again -- Thanks for the help with that). I was out of town for about a
week leaving my mom to watch my shark.?(She?is?very familiar with how to
feed it) When?I got back,?she told me that?she could not get it to eat.
I feed my shark the shark food formula cubes along with a few silver
sides?(my local pet shop stopped carrying silver sides so I've been
buying them from a bait shop, Is this ok?). I have never tried feeding
it anything different, mainly because I don't know what is ok for it to
eat. Tonight I tried force feeding it under water. I would be able to
get?a silver side halfway in but it would just spit it back out. I tried
this with the formula cubes also and it did the same thing. He also has
barely been swimming around and just stays under a rock in the corner of
the tank. I know most bamboo sharks are lazy but it is very concerning
to see this because he is usually racing from one end of the tank to
another almost 24/7. His breathing has also been different, he used to
breath very fiercely (like throwing his gills out very fast, he did it
to a point where the edges of every slit of his gill were white and
looser than the skin around it), now his breathing is much softer. The
salt level is perfect.?It is being kept with a Koran?Angle fish and
a?Panther Grouper.?I?also tried to add a new?bamboo shark to the tank,
sadly it dug itself under one?of my live rock and got crushed.?Since
that happened?I have noticed?the shark is allot less active and?about?3
weeks after the death the shark stopped eating.?What can?I do to help my
shark?start eating again?
Thank you,?
?????????? Brendan ??
<Have just skipped down. Please... proofread what you send us, eliminate
extraneous ? Question marks... And read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/index.htm
scroll down
to the yellow line, Nitrogenous wastes... Bob Fenner>
Re: Bamboo shark not eating... Still not reading – 07/08/07
Dear Dear WWM crew,
I have e-mailed you 1 time before about my bamboo
shark and found your advise very help full. I have had my bamboo shark
for about a year and it is about 13 or 14 inches. It is in a 125 gallon
tank and has nitrate levels of about 80-90 ppm (I know this is way to
much and I have planned a 75% water change in the next couple days).
<... not useful in the long or ongoing term... YOU need to address this
issue definitively... NOW>
- how?do?I do this?
<<What? Please...
learn to/use the search tool, indices... there are tens of thousands of
folks using this site daily... we don't have time to do this for you...
Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/index.htm
scroll down to the yellow line, tray...>
The nitrate levels in my
tank have always been very high and my shark has only had a problem once
before (he had a red rash on his belly which went away once I moved him
into a larger tank, lowered the levels and started to feed him the shark
formula food again
<... you have had, and have "this problem"
continuously... Now evidenced in your shark ceasing feeding...>
--
Thanks for the help with that). I was out of town for about a week
leaving my mom to watch my shark. (She is very familiar with how to feed
it) When I got back, she told me that she could not get it to eat. I
usually feed my shark the shark food formula cubes along with a few
silver sides (my local pet shop stopped carrying silver sides so I've
been buying them from a bait shop, Is this ok?).
<... and vitamins...
see WWM re>
I have never tried feeding it anything different, mainly
because I don't know what is ok for it to eat.
<...?! Then read!>
Tonight I tried force feeding it under water. I would be able to get a
silver side halfway in its mouth but it would just spit it back out. I
tried this with the formula cubes also and it did the same thing. He
also has barely been swimming around and just stays under a rock in the
corner of the tank. I know most bamboo sharks are lazy but it is very
concerning to see this because he is usually racing from one end of the
tank to another almost 24/7. His breathing has also been different, he
used to breath very fiercely (like throwing his gills out very fast, he
did it to a point where the edges of every slit of his gill? turned
white and looser than the skin around it), now his breathing is much
softer. The salt level is perfect. It is being kept with a Koran Angle
fish and a Panther Grouper.
<...>
I also tried to add a new bamboo
shark to the tank, sadly it dug itself under one of my live rock and got
crushed.
>...<
Since that happened I have noticed the shark is
allot less active and about 3 weeks after the death the shark stopped
eating. What can I do to help my shark start eating again?
Thank you,
Brendan <Have just skipped down. Please... proofread what you send us,
eliminate
extraneous ? Question marks... And read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/index.htm
scroll down
to the yellow line, Nitrogenous wastes... Bob Fenner> -- sorry about the
question marks I have no idea how they got there.
<<Please... don't
write... Read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/index.htm
RMF, disgusted>>
Cat Shark juv. fdg. questions – 06/08/07
Hey, guys, I browsed
through the FAQ on feeding sharks, saw a lot about sharks not eating &
such, but nothing really about this one... My hatchling is 2 weeks old,
has started feeding readily on cocktail shrimp soaked in Zoe. Question
is, how much should I feed him? Currently, he eats one per day. So is
that enough or too much? I've heard conflicting reports, feed them
daily, every three days, etc. Oh, btw, he's a banded cat shark! :)
Thanks again!!!
Thomas
<Need more than this nutritionally... and
the bio-assay of a non-concave "tummy" is useful here. BobF>
Getting Back Into the Game; Bamboo Shark Care – 05/03/07
Dear Crew,
<Hello Bill…>
Thanks for the wonderful site you have
put together.
<You are welcome and thank you.>
I've been reading
all the FAQ's (its taken me several days- not a joke) and I just wanted
to say a few things.
<Be my guest.>
I was surprised at the
redundancy of a lot of questions. Do people not read FAQ's before they
send in questions?
<Sadly, no…>
Wow- READ UP FIRST PEOPLE!!
<Agreed.>
Anyway, I had a few of my own....
<No problem.>
In
a couple of questions, Bob had recommended adding vitamin solutions to
food offerings for sharks. Makes sense. He had also said to add Iodide
supplements as well, but in a previous question, I think it was MikeD
who had said not to do this, as it could prove fatal. Which is it?
<Over dosing iodine is indeed something the aquarist should be aware
of…though through a disciplined practice it should not be an issue. The
occasional dosing is necessary (happens anyway with water changes)…it is
also recommended that you soak the food in an iodine solution on
occasion to prevent goiter.>
I'm confused, is it only certain
species or an age range that is the key factor?
<See above; also if
you want more detail I would look into Scott Michaels book; “Sharks and
Rays.”>
Also, I know most sharks are nocturnal,
<Most of the
benthic species we keep in the “average” aquaria; yes.>
and
therefore spend most of the day "sleeping." As I work late at night this
is fine. My question is if I come home at maybe 11 to midnight, the
shark should be active, but would prefer the tank lights to be off. So
are there any lights that would allow me to
watch him at night
without interfering with his natural clock?
<Low watt L.E.D.
lighting or a red incandescent bulb.>
Like "safe lights" used in
photo darkrooms (deep red lights that wont exposed normal light
sensitive photo paper)? Or possibly "black lights"?
<No not
black-lights. See above.>
And should I just have my regular tank
lights kick off at sunset-ish and just use the "spying" lights
afterwards?
<Yes use a normal lighting cycle; and then as you put it
the “spy” lights to view the animal later.>
Anyway. I found you site
while trying to research shark aquarium keeping and have been hooked
ever since. When I was living at home with my parents, my step father
(who probably knows more marine biology than most biologists) had a
banded bamboo. We never really had a problem with him, not till he got
big enough to try to eat a bird wrasse (my moms favorite) and a spiny
puffer (the other favorite). I believe he was a good two to three foot
at the time.
Anyway, my mom made us get rid of him (he went to a
trusted LFS who specialized in exotics). Ever since then, I've wanted to
get another one.
After being on my own for several years, I came
across an aquarium setup (at a garage sale) that I couldn't pass up. I
set it up with the idea of getting a banded bamboo once again. Though he
might be the only thing in there besides "live in food" (e.g.. ghost
shrimp, etc. ).
<I would recommend a VERY large/oversized protein
skimmer.>
Which brings me to my last question, How can I encourage
"natural" hunting behaviors?
<In young specimens; ghost shrimp (like
you mentioned above) and fiddler crabs. Having said that I’m not really
a fan of live-foods. I prefer varied captive fair; mussels, scallops,
squid, krill; etc. . Soaked in iodine now and then and vitamin
supplements like Selcon.>
What edibles can I keep in the tank for
him to hunt, as enrichment (sorry, zoo term)?
<See above.>
Thanks for your time. I will reference your site for all my future
questions. Keep up the great work.
<Thanks.>
Bill
<Adam J.>
Cat shark: feeding and soft water 1/17/06
Hi
guys,
<Tim>
I have a newly hatched cat shark and had two
questions that I couldn't answer myself on your site. First, knowing
that you don't recommend silversides as a diet for them I was wondering
if it was ok to feed striped killifish (a common salt water bait
minnow).
<These should be fine>
Second, do you know how this
fish will do in soft water? When I set up the tank the softener was
bypassed and it was filled with regular dechlorinated tap water. The
manufacturer of the softener recommends that you gradually introduce the
fish to soft water and it will be ok. Just wondered if this would be ok
for such a delicate fish. Thanks for any help you can offer.
Tim
Taylor
<Mmm... most water softeners are "exchange" in principle...
trading ions for "hardness" material... and being re-charged with
salt/s... One can end up with a bit of sodium/chloride imbalance... but
not really much of an issue in an otherwise properly set-up and
maintained system... I would not go to extraordinary measures to avoid
the softened water here... Just mix, store your synthetic and you'll be
fine. Bob Fenner> Bamboo Shark Feeding Help Needed Please
12/28/06
Hi, hope you are well.
<Thank you>
I have 2
Bamboo sharks, they 7 and 8 months old both hatched from eggs.
They
are in a 150 gallon system with 15 kilos of live rock, water parameters
are ammonia 0, nitrate 0, ph 8.3, nitrite 0, salinity 1.025, temp 78.
Over the last 2-3 weeks I have been struggling to feed the youngest one
he seems to try his best to bite the food but does not seems to be able
to grip it very well almost like he has no suction in his mouth, I vary
their diet but their main source of food is raw tiger prawn and squid,
<... no vitamin supplementation? And this menu needs to be expanded...
insufficient biomineral content for one>
both cut in to very small
pieces, some days he eats but others he gets tier of trying and gives
up.
The older shark eats very well and is larger they are also
different colours the larger of the two having brown and white strips
and the smaller having grey and black strips, the smaller one has
darkened in colour more over the last 6-8 weeks I am not sure if this is
related to his eating issues.
<I do think it is... not good>
I
have now separated the two and placed the smaller shark in 50 gallon
hospital tank to enable me to get food to him more easily as some times
the larger shark interrupts at feeding time.
He is not current what
I would call extremely skinny but I am concerned that he will pass this
stage soon if I can not get more food into him.
Just wondered if you
have any idea's from your wealth of experience on how I could fatten him
up, also I am struggling to find a B vitamin supplement for these guys
in the UK, and wondered if you knew of a good source as non of the UK
import companies supply specific shark foods.
Many Thanks
Darren
<Do contact the folks at Mazuri.com here. It is imperative that this
fish get other material into its feeding... Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharkfeedingfaqs.htm
and the linked
files above. Bob Fenner> Bamboo Shark not feeding - (Shark &
Ray Tablets Vitamins) 1/4/07
Hi Bob/Crew
<Darren>
You responded to an email earlier last week which I am very grateful,
the email was regarding one of juvenile Bamboo Sharks not feeding over
the last 2-3 weeks, you suggested I introduce vitamin supplements in to
their diet to aid their growth.
<Yes, I recall this clearly>
I
have managed to trace a UK supplier of Mazuri Food Supplements who seem
to be able to supply what I need, please see details below.
My only
concern is how I get these vitamins into the sharks them being so small
and also the dose being only 0.006grams,
<Am surprised at this
dosage... is low... is this the "finished" weight of product to be
supplied? That is, aren't there "fillers" as with human vitamins? The
best way of supplying these here is to "sneak" them into a capsule,
incorporate this into the food bolus, and if need be force feed this to
the animal>
surely if I grind the dose into the juices of the meat
then it will just wash off when the food goes into the tank.
<Yes...
not efficacious to apply in this fashion, nor directly to the water...
needs to be introduced via food or injected (likely intramuscularly)>
I have a asked the supplier for some assistance but they normally deal
with zoo's who mainly have animals of much greater size, so dosing is
not an issue.
Just thought you many have some experience in this
area.
As always your help is greatly appreciated
Kind Regards
Darren
<Mmm... if there were time... I would encourage you to peruse
a copy of Ed Noga's excellent book, Fish Disease, Diagnosis and
Treatment, for a cursory introduction into such topics, techniques... Do
you have the capacity to buy gelatin capsules, perhaps dilute the Mazuri
component (see where you buy the capsules... likely a "health food
store")... and if you can get/find help, possibly the dilution in
whatever base (perhaps just clean water) of the vitamin mix and
injection via a "diabetic" syringe (28 or 30 gauge)... into the upper
body flank/musculature... of the shark... with the help of someone
holding the animal in a wet towel... up near the surface. Bob Fenner>
Re: Brown Banded Bamboo Shark 1/4/07
Hi, my Brown
Banded Bamboo Shark stop eating... He's around 2 feet long and ate
really well for about a year straight... Now he just stopped
eating... I was giving him tiger shrimp and that was his food of
choice... I also gave hem octopus and krill... But mainly tiger
shrimp... He has not eat-in in around 8 days... What should I do/
Thanks
<We have had this discussion a few times running now...
Please review it here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/sharkfdgfaq2.htm
and the corr. from
today. Bob Fenner> Dry <vacation> food for sharks and rays?
12/6/06
Hi Bob,
<Joe>
I would like to ask a question
regarding the feeding of my sharks and rays.
I have baby Port
Jackson, baby Wobbegong and small Epaulette shark, as well as a small
masked ray. All have been doing well for the past 6 months.
<Ah,
good>
My dilemma relates to my upcoming holiday in which I will be
completing my scuba diving certificate. I will be away for one week,
<A blast! Congrats!>
and I'm trying to find out whether there are
any dried foods (like pellets) for sharks and rays which I will be able
to place in my automatic feeders for the week I am away?
<Mmm...>
All the specimens are healthy looking and are by no means under-fed. I
am of the opinion that my sharks will easily be able to last the week
without food, but I am concerned for my ray, as she is quite a hungry
little thing, and as I understand, rays have a much faster metabolism
than sharks.
What are your recommendations for the feeding of these
animals when I am away?
<Just gauging from your apparent
"sophistication" from this email, I would rather (myself) "risk"
consequences of skipping feeding these animals for the week (maybe turn
down their temperature between now and then a few degrees C... to slow
their metabolisms), rather than risk overfeeding or related troubles
with having someone come in and feed them... As far as I'm aware there
are no dried foods of use for the purpose you have in mind>
Regards,
Joe
Sydney, Aus.
<Cheers, Bob Fenner> 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.>
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