Black Tipped reef shark Project

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Heres a nice image of one, So basically i was looking into the idea of starting a project to build an enclosure or purchase an enclosure to house the animal in question: "Black tipped reef shark".... Now iv'e kept nurse sharks in the past and still have 2 little suckers on the go so my experience in saltwater shark keeping is fairly good. However i was wondering on you guys opinions as to what size you think the enclosure should be and roughly how much you think the project would cost. The pups for Black tipped reef sharks cost roughly £800 over here in the UK and im aware that they grow to roughly 3.5-4ft long so i figured a 500+ Gallon tank is in order?....

http://explorations.ucsd.edu/Around_the_Pier/2008/Feb/Adopt_a_Fish/images/Black_Tip_Reef_Shark.jpg

Got a video of a tank used for a black tip pup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP60qmCvuhM

What do you think?... Or do you know of similar sharks that grow to a smaller size as an adult which would cost less to keep?

Thanks...

George

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@Sharklover91,

500 gallons seems small - you don't want to torture the poor animal. Best to ask someone at this oceanographic institute >
http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=12556
> even if they don't know they'll be able to refer you to someone who does. As to cost, initial installation of a water tank is a minor part of the total - with 500++ gallons to be filtered and purified continuously you have to look at serious operating costs as well.

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@Sharklover91,

Hope you did some more checking before buying a baby shark; this is info on a 700-gallon tank (US gallons aren't same as imperial gallons, but the difference isn't significant for that size aquarium tanks) considered too small to keep a shark - it would be cruelty:

Quote:

....owner of Manhattan Aquariums, which sells tanks small and large from a showroom on West 37th Street..[..].... suspended a 700-gallon aquarium from the ceiling of a town house apartment in the West Village ..... The filled tank weighs at least 6,000 pounds and has cost the couple some $200,000 in equipment and service.

Furthermore, maintenance costs for replacing the water in the tank, food for sharks, veterinary visits etc for a 900 gallon (US) tank - minimum size recommended for single shark - start at $6,000/month.

Quote:

... At first, the 900-gallon tank held a lone shark — her name was Ursula. When she died, she was replaced by multiple sharks that eventually outgrew the tank and were donated to the New York Aquarium ...

Last but not least, can your building's foundation withstand the weight of water involved in a large tank?

Quote:

.. contractors use a special high-compression cement in the base, knowing he wanted to install a 700-gallon aquarium. It is six feet tall, eight feet long and about two feet wide..

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/garden/19aqua.html?ei=5087&en=7cdda31533ebb9cd&ex=1297828800&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=3&adxnnlx=1282474896-MmNDhASG84u+vIv3Vqto6A

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Black Tipped reef shark Project

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