Is it possible to keep this fish in captivity?

Question

If I could somehow acquire a cigar shark, or more commonly known as the cookiecutter sharks which I believe only grow to around 4 feet could I keep one in a rounded 12 ft tank?

Answer 1

Well, yes, you COULD keep it in a 12 foot tank. However, keeping it in such a tank could result in stunted growth and will definitely impact the health and lifespan of the shark. A general rule for fish is 10 gallons of water per inch of fish. However, a shark, which is an active feeder, requires more space for hunting, feeding, and hiding. Sharks kept in tanks too small are prone to jumping out of the water. Have seen this happen many times. If the shark has only 6 spare feet of movement room, it may not be able to maintain the level of movement that it needs to pass enough water through its gills. The shark may become easily stressed in an environment that does not provide enough space, as well. If you are determined to keep such a pet, I would ask around about their specific requirements at an aquatic center, such as a public or private aquarium, in order to better understand and meet the specialized requirements of your perspective pet.

Answer 2

The cookicutter shark is an interesting fish, but would be very challenging to keep, if you're talking of the true marine deep-sea shark.



What I know of them is that they feed on large animals, particularly cetaceans like whales and dolphins, and sharks and billfish. Recreating their natural diet might be difficult, but they may eat other things as well. Feeding them swordfish steaks would get pretty expensive. They spend a lot of time in the depths, and would probably thrive at a higher pressure and colder water, which is practically impossible for the home to create.



It looks like they have never been successfully kept at all yet.

Answer 3

I'm pretty sure that in the U.S. it's illegal for any private party (citizen) to keep Cigar Sharks. Maybe if you got licensed and bought a public aquarium it would work fine. As they are schooling fish, you'll need at least 3 to prevent a pecking order, and for just one a 25-30 foot aquarium would be required. As you'll need 3 you'll also need about a 90 foot aquarium with rounded edges.

Answer 4

I know only that:

- These are schooling fish, so 3 at bare minimum would need to be kept.

- They're kept in Asia but not distributed in the US. I'd assume that like just about anything in this world today, you could find someone to send you some.

- They're ridiculously fast and strong fish. I suppose 12 feet would be about the minimum size for a group of them.



If these fish are a serious consideration, I highly suggest that you join http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/ for proper advice on how best to keep them.

Answer 5

a cookie-cuter is a deep sea fish that rarely comes to the surface, i dont think it would be possible, the fish probably wouldn't make it because of the difference in pressures from the bottom of the ocean and the top,



they do stay small, but you couldnt aford a set up to keep them



no public aquarium has keep them for any length of time without them dieing yet, theirs plenty of easyer fish to keep, like nurse shark, reef sharks, leperd sharks, ect anything small that is easyer to get a hold of



the cookie cutter the only way you could get one is to dive and catch them,

Answer 6

Do you have a steady supply of LARGE prey like whales and sea lions for it....face it this is something only public aquAria would try.