All fish / Hemiscylliidae

Brownbanded Bamboo Shark

Chiloscyllium punctatum

Also known as brown banded bamboo shark, banded cat shark, brownspotted cat shark, bamboo shark, grey carpet shark, brown-banded bambooshark, banded bamboo shark, ฉลามกบ, ฉลามหิน, yu bodoh, イヌザメ, hiu bambu

A slender bottom-dwelling carpet shark. Juveniles have bold dark brown bands on a pale body, and these fade to plain tan or brown as the fish grows. It is kept because it is hardy for a shark, lives on the bottom and becomes tame enough to take food from the hand.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

95 cm

Temperature

22 to 28 °C

pH

8 to 8.4

Smallest tank

2000 litres

Keep as

Singly, or a pair in a very large system

Diet

Carnivore: squid, shrimp, mussel, clams and fish fillet, ideally with vitamin supplements

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

20 to 25 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific: India and Southeast Asia to Japan and northern Australia

Breeding

It lays leathery egg cases that hatch after about four months. Public aquariums and some dedicated hobbyists breed it regularly, and captive-bred pups or eggs are often on sale.

Good to know

Adults grow to around 1 m and need a very large tank with a wide footprint, plenty of sand and secure rockwork. They will eat small fish and crustaceans, and you should keep them away from copper-based treatments and from tankmates that nip.