# Can sharks live in big ponds?



## Bobby43

Hello!
I just wanted to know, can sharks live in big ponds? If they can which shark is the most suitable for ponds? I mean real sharks.


----------



## nicolaas

Hi and welcome to TFK.

I get the feeling you like sharks.
I don't think there are saltwater sharks that would do well in a pond.(I have never heard of a saltwater pond)

Fresh water sharks are a other story.


----------



## Bobby43

Yes I know that
Can we keep a bull shark? The pond is circular and is 60 feet from one end to another. Yes, I have low fence around it. (I live in the UK)


----------



## Bobby43

And it is 10 feet deep


----------



## Tazman

Chances of you getting a Permit to even import a shark like that are zero unless you are a registered aquarium. The amount of checks required from DEFRA and the cost are a lot.

If you are looking for something for a pond then Koi would be much better.


----------



## Bobby43

Well, Cant we buy them anywhere in the UK?
Not to be rude, but what do you mean 'registered aquarium'? I might become one! I dont mind checks and I tink I can afford them(I know how much it costs). And just to clarify my pond is 20 feet deep not 10 feet.


----------



## Bobby43

I mean a babu bull shark not a grown one


----------



## nicolaas

The baby bull will become a adult.

That is a big pond are there any other fish in the pond?

I'd rather get chinese hi fin sharks,koi and/or goldfish even a sturgeon or two.


----------



## Bobby43

I am very sorry for not telling you before but my perants have got a very big property which has a pond which is 500 feet from one side to another! Unfortunatly for them it was in the countryside and the nearest town was 20 kilometers from their house and my house is 3 kilometers from the nearest town. So my perants asked me to own their property and them to own my property.And of cours I said yes! So I now own a enormus pond.


----------



## nicolaas

In South Africa that is called a dam.

I live 15kilometers from Tzaneen(my town) and we have 4 dams, 2 small with no fish so far 
and 2 big ones with native fish. The biggest one is maybe 12meters deep and 300wide and probably 1 kilometer longm

Bull sharks are river sharks and won't live long in a dam(pond)

They are a native shark in SA and some hugh ones are caught each year.

Is there any chance of a picture of you dam(pond)?


----------



## Friesian Fish

I'm sorry, I don't think you'll be able to get a shark...unless, I think, there is a shark that's under 3 yards (I think). I'm not sure and have no idea about this, but maybe if it was small enough and the pool was huge enough and you had official permission as well as a suitable environment and a good food supplies. :-D
But again I know practically nothing about sharks so my opinion is not the most reliable!


----------



## Pearl2011

So you want to keep a shark, that grow to three meter long, very aggressive, shark in a 60 foot long 20 feet deep pond?? How are you planning to feed it, take care of it, clean the pond, manage the water parameters?? Where would you purchase a bull shark and get a permit and, as you put it, 'become an aquarium? To be an aquarium doesn't been you have large tank, it means you have multiple tanks with staff and need a lot of knowledge or different fish species.

How are you planning on maintaining the proper climate for the shark? Bull sharks prefer tropical and subtropical climates with warmer waters. This map here (http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/bullshark/bullmap.jpg) shows the location of bull sharks and where they live, all which have a very different climate then the UK. The UK climate is rainy for the majority of the year and relatively cold. Unless you have a huge heater you will not be able to keep the water at the proper temperature.

And feeding the shark, how do you plan on managing that? You can't just throw in flakes or pellets like you would for aquarium fish. A bull shark’s diet consists of mainly bony fish and other sharks, including bull sharks, but can also consist of turtles, birds, dolphins, terrestrial mammals, crustaceans, echinoderms, squids, stingrays and the occasional bird. When they venture in freshwater there diet is even more varied and interesting. Keep in mind these fish HUNT, so you can’t just throw in the dead fish and expect them to eat them. You should even keep other species of fish in the pond so it can eat when it is hungry. 

How are you going to take of it when it is sick? You can’t take it to a vet and I don't think you head over to the local pet store and pick up medicine to help it. You will need a qualified marine veterinarian to come and take care of it. Actually, if you want to keep a shark you should be qualified to take care of it. And the shark (being kept in such a small environment for a creature its size, should have check ups.

If you are still serious about keeping a bull shark, you should contact aquariums that have _successfully _kept them in captivity. What experience do you have dealing with other saltwater species?? They can live for 25+ years, so it a HUGE commitment.


----------



## RSully

Great post but it will fall on deaf ears IMO. This person is dead set on doing this and just looking for 1 person to say "sure, yu can do it". Hopefully noone here will do that.



Pearl2011 said:


> So you want to keep a shark, that grow to three meter long, very aggressive, shark in a 60 foot long 20 feet deep pond?? How are you planning to feed it, take care of it, clean the pond, manage the water parameters?? Where would you purchase a bull shark and get a permit and, as you put it, 'become an aquarium? To be an aquarium doesn't been you have large tank, it means you have multiple tanks with staff and need a lot of knowledge or different fish species.
> 
> How are you planning on maintaining the proper climate for the shark? Bull sharks prefer tropical and subtropical climates with warmer waters. This map here (http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/bullshark/bullmap.jpg) shows the location of bull sharks and where they live, all which have a very different climate then the UK. The UK climate is rainy for the majority of the year and relatively cold. Unless you have a huge heater you will not be able to keep the water at the proper temperature.
> 
> And feeding the shark, how do you plan on managing that? You can't just throw in flakes or pellets like you would for aquarium fish. A bull shark’s diet consists of mainly bony fish and other sharks, including bull sharks, but can also consist of turtles, birds, dolphins, terrestrial mammals, crustaceans, echinoderms, squids, stingrays and the occasional bird. When they venture in freshwater there diet is even more varied and interesting. Keep in mind these fish HUNT, so you can’t just throw in the dead fish and expect them to eat them. You should even keep other species of fish in the pond so it can eat when it is hungry.
> 
> How are you going to take of it when it is sick? You can’t take it to a vet and I don't think you head over to the local pet store and pick up medicine to help it. You will need a qualified marine veterinarian to come and take care of it. Actually, if you want to keep a shark you should be qualified to take care of it. And the shark (being kept in such a small environment for a creature its size, should have check ups.
> 
> If you are still serious about keeping a bull shark, you should contact aquariums that have _successfully _kept them in captivity. What experience do you have dealing with other saltwater species?? They can live for 25+ years, so it a HUGE commitment.


----------



## Bobby43

Bobby43 said:


> I am very sorry for not telling you before but my perants have got a very big property which has a pond which is 500 feet from one side to another! Unfortunatly for them it was in the countryside and the nearest town was 20 kilometers from their house and my house is 3 kilometers from the nearest town. So my perants asked me to own their property and them to own my property.And of cours I said yes! So I now own a enormus pond.



Thank you pearl2011! This quote tells you how big my new pond is (and its 15 meters deep).


----------



## funkman262

That would make an awesome cherry shrimp pond


----------



## Tazman

Bobby43 said:


> Thank you pearl2011! This quote tells you how big my new pond is (and its 15 meters deep).


This is the third time you have changed the dimensions and depth of the "pond"

Sorry to say but after asking someone who works as a vet for DEFRA (UK Government Department responsible for Environment and Animal Welfare on imported species) there is no chance whatsoever you will get the required permits to be able to import a bull shark to the UK.

London Aquarium have to have their sharks checked on a weekly basis by law, at a cost of £650 per shark and once every 3 months a comprehensive check at £3,500 per shark. There are very specific requirements on their care and nothing even comes close in having it in a pond outdoors. 
Physically buying the shark is going to be around £20,000, so yearly you are looking at an enormous cost when you factor food in.

To heat that quantity of water is not something you could even contemplate doing without a dedicated sub station. The environment in Wales is nowhere near warm enough at all to sustain a shark even in summer and it snows in Winter so you would need to heat the water then.

I would strongly urge you as other members have, not to persue this idea anymore.


----------



## Reefing Madness

If he has umlimited funds and the means to keep a Shark in a Pond, there is absolutey no reason why he can't. Its big enough for the fish. Its his money and we have no reason to shun his idea, he asked if it can be done. The answer is yes, it can be done.
He would need industrial sized (large public aquarium) equipment to run this pond of his, along with the heaters and everything else that we use in small quanitities. Money is the ultimate decider here, not us.
Its up to him to do the research in his country for laws on keeping such an animal, not ours to approve or disapprove.
People have closed off a bedroom in their house and turned it into a SW Tank with Sharks in it, his pond is more than big enough to accomodate a large Shark.


----------



## Pearl2011

Bobby43 said:


> Thank you pearl2011! This quote tells you how big my new pond is (and its 15 meters deep).


Could we get some pictures of it?? And how are you planning to  filter, heat, clean the water, get more water for the pond when you change the water? And could you even afford it? If you cant answer these questions, you shouldn't be keeping the animal.
It doesn't matter the size of the pond, bull sharks are not meant to be kept in ponds, regardless of the size. It _might_ be able to survive, but not thrive. You could live in a closet, but would you be and healthy and enjoying life to the fullest? No. Sharks should be left in the ocean.


And you what experience do you have keeping marine life?


----------



## funkman262

Pearl2011 said:


> It doesn't matter the size of the pond, bull sharks are not meant to be kept in ponds, regardless of the size. It _might_ be able to survive, but not thrive. You could live in a closet, but would you be and healthy and enjoying life to the fullest? No. Sharks should be left in the ocean.


I'm sorry but by that logic, none of us should be keeping ANY fish. The aquariums that we're able to provide are nowhere near the size of lakes or rivers that the fish we keep come from.


----------



## Reefing Madness

funkman262 said:


> I'm sorry but by that logic, none of us should be keeping ANY fish. The aquariums that we're able to provide are nowhere near the size of lakes or rivers that the fish we keep come from.


Money cures all ills. If you have it, you can build it. You've seen some crazy huge tanks, this is no different.


----------



## DragonFyre14

I don't know much about all the laws and such, but it sounds like your pond is large enough to house a shark. Personally, Although sharks are awesome, I would probably opt to get some lake sturgeon or something.


----------



## Pearl2011

Reefing Madness and funkman - yes technically by that logic we shouldn't be keeping fish, but we're talking about a 3 meter shark. So it _is_ different in this case, and people kill 90,000,000 sharks every year. I don't think we should take anymore out of the ocean.

And Bobby, I'm really confused by the dimensions of the pond. You have three different ones posted.


----------



## Bobby43

Pearl2011 said:


> Reefing Madness and funkman - yes technically by that logic we shouldn't be keeping fish, but we're talking about a 3 meter shark. So it _is_ different in this case, and people kill 90,000,000 sharks every year. I don't think we should take anymore out of the ocean.
> And Bobby, I'm really confused by the dimensions of the pond. You have three different ones posted.


Yep, I understand that; I will not keep a shark in my pond. As for the dimensions then the first one was wrong. The second one was correct for my old pond. The third one was for my new pond. (read the 8th reply)


----------

