A Sharky Shangri-La

So you are considering keeping sharks, know a little about selecting and caring for a shark egg, and now need to plan out a suitable habitat for your potentially 20 to 30 plus year commitment of a shark in captivity! There is a lot of variation within different successful shark display setups, but there are a few common themes that will help insure the long term safety of your shark and overall success! So follow along as we discuss the do’s and don’ts of shark aquarium design.

Here we will break down what you will need to setup a display for one of the shark species we have previously highlighted, and briefly discuss some pointers of what to look for within that category.

Aquarium/Habitat: We say aquarium or habitat because many of the aquarium suitable species we have outlined while containable in a large home aquarium, really do require the biggest space you can afford them, and sometimes this is best done in something that is not an aquarium. While many of these sharks seem to not move around, its because they are mostly nocturnal predators. So while during the day they seem to lay on the bottom or crawl around, during the night they will swim in the water and “hunt” regardless of whether or not there are prey items for them to find. This means a few things; Generally an aquarium should have at least three potentially four times the total length of the shark in length, and at least one and a half times the length of the shark in width. For circular habitats, the diameter should be twice the total length of the shark. While many of these sharks are comfortable in tide pools, depth should not be disregarded either, and their home should be deep enough to allow the shark free movement around the space and to swim up and down a little. Shark Aquariums can be literal aquariums, pools or stock tanks made of suitable materials purchased at local retailers, or custom built plywood or concrete tanks or ponds. In the end, err on the side of too big, versus too small.

Filtration/Hardware: Filtration is very important, and probably is impossible to oversize. A protein skimmer, (or skimmers) is a good thing to include in these high waste systems and should be oversized (two or more times what you would use for a densely stocked fish only aquarium of the same size). Biological filtration might not be sufficient from just the rock in the aquarium, so having a large amount of bio media for surface area that is again oversized is a good idea. Flow through the system should be strong enough to encourage waste to move out but not blow sharks or substrate around too much. Start with a goal to turn over the entire volume of the habitat through the filtration system once an hour, and then potentially more. Many of the outlined species have different care requirements that should be researched prior to purchase. However generally Horn Sharks and Port Jackson Sharks like cooler, more temperate waters (mid sixties to low seventies) while swell sharks and bamboo sharks are more tropical and prefer temps in the seventies up to eighty degrees. In regards to water quality, the goal should be to keep Nitrates under fifty parts per million, ideally under twenty parts per million (lower is always better). There are a multitude of ways to achieve this, but that is beyond the scope of this article. Many tidal sharks are used to swings in temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH, but don’t push their husbandry to the limits. Strong filtration, and stability will be key to long term success with sharks in your home. Substrate: The number one consideration in regards to what is on the bottom of your habitat is the well being of the shark. Some coarser substrates can result in irritation or scratching of the underside of benthic (bottom dwelling) sharks. You should use the finest grain of sand that is suitable for your aquarium design, basically meaning whatever you can get away with that won't be blown around or into filters and potentially damaging them etc. Fine aragonite sands are a good place to start, and moving to finer things from there.

Décor: Again, the number one consideration here is the safety of the animals in the habitat. Most of our highlighted species sharks can be somewhat active hunters at night, and during the day they prefer to find cracks and crevices in the reef that just barely allow them to fit. This is so that they can rest during the day in relative safety of other predatory fish. While décor considerations will change depending on the species, here are a few rules. Make sure rock work is incredibly stable and secure. In the process of searching for food or attempting to find shelter some sharks like bamboo sharks or swell sharks can easily knock over delicately stacked rocks. The best solution is to drill holes in any rock to use acrylic rods to secure them all together. Epoxy can then be used around the joints for extra security. Large PVC tubes (variable in size again depending on the species) make great hides for bamboo and swell sharks and they can be relatively easily concealed by building a rock structure over/around them in the method previously outlined. Anything delicate or sharp should again be avoided as sharks can be boisterous (live coral while possible, will be difficult most of the time) and again the interest of the shark would be that there's nothing they could hurt or scrape themselves on. Constant irritation from sand or a sharp edge could even allow for an infection to set in.

Lighting: Since most of our sharks are more active at night, some “moonlighting” or dim lights to be able to see their activity might be appropriate. You could try reversing the photoperiod and having lights on at night, and dimmer moonlights on during the day to encourage them to be active during common viewing hours. In the end, sharks don’t need light like corals or plants do, and having too much light could contribute to algae issues in the habitat, so utilize light in a minimalist fashion.

Other considerations: Sharks can jump – especially tidal sharks like swell and bamboo sharks that can get trapped in pools that they may have to try to escape from. Keep that in mind when doing habitat design. Compatibility with other fishes should be taken into account – and while beyond the scope of this article, many fishes (triggers, tangs, and rabbits) should be avoided. Make sure that you are aware of everything that will go into the habitat, and design it to reflect all of their needs without compromising the conditions for the shark or choosing animals that might pick at one.

Sharks can be incredibly rewarding for someone with the time, money, and space to design a habitat suitable for their long term care. For some, they are the ultimate goal in aquarium keeping! This undertaking will require a large space, and a commitment measured in decades if everything goes to plan. In the end sharks are amazing creatures that can form strong bonds with their humans if given a chance to thrive. So start planning your shark habitat today, and once ready head down to your local fish store and ask them to order you a sustainably sourced shark from Quality Marine today!