From ReefPedia

[edit] Black Banded Bamboo Shark Scientific name (Chyloscyllium punctatum) Max. Size: 41-48" Tank Size: 180+ Aggression: docile when young as the bamboo shark ages ot will become increasingly pugnascious but is only dangerous to bite size fish Hardiness: LOW. High maintenance, bamboo sharks must have zero nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, and phosphates. Treat them like a coral not a fish. Reef-Safe: NO. The issue isn't with the shark eating the corals and etc. it is gthe risk of the inverts stinging the shark as it rests on them sharks usually do what they want and in turn it can prove costly to a shark(especially juveniles) Available as captive-bred: Yes. One of the few sharks that have been successfully bred in captivity and readily available for sale.

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Physical Description

Long slim body,two small dorsal fins, two pectoral fins, males have two claspers inbetween the pelvic fins followed by an anal fin very close to the tail fin. Juveniles have black or dark to light brown bands on their body and as they grow older the bands fade.

Distribution

The black banded bamboo shark is found in the Indo-Pacific

Taxonomic Stuff you know you Care About

• Family: Hemiscyllium

• Genus: Chiloscyllium

• Species: punctatum

Behavior

Generally a nocturnal dwelling shark, it will sleep almost all day long and tends to roam and feed at night. Passive and easy going does not cause trouble with other tankmates generally.

Feeding

Iodine is essential in a sharks diet, usually added to the food, whether injected or soaked. Squid, silver sides, shrimp, live grass shrimp. Usually any bottom dwelling invert is a welcome meal for a bamboo shark.

Breeding

It is not difficult to breed bamboo sharks, however it is not something for the novice, a very large aquarium over 200 to 300 gallons is needed. the filtration needs to be even stronger than usual.

Social Structure

Social structure is not something that is stressed when dealing with sharks due to the fact that sharks generally do not view eachother as prey unless one is vastly larger than another.

Current Views

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Additional Notes

It is very important that bamboo sharks are not living with triggers, puffers, and angelfish. This is due to common issues of fish biting or nipping at the fins and or eyes of the shark. Iodine needs to be supplemented into the diet of the shark or else it will form a lump in it's throat called a goiter. This goiter can get so big that it stops the shark from being able to breathe.

                                                     -kcrokin-