Do Horn Sharks Breed in Captivity

srcleary · Nov 6, 2022

I am setting up a 1,100g shark tank. 15' x 4' x 30". I have a pair of Epaulettes and considering a pair of Horn Shark. Trying to find Zebra Horns and I know they can be crazy expensive and hard to find. My question here is, will they possibly breed in captivity?

I see lots of Cali Horn Sharks for sale, but I never see someone selling captive bred pups or the eggs. Are they just not breeding in home aquariums? I know Short Tail Nurse sharks are being bred in captivity but do not know if they would breed in a home aquarium. Such as my 1,100g.

I also see people adding small sharks to 300g size aquariums all the time, but seldom see sharks being offered that have outgrown tanks. Where are all these sharks going that we know will outgrow tanks? Are there other forums they are being offered on? You would think with all the Bamboo eggs being sold and all the juvi sharks being sold there would be more people trying to re-home them?

Or am I missing something?

Steve

ISpeakForTheSeas · Nov 6, 2022

srcleary said:
I am setting up a 1,100g shark tank. 15' x 4' x 30". I have a pair of Epaulettes and considering a pair of Horn Shark. Trying to find Zebra Horns and I know they can be crazy expensive and hard to find. My question here is, will they possibly breed in captivity?

I see lots of Cali Horn Sharks for sale, but I never see someone selling captive bred pups or the eggs. Are they just not breeding in home aquariums? I know Short Tail Nurse sharks are being bred in captivity but do not know if they would breed in a home aquarium. Such as my 1,100g.

I also see people adding small sharks to 300g size aquariums all the time, but seldom see sharks being offered that have outgrown tanks. Where are all these sharks going that we know will outgrow tanks? Are there other forums they are being offered on? You would think with all the Bamboo eggs being sold and all the juvi sharks being sold there would be more people trying to re-home them?

Or am I missing something?

Steve

I don't know if they will breed in a home aquarium, but at least some horn sharks have mated in captivity before (including Heterodontus francisci) - presumably in public aquariums, though the article with most of the details seems to not be available on the internet (it was published in a fish magazine in 1971), so I can't say for sure. It doesn't help that most of the shark keepers I'm aware of (which is admittedly a small number) tend to only keep one shark of each species in their tank though (meaning they typically keep one to three sharks, but if they keep multiple then they're all different species).

To my knowledge, horn sharks are not captive bred, and the eggs are probably relatively easy to find in nature since sharks and rays typically have breeding/nursery grounds for their young (I know at least two species of horn sharks use breeding grounds), so there's not much incentive to breed them (it would be a big cost for a very niche market that probably wouldn't buy from the breeder regardless because it would be substantially more expensive to do so than to just buy wild caught sharks).

I have no idea what happens to most sharks that get too big for their tanks. Honestly, my guess is that they are either donated to public aquaria, die from stress/poor keeping, or are put down if no other hobbyist will take them.

If you get these guys, I would love to know if you can get them mating in captivity (just as a warning, I don't know how much you know about shark mating, but from what I've read it seems it may be pretty violent - so this likely wouldn't be a task for anyone squeamish about that).

srcleary · Nov 6, 2022

ISpeakForTheSeas said:
I don't know if they will breed in a home aquarium, but at least some horn sharks have mated in captivity before (including Heterodontus francisci) - presumably in public aquariums, though the article with most of the details seems to not be available on the internet (it was published in a fish magazine in 1971), so I can't say for sure. It doesn't help that most of the shark keepers I'm aware of (which is admittedly a small number) tend to only keep one shark of each species in their tank though (meaning they typically keep one to three sharks, but if they keep multiple then they're all different species).

To my knowledge, horn sharks are not captive bred, and the eggs are probably relatively easy to find in nature since sharks and rays typically have breeding/nursery grounds for their young (I know at least two species of horn sharks use breeding grounds), so there's not much incentive to breed them (it would be a big cost for a very niche market that probably wouldn't buy from the breeder regardless because it would be substantially more expensive to do so than to just buy wild caught sharks).

I have no idea what happens to most sharks that get too big for their tanks. Honestly, my guess is that they are either donated to public aquaria, die from stress/poor keeping, or are put down if no other hobbyist will take them.

If you get these guys, I would love to know if you can get them mating in captivity (just as a warning, I don't know how much you know about shark mating, but from what I've read it seems it may be pretty violent - so this likely wouldn't be a task for anyone squeamish about that).

Thanks for the reply. I have heard their mating practices are a bit intense. LOL. Mine are young, female is approaching 20" and male is a bit shorter, and they tend to fight quite a bit but neither has been hurt.

The common Horn Sharks from Cali are not that expensive. But there are others that look way better and are not common to the trade. Even the Port Jackson is a bit rare and I have seen a post on this forum of someone offering $1k for an egg.

The Mexican Horns might be desirable as they do not get as big as the Cali and can handle warmer water. But some say they are very hard to tell apart and there is no source for them. But if bred in captivity they could be worth more than the Cali and there should be some demand because they only grow to 24-30" verses 48" for the Cali.

The Japanese and Zebra Horns are way cooler looking and way more expensive. Like $2,500 - $4,500. And no one has any. My LFS had a lead on one a few months back but it was $3,500. And I would want a male/female pair. But if others had them and bred them, it seems like there would be a good market.

Steve

ISpeakForTheSeas · Nov 6, 2022

srcleary said:
Thanks for the reply. I have heard their mating practices are a bit intense. LOL. Mine are young, female is approaching 20" and male is a bit shorter, and they tend to fight quite a bit but neither has been hurt.

The common Horn Sharks from Cali are not that expensive. But there are others that look way better and are not common to the trade. Even the Port Jackson is a bit rare and I have seen a post on this forum of someone offering $1k for an egg.

The Mexican Horns might be desirable as they do not get as big as the Cali and can handle warmer water. But some say they are very hard to tell apart and there is no source for them. But if bred in captivity they could be worth more than the Cali and there should be some demand because they only grow to 24-30" verses 48" for the Cali.

The Japanese and Zebra Horns are way cooler looking and way more expensive. Like $2,500 - $4,500. And no one has any. My LFS had a lead on one a few months back but it was $3,500. And I would want a male/female pair. But if others had them and bred them, it seems like there would be a good market.

Steve

That's a good point - I've really only seen the common sharks for sale (sharks aren't my personal thing, so I haven't looked much beyond the common ones), but yeah, if you got either some really small species or some rare, attractive ones breeding, those would probably be able to go for a decent amount.

nereefpat · Nov 6, 2022

@Krj-2501 . Not sure if s/he's still around.
@Jay Hemdal might be some help.

Sharks are a really specialized thing that most people here, including myself, won't have a clue.

Jay Hemdal · Nov 6, 2022

srcleary said:
I am setting up a 1,100g shark tank. 15' x 4' x 30". I have a pair of Epaulettes and considering a pair of Horn Shark. Trying to find Zebra Horns and I know they can be crazy expensive and hard to find. My question here is, will they possibly breed in captivity?

I see lots of Cali Horn Sharks for sale, but I never see someone selling captive bred pups or the eggs. Are they just not breeding in home aquariums? I know Short Tail Nurse sharks are being bred in captivity but do not know if they would breed in a home aquarium. Such as my 1,100g.

I also see people adding small sharks to 300g size aquariums all the time, but seldom see sharks being offered that have outgrown tanks. Where are all these sharks going that we know will outgrow tanks? Are there other forums they are being offered on? You would think with all the Bamboo eggs being sold and all the juvi sharks being sold there would be more people trying to re-home them?

Or am I missing something?

Steve

IIRC, horn shark eggs take about nine months to hatch and their failure rate is pretty high.
I really don’t like keeping H. francisci above 68 f. long term.
I used to import from Japan, but never ordered either the bullhead or zebra bullhead because the shipping was just too high.
Jay

Rmckoy · Nov 6, 2022

srcleary said:
I am setting up a 1,100g shark tank. 15' x 4' x 30". I have a pair of Epaulettes and considering a pair of Horn Shark. Trying to find Zebra Horns and I know they can be crazy expensive and hard to find. My question here is, will they possibly breed in captivity?

I see lots of Cali Horn Sharks for sale, but I never see someone selling captive bred pups or the eggs. Are they just not breeding in home aquariums? I know Short Tail Nurse sharks are being bred in captivity but do not know if they would breed in a home aquarium. Such as my 1,100g.

I also see people adding small sharks to 300g size aquariums all the time, but seldom see sharks being offered that have outgrown tanks. Where are all these sharks going that we know will outgrow tanks? Are there other forums they are being offered on? You would think with all the Bamboo eggs being sold and all the juvi sharks being sold there would be more people trying to re-home them?

Or am I missing something?

Steve

I think for the most part . People buy shark eggs not knowing anything about them .
when they get too big lfs won’t take them but most end up in public aquariums

this will be a amazing build I want to follow .

srcleary · Nov 6, 2022

Jay Hemdal said:
IIRC, horn shark eggs take about nine months to hatch and their failure rate is pretty high.
I really don’t like keeping H. francisci above 68 f. long term.
I used to import from Japan, but never ordered either the bullhead or zebra bullhead because the shipping was just too high.
Jay

Thanks Jay. Appreciate the input. I have heard the failure rate is high. Still wondering if anyone has them producing eggs in captivity.

I've also heard different species of horn sharks can live in different temperatures with the Port Jackson and then Cali Horn being the least tolerant of warmer waters and the Mexican and Zebra or Japanese preferring warmer (mid 70s) temperature. But obviously there are a lot of varying opinions. There was one person with a young pair of Zebra Horns reporting behavior based on different temperatures which was an interesting study. He/she settled in the low 70s.

Speaking with dealers it seems shipping from Japan has gone sky high over the past year. Perhaps it will begin to come down. I've been told like $2,500 for just the shipping. Not sure how many people Japanese or Zebra Horns in captivity but no-one seems to be selling.

Steve

srcleary · Nov 6, 2022

Rmckoy said:
I think for the most part . People buy shark eggs not knowing anything about them .
when they get too big lfs won’t take them but most end up in public aquariums

this will be a amazing build I want to follow .

I have heard the public aquariums no longer accept sharks too big from someones home aquarium. That's why I am wondering why I don't see many larger sharks for sale or for re-homing. Even most Bamboos will outgrow the typical tank most people put them in.

I totally agree with you. Two LFS that I frequent both have Brown-banded Bamboo shark eggs for sale. These can easily outgrow a 1,000g+ tank that few people have. I'm building a massive tank and I won't even buy these eggs as tempting as it would be.

The Gray Bamboo is smaller, and looks more like a typical shark, but hard to find. I am considering some of these and maybe trying to breed.

My LFS thinks the problem is (sadly) because people are not having success long term. I always hear about planning for the "life of the fish" size wise and I would love to have a fish for 10+ years, but I also know things happen. I also wonder if some people are euthanizing the shark once it gets too big.

Two years ago lots of fish tanks in Dallas (and throughout Texas) crashed because of severe ice storms and rolling power outages. Many people I know could not keep their tank temps high enough and lost everything. I was building my 800g tank during that time and didn't have any fish yet. But I dread the day something like this happens. I have a generator but during the ice storm I couldn't even leave my house for up to 48 hours. And my tank is at my office 20 miles away.

Even a full grown Epaulette would not fit in the "recommended" 300-500g tank. I saw one in Branson that was like 3' long. Gorgeous shark! I would love for mine to get that big.

I started a seperate build thread for the 1,100g.

Rmckoy · Nov 6, 2022

srcleary said:
I have heard the public aquariums no longer accept sharks too big from someones home aquarium. That's why I am wondering why I don't see many larger sharks for sale or for re-homing. Even most Bamboos will outgrow the typical tank most people put them in.

I totally agree with you. Two LFS that I frequent both have Brown-banded Bamboo shark eggs for sale. These can easily outgrow a 1,000g+ tank that few people have. I'm building a massive tank and I won't even buy these eggs as tempting as it would be.

The Gray Bamboo is smaller, and looks more like a typical shark, but hard to find. I am considering some of these and maybe trying to breed.

My LFS thinks the problem is (sadly) because people are not having success long term. I always hear about planning for the "life of the fish" size wise and I would love to have a fish for 10+ years, but I also know things happen. I also wonder if some people are euthanizing the shark once it gets too big.

Two years ago lots of fish tanks in Dallas (and throughout Texas) crashed because of severe ice storms and rolling power outages. Many people I know could not keep their tank temps high enough and lost everything. I was building my 800g tank during that time and didn't have any fish yet. But I dread the day something like this happens. I have a generator but during the ice storm I couldn't even leave my house for up to 48 hours. And my tank is at my office 20 miles away.

Even a full grown Epaulette would not fit in the "recommended" 300-500g tank. I saw one in Branson that was like 3' long. Gorgeous shark! I would love for mine to get that big.

I started a seperate build thread for the 1,100g.

Why can’t you leave and drive 20 miles in a ice storm ?
Sounds like a typical Canadian winter to me …

srcleary · Nov 6, 2022

Rmckoy said:
Why can’t you leave and drive 20 miles in a ice storm ?
Sounds like a typical Canadian winter to me …

LOL. I grew up in Maine and get it. But it was crazy here. I live in the country and walked to the end of my gravel driveway to the road and I couldn't even stand on it. No salt, no snow, was just black ice. Power company cut the power and some of my pipes froze. I spend 2 days by the fireplace.

We had an ice storm last winter and I did make it to the office to check on things (didn't lose power) but there were cars off the road everywhere. Lots of people in Dallas don't know how to drive in snow or ice.

Sharkandreef · Dec 6, 2022

srcleary said:
I am setting up a 1,100g shark tank. 15' x 4' x 30". I have a pair of Epaulettes and considering a pair of Horn Shark. Trying to find Zebra Horns and I know they can be crazy expensive and hard to find. My question here is, will they possibly breed in captivity?

I see lots of Cali Horn Sharks for sale, but I never see someone selling captive bred pups or the eggs. Are they just not breeding in home aquariums? I know Short Tail Nurse sharks are being bred in captivity but do not know if they would breed in a home aquarium. Such as my 1,100g.

I also see people adding small sharks to 300g size aquariums all the time, but seldom see sharks being offered that have outgrown tanks. Where are all these sharks going that we know will outgrow tanks? Are there other forums they are being offered on? You would think with all the Bamboo eggs being sold and all the juvi sharks being sold there would be more people trying to re-home them?

Or am I missing something?

Steve

It's impossible. Unless you have a 75,000 gallon pond or more