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Pangasius Catfish

Iridescent Shark Catfish

Family: PangasiidaePangasius hypophthalmusPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   The Pangasius Catfish or Iridescent Shark Catfish are a beautiful fish to watch as they are very graceful and elegant swimmers!

   The Pangasius Catfish or Iridescent Shark Catfish need a lot of room to swim and is a catfish for a rather large aquariums. By most aquarists standards they are very large at up to 39 inches in length. Pangasius are best kept in a group or school in a large aquarium. They don't thrive as well if kept singly when small.

   These catfish do not possess the bottom dwelling habit we usually identify with most catfishes, but rather occupies the middle of the aquarium. They are constantly on the move and will occasionally go to the surface for air. These fish are also diurnal, meaning they are active during the day and enjoy a well lighted aquarium.

   Be cautious! The Pangasius Catfish or Iridescent Shark Catfish have bad eyesight and they are a nervous fish that can be easily spooked!

   Don't tap on the glass or startle the fish as it is likely to injure itself in its' mindless flight. They can get hysterical when frightened and dash madly around the aquarium. They will often bash into the sides of the aquarium, ornaments or other fish. After such a flight, you may see the fish sink to the bottom of the aquarium and lie on its side or back until it recovers.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Habitat: Distribution / Background

   The Pangasius Catfish or Iridescent Shark Catfish fish are found near Bangkok, Thailand. They have also been referred to as the Asian Shark Catfish in some earlier publications.

• Scientific Name: Pangasius hypophthalmus
• Social Grouping: Groups - Does best in groups of 2 or more. Pangasius kept singly don't seem to do as well.
• IUCN Red List: NE - Not Evaluated or not listed

Description

   The Pangasius Catfish get up to 39 inches (100 cm). Yes, over 3 feet long! There are other species of Pangasius that are sometimes sold as pangasius catfish, namely, Pangasius pangasius and Pangasius gigas that can reach 300 cm or 9 feet long. Needless to say these fish are not for the average aquarist. The appearance of the fish matches its other common name, Iridescent Shark Catfish, because of its dark bluish gray skin which is smooth and shiny to the point of iridescence in the right light. They are a long slender fish with dark striping running horizontally across the length of the fish.

• Maximum Size: 39.0 inches (99.06 cm)

Fish Keeping Difficulty

• Aquarium Hardiness: Moderately Difficult - Their skin is very delicate and can easily be damaged leaving the fish vulnerable to infection.
• Aquarist Experience Level: Expert

Foods and Feeding

   Since they are omnivorous, the Pangasius Catfish or Iridescent Shark Catfish will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food or pellet everyday. Feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or blood worms. As they get older they loose their teeth, and like the Pacus, become more and more vegetarian.

• Diet Type: Omnivore - As it ages, Pagnasius Catfish will become increasingly herbivorous.
• Flake Food: Yes
• Tablet Pellet: Yes
• Live foods (fishes, shrimps, worms): Some of Diet
• Vegetable Food: Some of Diet
• Meaty Food: Some of Diet
• Feeding Frequency: Several feedings per day

Aquarium Care

Aquarium Setup

• Minimum Tank Size: 100 gal (379 L) - This fish grows to over 3 feet and may be too large to spend its entire life in an aquarium, particularly given its preference for company and plenty of swimming space.
• Substrate Type: Any
• Lighting Needs: Low - subdued lighting
• Temperature: 72.0 - 79.0° F (22.2 - 26.1° C)
• Range ph: 6.5-7.5
• Hardness Range: 2 - 20 dGH
• Brackish: No
• Water Movement: Moderate
• Water Region: Middle

Social Behaviors

   When they are young they like to school up, but will become more and more solitary as the get older. They are generally a good community fish and can be kept with most size tank-mates.

• Venomous: No
• Temperament: Peaceful - This fish likes to live in a school especially when young, however if given insufficent space as an adult the school life may become tense or the fish may become much more solitary. Finally it should be noted that this fish has poor eyesight and is fairly high strung so the aquarist should be absolutley certain that their specimens never become startled as panicked injury will likely result.
• Compatible with:
  • Same species - conspecifics: Yes
  • Peaceful fish (): Safe - Smaller fish may become a meal.
  • Semi-Aggressive: (): Monitor - Larger cichlids may get along with the Pangasius, but it is not garanteed.
  • Aggressive: (): Monitor
  • Plants: Safe

Sex: Sexual differences

   Males are more slender than the females and have darker striping.

Breeding / Reproduction

   Although it is raised in Thailand in ponds it does not readily breed in aquariums.

• Ease of Propagation: Unknown - This fish is too large to be bred in the home aquarium although it is propagated in ponds in South East Asia as a food fish.

Availability

   The Pangasius Catfish or Iridescent Shark Catfish is available all the time and is inexpensive.

References

Animal-World References
Freshwater Fish and Plants Tropical Fish ~ Freshwater Fish ~ Aquatic Plants

Author: David Brough. CFS.

• Pangasius : $4.49

Pangasius Catfish Offered By: PetsMart Price: $4.49

Lastest Comments on Pangasius Catfish View all 105 comments on Pangasius Catfish Add Your Comment

Babs - 2012-01-14 I have two iridescent sharks 13 and 15 yrs old, 12 and 14 in. long. I have had them forever! They had outgrown their 55 gal tank and I tried to re-home them but after getting them into a new home my husband and I realized we did not want to give them up. So we went to our new friend and got our fish back, replaced them in their 55 gal tank and went shopping. They developed stress related ich which we treated with melafix in the 55 gal tank while we set up their new home. About three weeks later on Christmas morning they got their present and were moved into their new home. They got stressed and again had to be treated for ich. They were fine for about a week after that but then the smaller shark Achilles began to fade from dark gray to a very pale gray and developed a yellow coloring behind the eyes and on the fins. The water has been tested only slightly high in ammonia we are adding bacteria but the yellow coloring has lasted 10 days now. They eat fine and are active as always, I don't if the gender of either but they have always gotten along fine. Anyone ever see this yellow coloring before? Click For Replies (4) Toby Jungle - 2012-01-15 Pangasius do fade with age and become more silvery, though I'm not sure about the yellow coloring. They do get very big and are a schooling fish, and are also nervous critters. But it sounds like you are aware of all that and have taken very good care of them. Being active and eating are good signs that they are not stressed. Anonymous - 2012-01-15 Thank you Toby for your input. We are trying. Some days Achilles, named after my attempt at re-homing because he/she was bitten on the tail by the resident jack dempsey even tho it was much smaller, seems to be re-gaining the normal dark gray color. I couldn't help hope/wonder if the yellow coloring had anything to do with mating. Last night and today I have noticed a new behavior, Achilles swims under Hercules and nudges with his head. It does not appear an aggressive move, guess I will just have to wait and see. adam - 2012-01-28 yes it will take a while for it to go away my shark had it well both one died but the other lived it will be fine if not go to the petstore you bought it at and ask what is happening hope they feel better(: Babs - 2012-02-05 Well, so far Achilles and Hercules are fine. Achilles still has some yellow tint to his fins and the yellowish color behind both eyes but is a little darker gray again. Still not as dark as Hercules, or as dark as he was before the move, but both are very active and eating very well. We have moved all of the tank mates from the 55 gal. to the 150 gal. everyone is happy. And now we get to go and buymore fish for the 55 gal but not ones that get too big this time. (: Reply

Nicole Nixon - 2012-01-16 Recently my husband bought home a 8 inch pengasius from a local petstore that had him in a 10 gal tank. The fish had been there for about a week because the owner couldn't care for him any longer. My hubby took pity on his sweet soul. He hasn't eaten for the first three days we had him and is very thin. My hubby had to force feed him gently. We are hoping he will be ok. He doesn't bang around the tank and he isn't as shy as some pengasius have been described here. He likes to hang out on the side of our tank. We bought him two little pengasius friends hoping they might school together and help him to feel more comfortable. Anyone have any suggestions for us, either regarding forcefeeding or how to help him want to eat. We are really trying and hoping we can save this beautiful creature. Click For Replies (1) Charlie Roche - 2012-01-17 It normally takes a new feish a few days to acclimate to his new surroundings. It is sorta like the cat hiding in the closet or under the bed when you first move. If he wasn't sick then he should come around in a few days. Good luck and sounds like you are doing good. Reply

charles - 2011-09-10 Want to buy large pangasius catfish. Click For Replies (2) floyd - 2011-09-17 make sure you are willing to own quite a large tank for them Anonymous - 2012-01-13 Yeah you need a huge tank when they are full grown. They will be about 3 or 4 feet. In the wild they get to 6 to 7 feet. I would say 800 gallons and up or a pond Reply

Jtag - 2011-06-29 I have an Iridescent Shark Catfish in a 90 gallon tank. I have raised the fish since it was a baby and now he is about 12 years old. He comes with tank and is any one interested in adoption of a 2 feet long catfish? Click For Replies (2) Mitchell - 2011-08-09 Hey I have a 360 gallon tank with 6 ID sharks that I have adopted from Pet Centers and people who know nothing about them and take them in.... they get too big and everyone just takes them back to fish store.. I take very good care of them they school with same size Albino IDS which I have 5 of they would love to have a friend Amanda - 2011-09-23 Where are you located? I have a large tank with Alligator Gar and I'm looking for something big to keep with them. Reply

kevere - 2011-12-18 I have a baby pangasius catfish and ever since i bought it, it hasn't eaten anything. Reply

roy m. delegero - 2011-08-06 Hi! I'm Roy of Philippines and I just got back to fish keeping again a few weeks ago to save 2 pairs of id sharks (2 blacks 16-20 in and 2 albs of 8-10 in) from my neighbors small outdoor pond. The black male I'd got his right fin stripped as well as a lip bruise-more from the net he used to catch. They're finally settled happily outdoor in a shaded aluminum tank of about 250 gals ...need more info though re my black female laying eggs. Will it be safe with the smaller id albs? What's my chance of bringing these eggs up successfully given the said situation? Needless to say my bottom tank got pebbles and stones that these eggs could be hidden but still...? Click For Replies (2) Charlie Roche - 2011-08-06 General rule - if one fish can fit the other in his mouth - he will. Babies - you sound like you have been through this before. I honestly hope there is someone on this site that has done this but either way - you won'tknow unless you try. Good luck to you. samiran roy,india - 2011-08-30 After you see the eggs, remove them from all the other fishes at all costs because they will most certainly be eaten. And the chances of hatching the fry is 50-50,but still try. Reply

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