All fish / Carcharhinidae

Blacktip Reef Shark

Carcharhinus melanopterus

Also known as blacktip reef shark, black tip reef shark, blacktip shark, black-finned reef shark, ฉลามครีบดำ, yu sirip hitam, ツマグロ, hiu sirip hitam, 乌翅真鲨, 黑鳍礁鲨

A grey-brown requiem shark with a pale belly and bold black tips on its fins, especially the first dorsal and the tail. It is kept mostly by public aquariums for its classic shark look and active swimming.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

140 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

20000 litres

Keep as

Singly or in small groups, only in very large systems

Diet

Carnivore: whole fish, squid, shrimp and other seafood, with vitamin supplements

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

12 to 20 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Tropical Indo-West Pacific reefs, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii and northern Australia

Breeding

It gives birth to live young after a gestation of around 10 to 16 months, usually two to five pups per litter. Captive births have happened in large public aquariums but are not realistic in home systems.

Good to know

Adults reach 1.5 to 1.8 m and need huge round or oval tanks with open swimming space, so they are unsuitable for home aquariums. It will eat any fish or invertebrate it can catch, and the species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.