Epaullette or Bamboo Shark in Reef Tank Downsides?

[Mareshow]

Besides the obvious clean up crew getting attacked? is there any other disadvantage to keeping a shark in a larger reef tank? My tank Dimensions are 120"x48"x30". My snails reproduce like crazy and having something that would pick away at them doesn't hurt my feelings. That and I think I'd be cool to have one!

 

[coral49]

Epaullette is the way to go, they are much more suited for that space. Do you have caves and open floor space for them to roam. Plus Bamboo get bigger and much more messy. Sharks are very messy as a whole you will need to have more water changes to keep the quality good for reef. It can be fun. Be careful if you have angels they will pick on the shark​

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[Mareshow]

I only have pygmy angels, that are pretty entertained as it is. What about a grey smooth hound? Or I'm reading they prefer cooler temps?

 

[coral49]

I am don't know much on the grey smooth hound, so cant help out. 1 thing just popped in my mind, what substrate do you have on ground. If it is a course crushed coral or very course sand, that will be a problem. It will irritate the shark belly and lead to infection.

Honestly the best bet for success is the eppie, they are great and quite neat sharks for home. Of course aim for captive breed, they are around might take a little time. But ORA has them every few months from LA.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I only have pygmy angels, that are pretty entertained as it is. What about a grey smooth hound? Or I'm reading they prefer cooler temps?

Gray smoothhounds are temperate and need lots of open water swimming space - I've kept one in a 900 gallon tank and that was too small for it really.

Maximum size for an epaulette is 1 meter, and they routinely grow to 30", so too large as well. Coral catsharks can supposedly hit 25", but they typically max out at around 18" so a better choice IMO

Jay

 

[Krj-2501]

What about a grey smooth hound? Or I'm reading they prefer cooler temps?

Yes - Grey Smooth hounds are a temperate water species - preferring water temperatures less than 72 F(22.2 C).

Best species of shark to keep with in a 750 gallon reef tank - IMO would be the Coral Catsharks(Atelomycterus marmoratus). They may not be big (average about 24"), but they live among coral reefs in the wild. Just make sure you have some small caves for them to hide in during the day, and about 12-15 sq. feet of open floor space for them to explore at night.

 

[Krj-2501]

An epaulette shark would be okay for 750 gallon reef tank- provided it was one of the smaller species(such as the Papuan, or Speckled), and it is a raised reef. In other words a reef which is raised up off the aquarium floor, to have large caves the shark. Ocellated Epaulettes get too big as adults to be reef safe. And an adult Bamboo sharks tend to like bulldozers in a reef tank - not good.