Stingray in a tank???

[lesdexic]

Just asking for oppions here. I went to a lfs yesterday and they had a nice size ray in a tank (sand only base and it was the only animal in the tank). I just for some reason thought it "cruel". To me that belongs in the ocean (like sharks) and not in a tank.... I just know it will be bought by someone and placed in a 55 gal.... I will admit it was beautiful, but, I still think it's a bad idea for a lfs to carry them.

 

[cgbexec]

lesdexic,

There are people with tanks big enough to hold such animals, but they are so few that stores should not stock them. Those animals should be left in the ocean. If someone has a tank large enough, there are ways to special order such animals. I just watched a program the other night that showed a nurse shark in a small fish store up in Ohio or Michigan. These sharks grow to 13ft. Only public aquariums have tanks large enough. This store had no buisiness stocking such an animal. The shark was shipped to the Florida Keys and released.

Chris

 

[davelin315]

The bottom line is that it's not fair for any of us to keep any of these fish in our small tanks. Almost every fish that we keep has a vast range that it covers everyday in the wild. There is not a single one of us out there that can supply most fish with the room that they desire. However, as someone who has kept rays and sharks in the past, and who is hoping to find some bonnethead shark pups in the near future, there are certain sharks and rays that can be acclimated to captivity better. Nurse sharks, for instance, do grow very large, but are also very sedentary creatures by nature. So are some species of sting rays. Some of the more commonly purchased sharks and rays out there that are not appropriate for tank life are leopard sharks, black tips, lemon sharks, and bat rays. These all desire a lot of swimming room. Nurse sharks, blue dot and yellow rays, cat sharks, epaulette sharks, horn sharks, wobbegongs, and other sedentary species can be kept in smaller environments, although a tank is never an appropriate place for them, as they injure themselves in sharp corners, and will continually bump into the walls. Whenever I have kept these species, it has always been in a pond (with the exception of some cat sharks I hatched from the egg in my reef tank before) so that they can swim without running into corners. Just as with any species, you need to provide it with the best home you can, but also realize that none of these creatures truly belong in captivity, and if you can't provide for it, then don't get it.

By the way, I also saw the special on the nurse shark pup on the discovery channel that they dumped back into the ocean. My guess is this shark got eaten or died pretty quickly. It was no longer a juvenile specimen, as it did not have the typical dots on its body, and it was obviously not well fed, as it was skinnier than nurse sharks normally are. It was also well undersized IMO for a shark of its age (probably upwards of 1 or 2 years). Although nurse sharks and all sharks are pretty tough, my guess is this one didn't make it.

[ August 17, 2001: Message edited by: davelin315 ]

 

[cgbexec]

davelin315,

I have caught bonnethead sharks in the 3ft. range in the summer months on rod and reel. You would have to have one huge tank as these are pelagic sharks once they mature. I could be wrong, but at adult size I believe they reach 7ft. These are not as big as their cousins the Great Hammerhead, but still large. What size tank do you have? Just wondering.

Chris

 

[cgbexec]

^

 

[davelin315]

Actually, the bonnet head shark gets to an average size of approximately 3 1/2 feet long, not more than 4 feet, and when the pups are born, they are less than 8 inches, sometimes as small as 4-6" in length. Bonnetheads are also very neat sharks. They are not aggressive sharks, nor do they prey upon a lot of other species. Obviously, they'll eat stuff that is presented to them, but they mainly enjoy a diet of crustaceans (lots of crabs). They are also really neat because they travel in schools or small packs and communicate with each other through body language and probably other undetectable ways as well. They are often caught for research and housed in small ponds or even small tubs when they are in the 2-3 foot range. I currently have a 5 foot long kidney shaped pond, and am building another temporary 300 gallon pond that is 5 by 5 by 2 deep (a rubbermaid tub). The eventual plan is to construct a 2000 gallon pond in my basement, but structural problems have presented themselves and as yet, are unresolved (the original plan was for a concrete pond, but the total weight would have been in the neighborhood of 30000 pounds on my slab, which I was told had a very good chance of cracking it and my foundation). The most likely scenario is that it will be made of pond liner instead, and if I move and have time to build a house, an inground pool of sorts will be built into the basement foundation so that all of my fish can have a good home and I can snorkel in my basement (I've always dreamed of buying a house with an indoor pool and converting it into a saltwater lagoon with corals and black tips and tons of fish, my own little slice of heaven)!

Back to your question, though, the bonnetheads are migratory, but the ones you've caught before are pretty much about as big as they get. Up to 4 feet is pretty generous, if you caught a 4 footer, it would be a monster. They don't necessarily become pelagic as adults, they just occupy all different types of environments, sometimes seasonally.

 

[cgbexec]

davelin315,

I did not know that. In the flats, during summer I have seen bonnetheads in the 18in. range, but never tried to catch them. I was under the impression that they grew larger and then left the flats. I guess the 3ft.ers I caught were probably in the flats to spawn then if they are adults. The West coast of Fl. has tons of these sharks along with several others such as Bull, Blacktip, Nurse, Greater hammerheads, Lemon, ect.... They are especially prolific in Summer as most species enter shallow water to mate. Most sharks are protected here in Florida, not sure about Bonnetheads.

Chris

 

[davelin315]

I think the sharks are protected only until a certain distance, and then you are allowed to capture them (I think you can travel offshore to certain places that you can capture them). The other sharks you mentioned all get more than 8 feet in length (the black tip I believe remains the smallest), and none of them are really appropriate for captivity (although like I said, one of these days I will own a few black tips - they are in close competition with the bonnetheads as my ultimate sharks, but that'll have to wait for the lagoon....), especially given that most of the other ones are good candidates for chomping off your hand if you decide to stick it in their home.

By the way, did you see the black tips gathering the other day in the flats (I believe it was in Florida)? The news showed a few clips of it, and it was amazing to see hundreds of blacktips swimming together, absolutely beautiful fish.

Sorry to go on and on, like I said, I'm a big shark fan!

 

[cgbexec]

davelin315,

Those blacktips were schooling in North Florida up in the Pan Handle. I'm way down South. I have never seen Blacktips school, but I have seen Hammerhead sharks school. A truely awsome sight! Your theory about catching a Bonnethead offshore out of state waters probably won't work, at least if you want a small one. Most juvinile species stay in the shallow coastal areas until large enough to venture into deep water. A few years ago, I was dragging behind my boat like bait, looking for lobster when a 8ft. Hammerhead swam below me with it's dorsal fin missing me by about six inches. I don't think I've ever swam so fast.

Chris

 

[davelin315]

Oh c'mon, you don't want to be like those crazy guys on the discovery channel that go out and free swim with 10 foot long hammerheads, and grab them by the head and steer them around and even flip them on their backs? Or like Steve Irwin the crocodile hunter, who swims up to giant saltwater crocodiles and pokes them?

Me, if that hammerhead had swum up under me, I wouldn't have moved.

Would've been too petrified to react, probably would've pooped my wet suit too!