Sharks and Rays in Aquariums Gaining an understanding of how to keep these fishes in captive saltwater systems    New Print and eBook on Amazon   by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Leopard sharks and abhorrent collecting practices Hi Bob What temperature, nitrate, and salinity should I have for my leopard shark? Thanks Edward Demsky  <hmmm... do you own one already? If so, I must say that I am a bit saddened to see yet another one of these beautiful creatures purchased without having done the research first. Do you also know, my friend, that these sharks grow 6 to 9 feet long as adults. They cannot be "stunted" in smaller aquaria but most in small aquaria (under 500 gallons) die prematurely in about 2 years. Also, they are live born at around 14-18". This is interesting because 9-12" are commonly seen in the trade. How is this possible you may ask... simple, gravid females are caught and gutted for the immature offspring: much easier than waiting for the birth of a litter and then catching each one individually. For your benefit and that of all of our daily FAQ readers, do advise your local fish stores of this if you ever see them offered for sale. You might also ask such merchants how many customers they have that can house even a puny 6 foot adult? We are literally talking about a shark that needs an aquarium of several thousand gallons in the 5-10 year picture. Make no mistake about it... I/we are very sensitive about the inappropriate keeping of any animal. Please write back and tell me more about your system so that I can fairly help you (now that I've got all the soapbox stuff out of the way <G>). And please understand that we simply get too many people writing in asking us how to help them "kill"/keep (same thing) Leopard sharks in 300, 200 and even tanks smaller than 100 gallon tanks. Best regards, Anthony>