Can you have sharks as pets

Although, not all species of wobbegongs are fit for aquarium life. These species of wobbegongs do not usually grow beyond 3. Hence, their size is acceptable for a home aquarium. Wobbegong sharks in nature live in coral and rocky reefs across Australia.

In case if you start looking for one know where to look. Considering their behavior, wobbegongs are generally slow and lethargic. They usually choose a preferred resting spot and always spend most of their time at that spot. Even if they leave for hunting at night, they are much likely to return to the same spot during the day. This behavior of wobbegongs means they are not active and do not require a large swimming space.

They are ambush predators which will hide camouflaging themselves against the seafloor waiting for an unsuspecting prey that will approach. Yeah, maybe you do not need a really large after all. While the wobbie may seem to be the perfect aquarium shark even with their attractive complex body patterns, these are voracious eaters. They do not do well with tank mates.

In fact, they will turn even larger tank mates to food. Ensure to keep a wobbegong in a separate tank and feed it as required. Note that this shark can eat till it regurgitates. So, be aware to feed it reasonably. Epaulette sharks should make the top in the list of aquarium sharks. There are about seven species of epaulettes with the most common being Hemiscyllium ocellatum.

These sharks rarely grow beyond 30 inches The epaulette shark will spend most of its daytime hiding in crevices. But, at night they emerge and hunt for food. Of course, they do not have legs, however, they use their muscular pectoral and pelvic fins to push themselves in a walking-like manner.

Apart from attaining only a small length and being a bottom-dweller, the epaulette shark has a beautiful body pattern. These markings are quite attractive and will make you want to go home with this shark.

All these characteristics and their readiness to adapt to a confined space make the epaulette shark suitable for a home aquarium. At the moment you can only find one species of the epaulette in the aquarium trade. This is the common H. More species are likely to be available soon due to the expansion of the specimen collection.

Naturally, the epaulette shark inhabits coral reefs with their geographical distribution covering Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia.

They usually move to sandy flats, seagrass meadows, or rubble beds to find their food, especially at night. The major adaptation for hunting includes their electroreceptors and sense of smell.

These sharks are oviparous depositing leathery egg capsules on the sea bottom. They even reproduce in a large public aquarium. This means that the introduction of more adult specimens in the aquarium industry will facilitate captive-breeding programs to make the species further available to lovers. The Catshark has several species of very attractive sharks under the common name.

These are from the family Scyliorhinidae. In a contest of beauty, these sharks are likely to make the top list. Unfortunately, out of the many species of catsharks, only a few come to the aquarium trade. If you happen to encounter a catshark in the aquarium trade, it is likely the coral catshark Atelomycterus marmoratus. Though it is common to mistaken other species like this one. Larger cyprinids, Oscars and pacus would also make good tank companions for it.

Anything smaller will get eaten. The Silver Apollo Shark is an actively schooling fish, who feels best in a group of at least 6 members. They enjoy an acidity of 6 to 6. The Silver Apollo Shark is quite an impressive jumper when challenged, so make sure that you place a hood or some sort of cover-up over your tank. This freshwater shark is an omnivore and it likes most floating foods — flakes, pieces of veggies, krill, small river shrimps, small pieces of prawns.

Just avoid keeping them together with Rainbow and Red-tailed sharks, unless your tank is above gallons. Schools of barbs, tetras, and non-aggressive loaches are all good tank mates for your Silver Apollo. However, these guys are larger and have a bit more elongated body shape. This shark pet is not the most outstanding one as there are others that would immediately catch your eye with their vibrant colors. These guys enjoy a current and some rocks, branches, and soft gravel so that the surrounding environment reassembles the bed of a flowing river.

The Violet Blushing Shark is a bottom feeder — it will happily feed on dried fish food and frozen bloodworm. The only rule is not to house it with other species with a similar shape, especially other members of their Labeo genus, as they will become territorial and aggressive among each other. Anything in-between may result in territory disputes.

I often see the Columbian shark listed as a freshwater tank fish. This is, however, misleading at the least because this is actually a species of catfish that prefers living in brackish water. I can clearly see why the Black Fin shark another name for a Columbian shark is used as a clickbait — it has a really impressive appearance — at least in my opinion.

In terms of size the Columbian Shark can reach up to 20 inches 51 cm and if treated well they can grow even bigger. They do enjoy current based on my observations so if you want to make them happy do a setup properly. This implies that they should not be housed with fish that are less than twice of their size.

Also, be sure there are suitable tank mates that do not include any small saltwater fish species. Other fish with similar water condition needs and still big enough to not be considered as prey — like large mollies or scats are a good tank mate option for the Columbian shark.

Anyway, the Columbian sharks should be fed with various foods — meat and plants that have the vitamins and minerals needed to maintain a strong immune system. That includes but is not limited to catfish pellets, shrimp pellets, frozen worms, high-quality flakes, occasional feeder fish, small life crustaceans, cucumbers, etc. They are scavenging bottom feeders in nature, but may also roam the water column for food. Its final maximum size will depend on the environment, but a common measurement states over 4 feet.

Your tank will quickly turn into a single-species aquarium, unless you provide it with a really large tank or, perhaps, a pond. In some fish stores, they may get recommended as an algae eater. Not really a bad recommendation, as they are aufwuchs grazers and will snack on a lot of algae. Later, when they get bigger a relocation to a koi pond would be a good idea, because of the behavioral similarities they and the koi fish share.

Supplying your high-fin banded shark with bottom-dwelling invertebrates and crustaceans is also a good way to diversify its menu.

Larger species of freshwater sharks as any other fish will experience stunted growth in an aquarium environment. This is mainly due to the build-up of nitrates, and the lower levels of oxygenation in a home fish tank. In the wild, a vast body of water will instantly dissolve most impurities.

In a home fish tank where space is confined and the only way of removing toxins from the water is human intervention, this is not possible. Colder water naturally has more oxygen in it. This, in turn, leads to stunted growth. However, a larger species will experience stunted growth to a degree in a home aquarium. As you can see the first step towards picking a vicious-looking predator as a home pet is choosing the right setting and the right tank mates.

Aside from that, there are a couple of things you need to remember if you are to become the owner of a shark fish:. Not all aquarium sharks tend to be aggressive and not all will fit your tank setup. Good luck! Top Three Pet Sharks. Written by: PetMD Editorial. Published: August 18, Finding the Right Shark For Life! Our top three picks for pet sharks: 3 The Wobbegong Apart from having pretty much the coolest name ever, this is a good shark for a home aquarium … but only if you get certain species.

They are mainly found in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean and have a pair of rather dexterous fins that they use to walk on the ocean floor, or in your tank … Although the bamboo shark gets along fine with other fish, you probably shouldn't put other fish in the aquarium that are big enough to look like an appetizing treat for the shark. Help us make PetMD better Was this article helpful?

Yes No. Share this article. What did you find helpful? What was not helpful? You also have plenty of small freshwater sharks to choose from: The rainbow shark is a bottom dweller that likes to hide in rocks and plants.

The silver shark , also known as the bala shark, lives well in a community setting with larger fish. These sharks grow up to one foot long and often swim as a group. Caring for your shark These small sharks for fish tanks require more care than your typical fish species do.

How to stop a kitten from biting once and for all. How to make dog clothes from baby clothes in 4 simple steps. Why weight loss in senior dogs is a reason to see a vet immediately. Good, better, best: Space heaters that are safe if you have pets.

This is the only potty-training puppy schedule you need.