Hi Steve, thanks for giving me the heads up on this thread, I've been very busy at work and haven't had too much time to browse the boards, and I really haven't looked into this category much since it's inception. As Steve (SPC) said, I've got a lot of experience with many of the species which we are talking about on this thread.
Blue Ring Octopus - As far as being in the deadly category, there is no doubt that you will not find anything deadlier in the marine trade than this beautiful and exotic animal. When I was in college, I ordered an octopus from my LFS, and they got a blue ring by mistake. I took it in, and it only lived for a short time (I don't think it did too well in shipping). As with any species, you need to have the proper knowledge to support this animal. Without this, you're asking for trouble. How many people out there know that it has one of the most potent neurotoxins of any animal in the world? And that if you get bitten, you could feasibly die within minutes? Not many. As far as banning this animal from collection and shipping, I think that this would probably be a good idea. I love to get diversity in my tanks, but some things are going too far. I don't think I'll ever see an animal that approaches the beauty and intelligence of an octopus, but they are simply too difficult to keep, especially with the added risk of death from a blue ring. Also, how many of us can support the proper eating habits of an octopus? Not many.
Chiloscyllium punctatum- Banded Shark- This is probably the most frequently imported shark. It's also the species that is found in the "egg cases" you see in LFS.- Mainly lay around
Chiloscyllium plagiosum- I think this is the Cat Shark- Mainly lay around
Cat sharks and banded sharks are pretty much the same thing when it boils down to it. They have different patterns and slightly different lifestyles, but are pretty similar in their characteristics and habits. Being sedentary creatures, the appeal in the marine hobby is that you can keep them in a smaller tank without worrying about them looking for more room to grow. Since maximum length in certain ones is very limited, they make a seemingly ideal species to keep. That said, they are notoriously bad eaters when not hatched from an egg in captivity, and I have heard that many importers use cyanide to catch them. I don't know what kind of affect their importation is having on their wild populations, but it can't be good. IMHO, they should be a fairly simple species to encourage to breed captively given the right setting (a huge system that could be set up by a distributor), and then it would be okay to introduce them into the trade, but if you look at success rates with cat and banded sharks, I'll pretty much guarentee you that it's not good. Also, the fact that they are often sold for $15-$50 contributes to a very high mortality rate.
Triakis semifasciatus- Leopard Shark- Commonly imported as babies during pup season here in California.- Swim a lot
Although this shark does swim a lot, it also rests a lot on the bottom. The myth that the shark will drown if it stops swimming is not true, and this species can swim or sit with no ill effects. However, one thing that is seldom taken into account (and this is evident by the settings you see leopard sharks in and the tankmates they share) is that they are a cold water species. They are most often caught in the pacific northwest, and like temperatures below that of the normal fish in our hobby. They also grow to quite large sizes, and if kept in too small an environment, or one in which they are constantly bumping their heads, they will begin to develop misshapen noses and spines, and this is not a pretty sight. I think that the appeal of having a "real shark" in your tank is often too much for hobbyists to resist, and who mix them with large angels and other tropical species, contributing to a deterioration in their health. If you have a large enough system (1000 plus gallons with no corners or sharp angles), go ahead and try them out, they are very beautiful, and are easily trained, but if you don't you're only torturing them. I think the fact that they are so often available in the trade has made them one of the least successful species in the business, as you can often get them for $100-$150 around here.
Heterodontus portusjacksoni- Port Jackson Shark- mainly lays around
Heterodontus francisci- Horned shark- Mainly lays around
Very interesting sharks with which I have no experience. Neutral on their importation as I cannot make an educated or even experienced opinion.
Eucrossorhinus dasypogon- Wobbygong Shark- mainly lays around
A voracious eater, and grows very very very large! I think this is one of the sharks that deserves to be left where it is. I have to admit, I had one for years, until it ate some bad fish from a grocery store and died, but I blame myself for being unable to provide what it needed. When it passed, it was 3 feet long, and probably should have been much longer. What many don't know is that the wobbegong shark reaches lengths of 8-10', and it's mouth, which is filled with tons of tiny gripping teeth versus the tearing teath of other sharks, goes pretty much from one side of it's body to the other. Whereas a leopard shark has a somewhat squared mouth that is suited towards crushing things, the wobbegongs mouth is like a huge vacuum, and it uses its mouth to swallow things up. This makes this shark unsuitable for most tank mates, as it will inevitably try and eat them. I don't think this shark, despite the fact that it is almost totally sedentary, should ever be imported. Stores will sell them, and won't know the first thing about their habits.
Ginglymostoma cirratum- Nurse shark- People importing this have a one way ticket to hell, where they will live in a 3'x3' cube for all eternity
Another shark that grows very very large, 8-10'. Something people don't understand about nurse sharks is that they are not the gentle creatures that they seem to be, peacefully sitting around and doing nothing all day, inviting divers to play with them. They instead, are very unpredictable, and are incredibly strong. Nurse sharks can and will grab your arm if you let them, and they have very powerful suction created by their smaller mouths. I liken their abilities to do harm with their mouths to a pump that does not have a covered intake in your tank. If a fish comes close enough, it will get sucked in, and if it doesn't fit, it'll be broken in half and have holes torn in them. IME, nurse sharks are inappropriate tank mates for any fish, especially any sort of ray or skate, any type of shark that starts small enough to fit into its mouth, any crustaceans of any sort, and generally speaking, anything else that you would want to have in your system. They are totally unsuitable for importation, and the fact is, they are commonplace in our trade. The appeal that they have from being cheap (usually less than $100 around here) and starting out small is quickly overtaken by the fact that they are dangerous and don't like companionship from other animals. A few examples of my experiences with them (back in the days of uneducated sellers of these sharks) - a nurse shark that ate a blue dot stingray, since rays are one of their favorite foods. They push the rays down onto the bottom and basically suck them into their mouths breaking their large bodies on the way in, and sometimes simply sucking out their guts. This same shark also ate a lionfish that was half it's size, but twice as broad as it, and 2 leopard sharks and a couple of eels. Get the point?
epaulette sharks
These sharks are very long and skinny, and don't really swim so much as walk. They are fairly docile and don't grow very large, but it's difficult for us to provide the appropriate home for them. I think that they make a more practical species for importation due to the fact that they walk versus swim, but with lower prices and a lot of misinformation on them, they should be reserved for specialists.
blacktip/whitetip reef sharks
Blacktips - huge and need a lot of swimming room, and are also sharks that really like to punch it into high gears and zip away. They should never be sold in the aquarium trade
Whitetips - more like a mobile nurse shark, but again, something that should never make it into the aquarium trade.
lemon shark
Who's the idiot who decided these aggressive sharks should ever be available to hobbyists?
smooth hound shark
Don't know much about them, but they are active swimmers and I think they grow quite large, so probably (again uneducated and inexperienced opinion) should not be sold.
bonnet head shark
I have to admit, I've wanted one for years. They grow to a maximum 4' length, and start out at less than 1'. They are very agile swimmers, and are good at avoiding things like walls that other sharks will swim directly into. The drawback, even if your system is large enough, is that they are very social animals, and use body language to speak to each other, often travelling in large schools. They also ship extremely poorly. Again, though, I have to admit that I'd love to get my hands on a few of them. But, they really should be banned.
Tura lymma- Blue Spot Ray- Extremely common
Extremely sensitive. Should not be sold, except by very specialized dealers. More often than not, they are readily available, and also, are more often than not already dying in the vendors tank. If you're lucky and do things right, they are wonderful pets, and are extremely tame in a short period of time, but again, their sensitivity makes them less than ideal, and a dead blue dot is a painful sight.
cine brasiliensis- Brazilan Ray
No experience.
electric rays
why would you keep a fish that can shock the crap out of you like this one can? I caught one the size of my thumb when I was in Cancun years and years ago, and it shocked me when I released it (I was very young). If it had been bigger, I'm sure I could have been hurt by it, so why tempt fate in captivity?
bat ray
I had these from a place that told me they came in very small, but they lied. They grow up to a wingspan of 6' and 200 lbs for a female, and are great at leaping out of the water, so I can't imagine you could ever house one successfully.
I've expressed a lot of opinions on a lot of species here, and the bottom line is that I don't have a single one of them alive at this time. With sharks, despite how hardy some can be such as the nurse or wobbegong, there are an equal number of them that are too sensitive to exist in the worlds we can provide them. Cheap sharks encourage unknowledgable people to purchase them, and unscrupulous retailers are ignorant of their needs and pass that along to the consumer. Can you believe that I was told before that I should feed my banded cat shark nightcrawlers from the bait shop?
Conservation of sharks and rays begins with educated people dealing with them from day one. Responsible shark and ray keeping begins with educated people passing along their knowledge to the consumer, who will ultimately decide the health and longevity of a species in that hobbyists care.
Do I consider myself an expert? Far from it. But, I do consider myself one of the more educated hobbyists when it comes to sharks and rays as I have kept many of them, and learned a lot about them in keeping them.
Education = Conservation
Don't know how on point my post is, but I hope it helps people to determine whether these species should be USL or not.
By the way, a possible definition for large is whether or not the fish will be 100' away from you at the drop of a dime or not when it was just in front of you. By this definition, a black tip would be too big because if it got startled, it could easily be out of sight before you had a chance to realize it. Too large could also be defined as how you would fare with it if you were jammed into it's tank (if it got angry, would it attack you?). By this token, a wobbegong or a nurse shark would be too big.
[ January 10, 2002: Message edited by: davelin315 ]</p>
