Black Banded Cat Shark

The black Banded Cat Shark is known as a Cat Shark because the barbels at the mouth look like cat whiskers. It is also referred to as the Brownbanded Bamboo Shark, and has a cream-colored body with broad dark black stripes. There may be large, muted brown spots between the stripes when the fish gets larger.

The Black Banded Cat Shark is a bottom dwelling shark that is common in the home aquarium. It will eat any crustacean in the aquarium. It stays relatively small, but requires at least a 180 gallon or larger aquarium as an adult. It requires sand as the substrate as the abdomen is easily scratched by a coarser substrate, which may lead to an infection. It should never be exposed to copper-based medications.

Feeding may be difficult in the beginning. When first introduced into the aquarium, small pieces of cleaned squid or live saltwater feeder shrimp should be used to entice this fish to eat. Then it may be fed shrimp, scallops or pieces of fresh marine fish. Feeding these sharks quality foods such as whole cockle in the shell, fresh shrimp and squid, and frozen mussel are ideal.

Quick Stats:
Minimum Tank Size: 180 gallons
Care Level: Expert Only
Temperament: Aggressive
Reef Compatible: No
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, sg 1.020-1.025, pH 8.1-8.4, dKH 8-12
Max. Size: 3' 6"
Color Form: Black, Tan
Diet: Carnivore
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Family: Hemiscyllidae

Note: This profile is currently incomplete. Description and/or images are temporarily taken from LiveAquaria and will be replaced shortly. If you are interested in writing a new description, please contact me at info@myfishtank.net. If you have any experience with this particular fish, please leave a comment below and share with us.