Epaulette Shark I Hemiscyllium ocellatum

The Epaulette Shark comes from the shallow reef flats, tide pools and lagoons of northern Australia and New Guinea. It is remarkably adapted to low-oxygen conditions, using its muscular pectoral fins to "walk" across exposed reef and even tolerate brief periods stranded between pools. In the aquarium it wants a large footprint with a soft open sand bed for resting, plus caves and overhangs for daytime shelter. Floor space matters far more than height, as this is a benthic fish that spends its time cruising the bottom rather than swimming in open water.

The body is slender and elongated with a pale tan to cream base colour covered in scattered dark spots, and a bold black ocellus ringed in white sitting above each pectoral fin. These false "eye" spots give the species both its name and its display appeal. Adults reach roughly 90 cm and occasionally more, so the modest size of juveniles can be misleading at purchase. Healthy specimens are alert at night, feed willingly and move with smooth, deliberate motions across the substrate.

Toward its keeper and larger tank mates the Epaulette Shark is calm and undemanding, but it is still a predator. Anything small enough to swallow, including fish, shrimp, crabs and other mobile invertebrates, is at risk. It is best kept with robust, non-aggressive fish that are too large to be seen as food. Avoid housing it with aggressive triggers or large predators that may harass or bully it, and provide secure shelter so it can rest undisturbed during the day.

This is a carnivore that feeds on meaty marine foods. Offer a varied diet of prawn, squid, mussel, clam, fish flesh and other chunky seafoods, fed a few times per week rather than daily. Juveniles can be fed a little more often. Use feeding tongs or target feeding to make sure the shark gets its share, especially in a mixed system, and remove uneaten food promptly to protect water quality.

Provide a minimum of around 1300 L, with 2000 L or larger strongly recommended for an adult, prioritising floor area and a soft sand bed to protect the belly. Maintain temperature at 24–27°C, pH 8.1–8.4 and salinity around 1.020–1.026. Sharks are sensitive to dissolved metals and elevated nitrate, so powerful filtration, strong protein skimming and regular water changes are essential, and copper-based medications must be avoided. A secure lid or cover is important, and any pumps and overflows should be shark-proofed. This is an advanced species that rewards space, patience and pristine water.

The Epaulette Shark is an egg-laying species and has been bred in public aquariums and occasionally by advanced hobbyists. Females deposit tough egg cases from which fully formed pups hatch after several months. While more achievable than with many marine fish, breeding still requires a very large, stable system and dedicated grow-out space, so for most keepers the focus should remain on long-term health and correct husbandry.

Suitable tank mates include large, peaceful to semi-robust fish that cannot be swallowed, such as larger tangs, large angelfish, rabbitfish and other sizeable community marine fish in a big system.

Avoid keeping with small fish, ornamental shrimp, crabs and other small invertebrates that will be eaten, as well as aggressive triggers, large predators or anything likely to harass a resting bottom-dweller.

See how Epaulette Shark I | Hemiscyllium ocellatum gets along with the rest of your tank. Our Aquarium Compatibility Checker scores tank size, aggression, diet and water type against everything else you're keeping.

Open the Compatibility Checker for Epaulette Shark I | Hemiscyllium ocellatum →

Is your tank ready?

A few quick checks before you buy save most of the common losses.

Tank size for the adult, not the juvenile

Check the species page for max size and minimum tank size, and size your tank for what this animal will grow into – not what it looks like today.

Cycle first

Your tank needs an established nitrogen cycle before livestock goes in. Adding fish to an uncycled tank is one of the most common causes of early losses.

Match the conditions

Check temperature and pH on the species page against what your tank currently runs, and make sure you've got the right gear – a heater for tropical species, adequate filtration turnover, lighting and CO2 for planted tanks, or the right salinity setup for marine.

Start conservative

New to the hobby? Start with a small number of hardy species and add slowly – overstocking a new tank is one of the fastest ways to crash your water quality.

Ready to place your first order? See our Buying Livestock Online – Start Here guide for the full walkthrough of packing, delivery, arrival day and acclimation.

Where we ship

We are based in Brisbane and ship live fish and corals to most of Australia. Some states have import rules that may affect what we can send and the cost.

• Western Australia: Import requirements and fees may apply. Read first.
• Tasmania: Import requirements and fees may apply. Read first.
• Northern Territory: May require a permit and be subject to quarantine.
• Regional and remote areas: Carrier options can be limited, which may affect service and transit time.

If you are unsure we can reach your location, please contact us before ordering.

A note on timing: All transit times are estimates and can vary with your location, the weather, and carrier schedules. Regional and remote areas may take longer. To give your livestock the safest trip, please order early in the week.

Live Fish

• Oxygen-filled bags – each fish is bagged in clean water from its own system with a generous charge of pure oxygen, giving many hours of safe transit time.
• Double or triple bagging – spiny or sharp-finned species (catfish, plecos, marine oddballs) are multi-bagged with liners so a spine can't cause a leak.
• Dark, calm transit – bags are packed upright in the dark, which keeps fish calm and lowers their oxygen use during the trip.

Live Corals & Inverts

• Individually bagged or cupped – each coral travels in its own bag or rigid cup of system water, sized so the piece can't knock against the sides.
• Frags secured – frag plugs are held so they can't tumble or land face-down against the polyps.
• Inverts packed to species – shrimp, snails, starfish and anemones each get the packing method that suits them, not a one-size-fits-all bag.

Live Plants & Tissue Cultures

• Moist, not swimming – plants travel wrapped in damp paper inside sealed bags, which prevents both drying out and rot in transit.
• Tissue culture cups sealed – cultures stay in their sterile cups, cushioned so lids can't pop.

The Box

• Insulated foam boxes – all livestock ships in polystyrene-lined cartons to hold temperature steady.
• Heat or cool packs by season – we add heat packs in winter and cool packs in summer heat waves, based on the forecast for your delivery route.
• Void fill and bracing – bags are braced so nothing shifts, even if the box travels on its side.

When Your Box Arrives

Open the box promptly, check everyone in, and follow our Acclimation Guide before releasing anything into your tank. If something has gone wrong in transit, take photos of the unopened bags straight away and see our Live Fish Arrival Guarantee for what to do next.

Questions about packing or shipping to your area? Email us at sales@nicksaquariumoceanariumterrarium.com.au – we're always happy to talk through it before you order.

Dead on Arrival (DOA) Cover

DOA cover applies only to livestock shipped by air freight. It gives you peace of mind that eligible animals are covered if they arrive deceased. Full terms are in our Live Fish Arrive Guarantee.

How to make a claim

• Take clear photos or video of the deceased livestock in the sealed, unopened inner bag.
• If double bagged, you may remove the outer bag, but the inner bag must stay sealed.
• Take individual photos or video of each animal once unbagged, where applicable.
• Send your claim by email or text message within 4 hours of receiving your order. Claims by Facebook Messenger or phone cannot be accepted, and claims made after 4 hours may be declined.
• Please include: your name, order number, approximate time received, number of bags affected, and quantity of livestock affected.

If your claim is approved

We will offer store credit or a replacement of the same item, subject to availability. Replacement shipping is covered only if more than 50 percent of your order arrives DOA. Shipping charges and fees are non-refundable.

To keep your cover valid

Be present at the airport or at home to receive your order, and collect it promptly. Livestock left unattended, returned to a depot, or delayed in collection may void cover. We can only ship to a valid residential or business address, not PO boxes or third-party addresses.

Why quarantine

Quarantining new arrivals before they go into your main tank protects the fish you already have from disease, and gives new stock time to settle and start feeding under close observation.

Freshwater Fish

• Duration: 2 to 4 weeks in a bare-bottom tank with a cycled sponge filter.
• Watch for: white spots, flicking or scratching, laboured breathing, clamped fins, and loss of appetite, checked twice daily.
• Medication: only if a problem appears – quarantine is for observation, not routine treatment.

Marine Fish

• Duration: around 4 weeks minimum.
• Options: observation only, a copper treatment held at 2.0 to 2.5 ppm for at least 30 days, or the Tank Transfer Method (four transfers over about 12 days).
• Flukes and worms: treated with praziquantel, with a repeat dose about a week after the first.

Full details: see our Fish Quarantine Guide, and our Freshwater Fish Quarantining at Home and Marine Fish Quarantining at Home guides, for tank setup, dosing, and day-by-day steps.

Before you start

Test your aquarium water, gather a clean bucket and net, and dim the room lights. Never pour transport bag water into your aquarium – always net your livestock out and discard the bag water, since acclimating too quickly after CO2 build-up in the bag can make trapped ammonia rapidly more toxic.

Freshwater Fish

Float the sealed bag for about 15 minutes to match temperature, then open it into a bucket and add roughly a cup of aquarium water every 5 minutes for about 45 minutes. Net the fish into the tank, keep the lights off for the rest of the day, and hold off feeding until the next day.

Marine Fish

Use the same cup method as freshwater fish, but keep the lights off or dimmed for at least 12 hours after introduction, and hold off feeding until the next day. We recommend quarantining marine fish before adding them to your display.

Corals, Clams & Invertebrates

• Drip acclimation is recommended: 1 to 2 drops per second until the bucket volume has at least doubled, around 45 minutes for fish-safe inverts and 60 to 90 minutes for corals and clams. Echinoderms such as starfish, urchins and sea cucumbers need the slowest acclimation of all.
• Handle corals and clams by their base, skeleton or frag plug only – never the soft tissue, polyps or mantle.
• Light acclimation: place new corals low in the tank away from strong light and flow for the first few days, then raise them gradually over 1 to 2 weeks.

Full details: see our Acclimation Guide for the complete drip and cup methods and coral dipping.