The epaulette shark, Hemiscyllium ocellatum, is a model species for conservation physiology, hypoxia tolerance, thermal resilience and development in elasmobranchs. However, despite its growing use in laboratory research and public aquaria, no comprehensive, reproducible protocol for captive breeding and rearing practices currently exists in the academic or commercial husbandry literature. We present a thorough, field-tested husbandry system, developed and refined over three consecutive years of sustained breeding success at James Cook University. The aim of this project was to provide transparent, replicable, colony-level husbandry methods by quantifying reproductive output, developmental success, and identifying challenges and refinements that improved outcomes over time. Holding conditions were the strongest predictor of reproductive success, with temporarily captive or newly established breeding pairs producing approximately five times the number of both viable eggs and successful hatchlings compared to permanently housed pairs. Moreover, female-biased tank sex ratios were associated with a 50% reduction in total egg production. Additionally, higher maternal body condition exponentially increased egg viability. Long-term observations identified reliable behavioural and morphological indicators of reproductive receptivity, practical approaches for embryo incubation and neonatal husbandry, and effective interventions for common husbandry challenges encountered during captive breeding. Together, these findings highlight the importance of managing breeding pairs and colonies, rather than individuals in isolation. This information is not only beneficial to future research outputs but also recreational, and public engagement through commercial aquaria for the epaulette shark, and other closely related oviparous, and potentially viviparous elasmobranchs. Additionally, this protocol harbours potential for application in other Hemiscyllids that have vulnerable or near-threatened IUCN status to inform rewilding programs and improve conservation efforts. These findings provide the first publicly available, evidence based, reproducible husbandry framework for H. ocellatum, establishing practical benchmarks that will improve animal welfare, support ethical sourcing, stable breeding, repeatable development timelines and enhanced juvenile survival.