# sharks?



## JonnyFrilledDragonLawson (Oct 26, 2012)

new to this section but not the forum so my question is, are they any fish that actualy look like sharks not the ones that just have shark in the name but look totaly different


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## JonnyFrilledDragonLawson (Oct 26, 2012)

after more research the only thing iv found is the dogfish shark but these seem to get abit big to keep in an aquarium, some pictures of it on google but personally id feel guilty that i wasnt giving them enough space.. is there any variations of this species that are smaller?


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## Railz (Oct 30, 2010)

i keep 4 sharks 2 hasselt's bamboo sharks and 1 male banded bamboo and last is a baby banded bamboo shark


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## Dinosaur (Jun 30, 2012)

a red tailed shark, it's similar looking, it's small, it moves like a shark, friendly but territorial, it's black with a bright red tail.


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## JonnyFrilledDragonLawson (Oct 26, 2012)

what size to do these grow too? any pictures of yours and the setup?


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## Railz (Oct 30, 2010)

setup is 5x5x1.5 its a display tank in work the banded's grow to 4ft the hasselts 2ft


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## JonnyFrilledDragonLawson (Oct 26, 2012)

although the bandeds look alot better (for my personal taste) i think they would be abit too big for me.. im looking at the chain catsharks as iv read they only reach 18-19 inches


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## Ony (Oct 19, 2012)

Bala sharks are lovely but need a huge tank. TBH anything shark shaped is going to need a good long tank to get some exercise. If you want the bond villain style massive tank with large predator look at these guys: black ghost knifefish


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## JonnyFrilledDragonLawson (Oct 26, 2012)

they look nice enough but not the type im after, i like these guys!


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## Dan12345 (Sep 5, 2012)

I did some research into this a while back. Thought it would always be cool to keep a proper "Jaws" looking shark. 
However apart from some slightly smaller species that are more bottom feeders and don't really look like proper sharks (They still get towards 2ft in size), the smallest species I could could find for sale in the pet trade was a Black Tip Shark. This Shark will still reach huge sizes for home aquaria, around the 4ft mark if i remember correctly.
So unless you have a huge house with about 10-20k to spend on a set up there isn't really a viable option for Jaws. 
Shame really.


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## TheProfessor (Apr 19, 2011)

Have you considered port Jackson sharks? 
They are a little harder to come by but look really good for a 'shark' look and aren't massive by comparison either males averaging around 75cm


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## Railz (Oct 30, 2010)

the problem with keeping sharks is they are extremely messy , u need fantastic filtration , you also need to learn about thier health and diet , im lucky i get to keep 4 but thats because i work for a aquatics store , we have huge filtration systems that keep the water quality great , and have the space needed for them. 

Diet is a very hard thing with these also , if you acquire young specimens chances are they will only be feeding on live food , you have to ween them onto defrosted which is hard , you also have to suppliment thier diet with iodine otherwise they can develop goiter. the ones i care for get fed twice a week , on a diet of mussles, smelt, cockle, and have now started taking new era marine pellet. all are hand feeding and are hand tame allowing you to hold them and stroke them.

owning a shark is a very big commitment and can be very expensive , take time to do the research , get the proper aquarium and filtration and its one of the greatest enjoyments in fish keeping. try to cut corners and will be a very expensive head ache


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## JonnyFrilledDragonLawson (Oct 26, 2012)

ill check them out professor..

what type do you keep railz? if i was to go ahead it wouldnt be for a year or two giving me plenty of time to save and learn


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## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

What about a Sterlet, You'd need a fair size cold water tank or could have a indoor or better still a outdoor pond.

Max size about as pictured.








Also in Albino.









Like the shark, Sterlets are cartilage fish. And have the same basic body frame.


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## Railz (Oct 30, 2010)




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## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

JonnyFrilledDragonLawson said:


> ill check them out professor..
> 
> what type do you keep railz? if i was to go ahead it wouldnt be for a year or two giving me plenty of time to save and learn


If you're serious about keeping real sharks and have a five figure budget then decide on the species you like the look of. Then check out their real maximum sixe by using :-

www.fishbase.org

And then understand that sharks do not grow to the size of the tank, they keep growing to their maximum potential. If you consider that they need a tank that is six times the length of their maximum size and twice as wide as thee sharks maximum length in order for them to swim naturally then go for it. Anything less than this and they can't swim naturally. 

I used to work for a very large aquatic shop as a kid which had a large hexagonal tank. We had cat sharks, port jacksons and baby nurse sharks. They're not difficult to keep as long as you have the huge tank and filtration system to match.


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