by MSc Gvapo Tripinovic and Adam Tripinovic
Hello, and welcome back.
Today, Adam and I will guide you with the best choices to have a shark as a pet.
Yes, some sharks can live in aquariums. But keeping a shark in a small home fish tank is not a good idea as they require a lot of space to thrive in confined areas. However, if you do have a medium or larger fish tank of at least 55 gallons or 250 liters available, then you can have one of the most unusual and unique pets at your home – a shark.
Different types of sharks can live in freshwater or saltwater tanks, depending on where they live in the wild.
What are the most common sharks in aquariums?
Here are some of them and information about what size aquarium you need to keep a shark.
The best freshwater aquarium sharks for home aquariums are:
The Rainbow shark can grow up to 6 inches (15 cm) long and has a red tail and fins. It needs a tank of at least 55 gallons (250 liters) large, and a lot of plants and hiding places.
The Bala Shark is a calm and active fish with a silver body and black and yellow stripes on its fins. It can grow up to 12 inches long (30 cm). It needs at least 150 gallons (681 liters) of space for three of them as they like to swim in groups.
The Red Tail Shark has a black body and a red tail that can grow up to 6 inches (15 cm) long and is very territorial. The best practice is to keep it alone or with bigger fish in a tank of at least 55 gallons (250 liters).
The best saltwater aquarium sharks for home aquariums are:
The Small-spotted catshark can reach a maximum length of 39 inches (100 cm).
This shark’s tank size should generally be 400 gallons (1136 liters) with a large surface area and plenty of hiding places.
The water temperature should be between 54°F and 68°F (12°C and 20°C), and the salinity should be around 35 ppt (parts per thousand).
The Epaulette sharks live in shallow water and thrive in tight spaces. This makes them an excellent choice for home aquariums.
Its maximum length is 42 inches or 107cm.
A full-grown epaulette shark should be kept in a tank of at least 180 gallons (818 liters) in size, but 500 gallons (2273 liters) is preferable.
Epaulette sharks prefer water temperatures ranging from 72 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit (22-29 Celsius) and salinity around 33-37 ppt (parts per thousand).
Please note that it takes effort to keep sharks in aquariums. Sharks need a lot of room, good food, clean water, and care to be healthy. They might outgrow their tanks or get aggressive toward other fish if confined. It is enough to type on YouTube search “Shark at aquarium eating…” and you will have plenty of examples of why small fish tanks are not the best idea for keeping sharks.
Some sharks may also get sick or stressed out if a tank is too small.
We hope you enjoyed learning about pet SHARKS today, and we thank you for visiting our website ParentingDad.
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Disclaimer: We could not get licensed photos of the above-mentioned shark species, so we took general images of sharks. All the information is correct, and we provided the links to the sites and photos related to each mentioned shark species mentioned in this article. Thank you for understanding.