After almost 2 months of waiting for the egg to hatch,I came home from work Friday to see a little baby shark looking at me from the tank. It is doing good so far and actually ate a little shrimp Friday night and a piece yesterday. Now for the fishy part.
I ordered a Chiloscyllium Punctatum (brownbanded bamboo shark)egg from the LFS. I even gave them the scientific name. Well to my surprise, this shark is jet black with white bands. No brown of any type. Is this actually a Chiloscyllium Griseum (grey banded bamboo shark)? If it is, than this would be an added bonus since I never see them at stores and they reach a smaller maximum size. Can anyone help with the ID? I searched everywhere but could only find a picture of an adult grey banded and my shark does not have the markings of the pictures of the baby brownbanded. The LFS is no help. All they can tell me is that it is a bamboo shark. Any links or info would be appreciated. Thanks a bunch.

Sharky,

Here is a link to five thumbnails; just click to enlarge the pictures. As you can see, two of the specimens do appear more black than the others. http://www.fishbase.org/Photos/Thumb...ry.cfm?ID=5903

I assume you are aware that this species reaches approximately 41" length, and that all sharks are very active swimmers that require a lot of room to keep moving.

Ninong

P.S. - I forgot to post a link to a picture of Chiloscyllium griseum for you, so here it is: http://www.fishbase.org/Photos/Pictu...tRow=1&ID=4304 However, based on your description it sounds like you got what you asked for, Chiloscyllium punctatum.

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Irrational Exuberance!

[This message has been edited by Ninong (edited 10-03-2000).]

Thanks Ninong. Mine looks similiar to the one in the picture on the bottom right. Strange how it can be called a brownbanded and yet have no brown whatsoever in its coloring. Oh well so much for hoping they got me the rarer bamboo.
The tank is a 360. 8'x3'x2'. This species is more sedentary and in the wild are found in highly structured environments so the tank size should be fine.

Sharky,

Yes, 360 gallons is a nice size tank...but are they that sedentary that the usual rule-of-thumb for minimum tank size for any fish would not apply?

If you consider the absolute minimum tank size to be one with a width 1.5 times the fish length, and a tank length 4 times the fish length, the result would be a tank with minimum dimensions of 14 ft x 5 ft. And that minimum size formula only works for a tank with very little obstruction (rocks, etc.).

In any case, good luck. But I think you may run out of room if you keep it to maturity.

Ninong [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

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Irrational Exuberance!

Sharky,Yes you do have a large tank and Bamboo cat sharks do grow big but NOT 41" in Captivity.I read a Book about the one in the picture and it says min of 180 (6'x24"x24") US gallons.You should be fine [img]/ubb/wink.gif[/img].I am actually going to try to hatch a Baby Cat shark in my 58 then sell it.Thanks

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Im thinking of hatching one for my 1000 gallon pond.

saltwater boy where is claredon hills im coming by to see this 1000 gal. pond and your shark [img]/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img]
Jon

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Marge, this ticket doesn't just give me a seat. It also gives me the right---no, the duty---to make a complete ass of myself. "Homer Simpson" one of the great minds of our time.

Phil,

Sharky said he has a Chiloscyllium punctatum (Brown-banded Bamboo Shark), a member of the family Hemiscylliidae (Bamboo Sharks); it has a natural length of 41"...it is not a cat shark. All cat sharks (although similar in appearance to the Brown-banded Bamboo Shark) are members of the family Scyliorhinidae (Cat Sharks); there are 10 different species of the genus Cephaloscyllium, ranging in size from 16" to 60".

N I N [img]/ubb/wink.gif[/img] N G

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Irrational Exuberance!

Originally posted by Ninong:
Phil,

Sharky said he has a Chiloscyllium punctatum (Brown-banded Bamboo Shark), a member of the family Hemiscylliidae (Bamboo Sharks); it has a natural length of 41"...it is not a cat shark. All cat sharks (although similar in appearance to the Brown-banded Bamboo Shark) are members of the family Scyliorhinidae (Cat Sharks); there are 10 different species of the genus Cephaloscyllium, ranging in size from 16" to 60".

N I N [img]/ubb/wink.gif[/img] N G

N I N [img]/ubb/rolleyes.gif[/img] N G,Just because you read some book that said they grow 41" Doesn't mean it will!JMO.Thanks


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[*]Thanks,Phil Bobb

i don't think "all" sharks are very active swimmers.
the bamboo is one species that basically is sedentary most of the day. i believe it hunts at night.

There has been much discussion on most boards regarding keeping any shark species, sedentary or not.

The question is how far does the bamboo travel in the wild?
Only until it finds enough food where it is satisfied? or roams regardless of how quickly it finds enough food to fill it.
If once it finds food and then stops, i think it may have enough space in the 360.

Compare to a yellow tang that constantly is on the move searching for food. how far does a yellow tang swim? I've seem them roam more than 8', but most people will think a 360 is more than adequate for 1 yellow tang.

Just a slightly different thought approach.
good luck regardless.

Phil, if you want to practice bonsai, try an Acer Palmatum or a Pinus Thunbergii.

N I N [img]/ubb/tongue.gif[/img] N G

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Irrational Exuberance!

Originally posted by Ninong:
Phil, if you want to practice bonsai, try an Acer Palmatum or a Pinus Thunbergii.

N I N [img]/ubb/tongue.gif[/img] N G

Ninong,What is Joaco Teaching you how to speak in Different Languages Now [img]/ubb/lol.gif[/img] ?Btw,Most of the Bamboo/Catsharks/Epaulette/Horn Sharks arn't very active.They usually sit on the Bottom most of the day being very Boring.JMO/JME.Thanks



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I don't know who told you that those sharks are not active.

They had an Epaulette in a display tank at my LFS (180gallons), it was constantly in motion, cruising for things to eat. It used to *play* with the large turbo snails they kept. What a joyful animal, and yet you could tell it wanted more space, to stretch ou and swim further, and have more exploration space.

These guys do stay smallISH. They are the best candidates for a LARGE aquarium. To me that does not mean a 6x2x2.

Healthy sharks swim. Certainly Epaulettes and Bamboo's don't swim as quickly, nor in open water. They like reef structures. But they also need space. To hunt, to swim. And to top that off they can be FAST - I saw the shark at feeding time, they are bloody quick and very hungry [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

Even if these guys only got to 1' I'd still say atleast a 10x3x2. As it is they get much larger. They're keepable, no doubt about it. But they are not sedentary, not boring, and they need space.

All of them.

Lisa

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http://www.lisa-jill.com

you'll have no prob keeping your shark. your tank is more than big enough for it.
i had a bamboo shark a while ago and they are not active swimmers.agressive at feeding time maybe, but besides that mine wasnt demanding at all. [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img] good luck with your shark!

I have noticed in the past few days that 99 percent of the time the shark stays in one spot. It seems that the territory it claimed is about 12 inches square. It does not swim per say but rather uses its fins to walk across the sand or climb on the rocks. The only time it really swam was when it wanted food and swam straight up not across like most fish. It also allowed me to pet it. They do have skin like sandpaper. Not agressive at all and actually lets hermits walk by without a problem. Even with a lot of room it will turn around by going nose to tail. It doesn't need to. The shark is roughly six inches long right now and kind of gets lost in the tank. In case anyone was wondering, it is a female. So far it has eaten fresh shrimp, and thawed mysis shrimp. It does not seem to care for formula 1 cubes or freeze dried krill. I am going to try squid next. Maybe that frozen shark formula as well. Still no brown whatsoever in its coloration and its stomach is almost all black. Personally, I think it looks better with the black and white banding. More eye catching than if it had the brown banding. They are fast but so far it has only been when it snapped up food. Other than that when it moves, it takes its time. It seems to prefer the food coming to it rather than going after it. I'll let everyone know how it does over time. I really don't think it will exceed 36 inches. Hopefully I will keep it for a long time. I read the longevity in captivity was 25 years.

How do you tell thye sex of a shark?

Males have a set of claspers between the pectoral fns and the tail. Females don't.

[This message has been edited by sharky (edited 10-05-2000).]

Saltwater boy-
I'm assuming your pond is in doors. It's supposed to be in the 30's this weekend. I'd love to see a pic.

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Art