Smooth hound shark

Question
QUESTION: My boyfriend and I have had dozens of saltwater and freshwater aquariums over the past 25 years (8 running fish tanks at present).  I have never owned a smooth hound shark until we decided to try one last month.  It is eating fine but does not swim normally as other sharks we have had.  It seems to spend all it's time at the surface of the water bobbing its head.  It is about 8 inches long.  It is in a 180 gallon which, please don't lecture, is temporary until we get larger.  He is the only thing in the tank except for a school of chromis and one very tiny sting ray.  The tests are all perfect.  We have a trickle system filter and protein skimmer, two hang on filters, 2 powerheads agitating the water surface and a few airstones in some decorations.  I have had much larger leopard sharks that lived fine for years in this size tank and even a 125 gallon.  Do you have any clue what would cause this behavior?  I was told by our local pet store that this just is not an aquarium shark.  I hope it is not true, it is about the only shark you can get nowadays that is not a bottom dweller and will swim.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks.

ANSWER: Well sandy, unfortunately your local pet store is very correct. smooth hound sharks are open swimming sharks. even at 8 inches he will need a massive tank so he has room to swim. remember with fish, its not always size that determines tank size for a fish, its how active the fish is. No shark technically is suitable for captivity. even in the most ideal environment. im guessing what is wrong with your shark is a mixture of stress, and lack of swimming area.

also, i suggest making breaking down or combining a few tanks. 8 tanks running simultaneously is a little much. at that point you get tanks that are neglected whereas others are pristine looking. i work very few hours a week and still ahve trouble doing the maintenance on my 3 tanks in my house. all 3 are over 200 gallons.

as for the shark again, a school of chromises is a very bad idea. first off, they can harass the shark, and on the other hand can easily become prey to the shark. same goes for the sting ray. i suggest separating them.

i suggest researching more on sharks, or just marine aquariums in general. i would suggest a forum such as 3reef.com, or thereeftank.com. on these forums you can catch up on the latest updates in the reef/marine aquarium hobby, and introductions of new equipment. these forums have greatly helped me throughout the years and i highly suggest anyone to join them.

sharks, most of all out of marine fish, should not be a matter taken lightly. they require tons of maintenance and specialized care. and are very fragile contrary to popular belief. please follow up if you have another question, or need clarification on anything sandy.

hope that helps.

Marcus.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Any ideas or suggestions what we can do with this shark?  I may try to see if the pet store will take him back but then he may end up in the same boat just some place else.

We are able to manage the eight aquariums just fine as my boyfriend is retired.  I have had chromis mixed with sharks and rays many times and have never had an issue/problem.  They were there for the beginning cycle and I could easily move them to another tank if I see any signs of trouble.

Any how, thanks for answering....it was what I expected.

Answer
it would be best to see if the store will take him back. it could just be a problem with this particular shark that can easily be treated with the correct experience. i have only ever owned a couple sharks many years ago and am not quite brushed up on requirements.

with my experience, i have found hound sharks do best in a species tank. tank mates tend to bother them because as i said, they are very fragile and you need to keep this in mind. any tiny change in environment, or anything in general that affects it can cause it great stress or even death.

it is easy for public aquariums to mix sharks and rays, but the average hobbyist sinply doesnt have the experience, or equipment to ensure that they get along. it takes extremely careful acclimation.