Proper Elasmobranch Choices for the Home Aquarium: The Brown-Banded Bamboo Shark

The Brown-Banded Bamboo Shark (Chiloscyllium punctatum) is a benthic carpet shark and is perhaps one of the best elasmobranch candidates for housing in captivity. The Bamboo Shark is a staple fixture in public aquarium touch pools as well as with home aquarists due to its resiliency, manageable size and lack of space requirements in comparison to requiem sharks and other elasmobranchs that breathe via ram ventilation. Another huge positive with this species is that they are easily aquacultured, reducing the ecological impact on the reefs where they are collected. Brown-Banded Bamboo sharks are oviparous and lay egg cases that are whimsically called mermaid purses. Their diet consists mostly of crustaceans, scallops, squid and slower moving benthic fish. Keep in mind that surface area is more important than overall aquarium volume when choosing a tank for this species and also limit your aquascaping.