Animal-World > Marine - Saltwater Fish > Sharks and Rays > Bamboo Shark

Brownbanded Bamboo Shark

Brown-spotted Cat Shark~Brown-banded Catshark Family: Hemiscylliidae
Chiloscyllium punctatum Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

Banded Catshark (Adult) Photo Courtesy: Callie Mathews

  The Bamboo Shark is also called the Brown-spotted Cat Shark or Brown-banded Catshark. Juveniles like the one pictured here have the bands and occasionlly spots. The adult Bamboo Shark are often plain gray or brownish in color.

   This is one shark that is successfully kept, but needs a large aquarium for room to swim in and excellent filtration! These are among the smallest of sharks at about 40 inches. Adults of the Bamboo Shark, Brown-spotted Cat Shark, or Brown-banded Catshark can be kept reasonably well in a 150 gallon or larger aquarium.

Further information and more pictures have been provided by
Callie Mathews: Banded Cat Shark

For more Information on keeping marine fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Marine Aquarium

Maintenance:
   Feed all kinds of large meaty foods like small pieces of fish, squid, shrimp, and live goldfish. Best to feed small amounts several times a day.

Habitat: Natural geographic location:
   Bamboo Shark, Brown-spotted Cat Shark, or Brown-banded Catshark are found in the Indo-Pacific region, specifically, the east coast of the Indian Peninsula to northern Australia and north as far as Japan..

Foods:
   See 'maintenance' above.

Social Behaviors:
   Gets along with other fish as long as they are large enough not to be thought of as food!

Sex: Sexual differences:
  The medial edges of the male's pelvic fins are modified to form claspers. The claspers are tubelike organs designed to deliver sperm into the female's reproductive tract. As the males grow older the claspers become more pronounced. The females do not have these.

Light: Recommended light levels:
   No special requirements.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   Egglayer, sometimes shark eggs are available for sale. More information on breeding can be found here: Banded Cat Shark.

Temperature:
   No special requirements.

Length/Diameter of fish:
   Bamboo Shark, Brown-spotted Cat Shark, or Brown-banded Catshark adults can grow to 104 cm ( 40 inches).

Minimum Tank Length/Size:
   A minimum 175 gallon aquarium is recommended.

Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong
   No special requirements.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom
   Usually found resting on the bottom.

Availability:
   This fish is available from time to time.

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Latest Comments
Well, I just bought an bamboo shark egg about two days ago. I am waiting for it to hatch. I presently have a 90 gallon tank with about 60 lbs of rock and a few corals, but in about a week I am getting a 265 gallon reef ready setup from a friend who lost intrest in it. I plan on having the tank built into a fake wall in my basement that is being finished off. This will be my first shark so hopefully things go well for me. He/she will be living with a blonde naso tang, a cole tang, powder blue tang, a yellow tang, and a scribbled rabbit. Wish me luck and possible other sharks to come in the future. My 90 gallon will remain in my master bedroom. rob fusco 2009-01-30
we got a shark egg about a month ago. It finally hatched. He mainly hangs out under the rocks during the day but I noticed he does not like the emerald crab crawling through his space. He looks really cool walking on his fins. We named him SKULL SAC! Rusty 2008-12-10
Hey, I'm trying to get my mom to let me get a brown banded catshark. So I wonder if you go to a petshop and ask the person that owns it if he/she could somehow order one, instead of it being shifted to me. Cause I wouldn't wanna take a risk of it being brought to me, cause something might happen! Leanna 2008-06-16
I just bought a bamboo shark egg Saturday and it hatched the next day. I was so surprised, unfortunately I wasn't supposed to get a bigger tank for a couple weeks because I wasn't expecting him to hatch that quick. So now I have to go get a new tank, but I'm not really complaining about it! I think I'm gonna get a 150 gallon tank. joe 2008-05-12
I've had a shark egg for 6 weeks and it did not hatch yet. I wonder if it is going to hatch. gerald felipe 2008-03-16
Some of the coolest comments:
I purchased a banded cat shark egg from my LFS and about a little over 3 months it finally hatched. Now "JAWS" is a month old and 7 inches long from head to tail and loves to cruise the tank at night and just hangs out during the day unless she is feeding. I recommend these sharks to anyone that can afford a large tank to house them in (175 or larger). The bigger the tank the more comfortable the shark will feel and the more comfortable any other tank mates will feel. I hand feed her Ghost Shrimp soaked in Vitality vitamin liquid and Frozen Shark Formula. This is the best fish I have ever owned. Ever since I was little I wanted a pet shark, but always do your research before you buy any fish. It will help you in the long run to avoid any problems. Robert 2008-09-16
I bought the egg and "Shamu" hatched Christmas Eve, 2006. She is doing very well (9" from snout to tail) & my water parameters are very good. She adores eating live ghost shrimp (once a week) and defrosted silversides. She lives with a white ribbon eel, an engineer goby, a clarki clown, a blue chromis, a blue velvet damsel, a percula clown, a pencil urchin and a coral banded shrimp. She sleeps all day, & cruises all night. Temp is currently at 72.5 degrees, specific gravity at .23, pH at 8.2. I have crushed coral substrate and multiple live rock with a wet/dry filter & protein skimmer. I will be adding a refugium shortly, because I would like to add soft corals to my live rock pat 2007-11-15
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
these are great pictures. Whoever took them should be very proud. Thankyou for all the information and research. christy 2005-12-05

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