Outdoor Shark Pool... Heat Has Gotten To Querior   5/27/06
Hello, <Hi>
Thank for all the great info on your website, its really appreciated.  
<Glad you enjoy it.>
 I have a question on having a outdoor shark pond/pool.  I was thinking of building an above ground pond (roughly 500 gal.) for a small shark (thinking banded bamboo shark) outside my house since an aquarium that size will be difficult to fit in my house.  I was wondering if the temperature of the Arizona heat will be difficult to keep the adequate temperature in the pond, not to mention evaporation.  I'm also wondering what kind of materials to build the pond out of and/or how big of a filtration system  will need.  
Would this be a good home for a shark or am  crazy??
<You're crazy:)  You would have to have a very large chiller to accomplish this, and your electric bill would be as high as the Arizona heat.  Summer temps average in the nineties, often exceeding 100+ degrees as you well know, and to chill a tank down 20-25 degrees from ambient...Yowsie Wowsie.>
Thanks.
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>

Sharks in stingrays in a small tank - 3/15/04
I have an 80 gallon saltwater tank; it has been set up for about 2 years. I had a Blue spotted sting ray, and a black banded cat shark. <Much too big in the long run> The sting ray we have had for about a year. I don't know how old he was. The shark was about 2 months old; he was born into our tank from an egg. All of a sudden the sting ray just died no signs of foul play, only a small green mark on his belly. The shark died 2 days later. <Sorry to hear. Your description does nothing to implicate anything concrete> I could tell something was wrong with the shark a couple of days before he died, he was swimming erratically, and bumping into things, as if he couldn't tell which way was up or down. <Electrical current or magnetic field, metal poisonings, inadequate water chemistry, many things could be the issue here or a combination of them> The water tested fine. <Means nothing to me> The only thing I could think of is, it has been a while since I changed the filter in the wet dry, (about 2 months) apparently the filter needs to be changed every 3 weeks, I did not know that. <Hmmm.....maybe but not entirely convinced> If that is the reason why then why didn't my blue damsel die or my maroon clown fish? <That is easy. These are typically very hardy fish. Cartilaginous fish are very sensitive to water quality.> Looking forward to hearing from you. <Not sure what I can tell you here. Please read through our ever expanding section on sharks and rays for more information on nutrition, water quality needs, tank sizes, etc. Sorry I couldn't be of more help ~Paul>
Cindy & George

Shark Tanks
Aloha from Hawaii,
<Howdy>
My name is Jillian Davis, a junior at West Hawaii Exploration Academy (WHEA) on the Big Island of Hawaii. We have a unique school set up where we have access to surface ocean water and deep-sea water.
<We were just visiting there (at NELHA) last week!>
We just recently finished the tank for our shark pit, which is quite exciting. We also have an Aloha Kai program where students from other schools and people of all age groups come and see our projects. Shark Pit is intended to be one of the most exciting. Being that I have never had sharks before, I was wondering if you could give me some advice. These are the things I would like to know...
<Okay>
What is the standard temperature of a shark tank?
<Mmm, actually, there are decidedly tropical to cool to coldwater sharks... and systems respectively. You can find ranges for many species listed on fishbase.org>
How do we clean the tank or keep it from being over-grown with algae?
<Good, thorough circulation/agitation of the water... I suspect you will have an open system (not-recirculating) otherwise we could chat re filtration methods... so good turnover (maybe ten-twenty turns an hour) will do likely... along with good scrubbing, vacuuming perhaps on a daily basis>
What are some fish that would survive well in a tank full of sharks?
<Depends on the shape, size of the system and types/species and sizes of sharks kept. I would try fast, aware species found in the same region/ecotype>
Is there a certain type of fish that shouldn't be put in with the sharks?
<Mmm, venomous, spiny types that might cause trouble if ingested>
Are there any precautions we need to take prior to putting the sharks in the tank (water quality testing, etc.)?
<Yes, please see below>
Do you know of a source I can use to look up an future questions?
<... Oh yes. On our site (starting here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharks.htm
and the materials listed in the bibliography/further reading at the end of the articles there. Do seek out Scott Michael's last re-do of "Sharks and Rays" for sure>
Your time and effort in this is greatly appreciated. I would like to thank you in advance for any advice u may send to me.
Mahalo,
Jillian Davis
11th grade
<You're welcome. Bob Fenner>

Re: Shark tank
Saw/bought your book (TCMA) at our local pet shop this weekend. So hopefully, although you shouldn't expect fewer questions, perhaps you'll receive better informed ones.
<Well-stated>
Yes, very fond of fine specimens... Aquatic or otherwise.
<Me too>
If convenient (i.e. You have it in electronic form), I would greatly, hugely appreciate the opportunity to review the draft of Aquarium Sharks and Rays.
But only if it's not too much trouble.
<Hmm, have a draft copy (black and white, pages) and a bound finished... it's now in print... no electronic>
Yes, the Ecowheel was a monster expense... But so are 100 gallon monthly water changes. Now, I'm only doing water changes every 3rd month to replace trace elements. Is this practice O.K. in your opinion? 
<We'll soon see... should be... along with skimming>
I DO change carbon and filter cartridges on a monthly basis. Other than eliminating nitrates and phosphates, which were previously a constant struggle to deal with, the other great benefit of the wheel is that it occasionally releases pieces of macro algae that my tang greedily jumps on.
Since goatfish appear to eat anything they can get their mouths around, I'm thinking about getting small ones(s). Can you recommend number or goatfish and Archaster sp. stars for my tank?
<Three of the smaller Goatfish species/individuals... and five or so Archaster>
Thanks again, and looking forward to delving into your book. Looks tremendous from initial skim through!
J.D. Hill
<Yes, lots of good help putting these together. Bob Fenner>