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Blacktip Reef Shark

The signature reef shark. It is curious and sociable, which makes it easy to mix with reef fish.

2 min read · Care guide

ScreenshotBlacktip Reef Shark
Blacktip Reef Shark in Planet Zoo 2

Key requirements

Group1–10, up to 9 males; loosely social
Temperature22–28 °C
Barrier1 m above the water line
SalinitySalt water

Tank set-up

  • Fine sand across the floor with some rock
  • Moderate plant coverage (about 39% sat in the middle of the range)
  • Suspended bait feeders

Enrichment & feeding

  • Submarine and bubble toys, hoops, lattice ball (after aquatic toy research)

Keeper tips

  • Food grade 2, rocks and a large Indo-Pacific reef companion species (e.g. golden trevally) are the thriving requirements.
  • Sharks breed fast. budget space or plan releases.

Full blacktip reef shark care guide

2 min read · Updated 2026-11-07

The blacktip reef shark is the signature shark of Planet Zoo 2. It's the shark most players build their first big aquarium around, and it was the first animal I got to 100% thriving. In real life it's listed as Vulnerable. It's curious and sociable, and it mixes easily with reef fish.

Getting blacktips

  • In some saves the blacktip is unlocked through a challenge.
  • You can buy sharks with conservation credits. A young one cost me about 45 credits, a female about 63. Gold-rated sharks can cost around 1,000 credits.
  • When you buy, check traits: longevity, immunity and fertility. Avoid anything below 25%.
  • Animals from different sources aren't related, which is useful for breeding.
  • Run them through aquatic quarantine before they go into the tank.

Group size

1 to 10 sharks, with up to 9 males. They're promiscuous and loosely social, so the group rules are relaxed. I started with 3 females and 2 males.

Building the tank

Water

  • Salt water. Filters default to fresh water, so set the salinity in the filtration settings. It resets if you drain and re-add water, so check it again after any rebuild.
  • Temperature 22–28 °C. I set the habitat to 26 °C, which also suits most reef fish.
  • Filtration: compare supply and demand. If demand is higher (say 1,800 demand against 1,000 supply), add filters, connect to a network with spare capacity, or reduce the water area or depth. Raising the barrier adds more water and more demand.

Barrier

The barrier must be at least 1 m above the water line. Use the aquarium barrier tool (acrylic) for clear viewing.

Floor and decoration

  • Fine sand at 100% intensity across the floor.
  • Some rock.
  • Plant and coral coverage near the middle of the range. About 39% worked for me.
  • Coral reef pieces: coral rocks, coral pieces and underwater eel grass.

Lighting

Aquarium lights at about 25% brightness, with spacing around 75–90, gave a nice underwater look.

Enrichment

  • Suspended bait feeders for food enrichment.
  • Toys: the submarine, bubble toys and hoops.
  • The lattice ball unlocks after you research aquatic toy enrichment.

Getting to thriving

Research blacktips with a vet until the thriving requirements appear. Mine needed:

  1. Food grade 2 (expensive, but worth it)
  2. Rocks
  3. A large Indo-Pacific reef species sharing the tank. Golden trevally worked, and Pacific sardines are compatible too.
  4. The lattice ball toy

With all four in place, they hit 100% thriving.

Tankmates

Blacktips mix well with fusiliers, unicornfish, golden trevally, Pacific sardines, leopard sharks and many reef fish. Check the cohabitation list, and match temperature ranges (fusiliers 21–31 °C, unicornfish 24–29 °C).

Guest experience

An underwater tunnel through the shark tank is a must. A 4 m tunnel with a 2 m slope keeps it wheelchair-accessible. Pull the terrain down under the tunnel so it doesn't clip. Put shark donation bins and recycling bins inside the tunnel.