Pangasius (aquarium shark): shark-like fish

The aquarium fish pangasius (Pangasius hypophthalmus), or shark catfish, are delightful and active inhabitants, whose beauty will leave few people indifferent. The second name of the phenotype is decorative shark, since in appearance these charming catfish are similar to sharks - formidable sea predators. Thanks to its bright appearance, pangasius in an aquarium is a stunning sight, but the popularity of the fish was given not only by its external characteristics, but also by the opportunity to keep catfish in an artificial reservoir. To ensure a long and happy life for their pets, lovers of exotic pangasius should be aware of the requirements of fish when keeping them at home.

Description and habitat

Pangasiid catfish are representatives of the Pangasiid family, the order of catfish. The family includes 4 genera and 23 species, but only three are found in the aquarium hobby. In their natural habitat, shark catfish are large and well-fed fish, growing up to 3 m in length, and the body weight of individual giants can reach 300 kg. When kept at home, the Pangasius aquarium catfish has more modest dimensions - the pets do not exceed 1 m in length, but still remain large and massive representatives of the inhabitants of artificial reservoirs.

The rainbow catfish, as this fish is affectionately called, first became known to the world in 1800. The phenotype lives in fresh water. Most shark catfish in their natural environment inhabit the Mekong and Chauh Phraya rivers; much fewer representatives can be found in the rivers of Thailand, Vietnam and Southeast Asia. The appearance of aquarium fish shark catfish is really similar to formidable predators, whose names terrify unwary swimmers, which is why the phenotype received its original name.

Description of fish:

• Flat head, large mouth.
• The body is elongated, torpedo-shaped, slightly compressed at the sides.
• The anal fin is long, fringed.
• The dorsal fin is high, raised up.

Freshwater sharks of mini size for an aquarium behave actively and energetically, never stopping for a minute. Despite such mobility and impressive dimensions, pangasius is a nervous fish that is frightened by loud sounds, unexpected movements of neighbors and the owner behind the glass of the tank. With age, catfish become sedate, fish movements slow down and become stately, and their appearance loses its resemblance to a shark.

Interesting fact: pangasius is a commercial fish, the fillets of which are used for cooking and for sale for export.

Varieties

The Pangasiidae family includes many varieties, but in the aquarium hobby you can only get acquainted with three species of shark catfish:

• High-finned pangasius (Pangasius sanitwongsei) - representatives are plump in size - up to 1 m in length, and prefer to live in a school of relatives. The color of the scales is dark silver, but the shade becomes lighter with age.

• Siamese pangasius (Pangasionodon hypophthalmus) – when kept at home, Siamese shark catfish stretch up to 60 cm in length. The body of the young fish is smoky-gray, there are 2 silver stripes along the body, and the belly is light. As it matures, the color of Pangasionodon hypophthalmus darkens.

• Small pangasius (Pseudolais pleurotaenia) - in comparison with previous species, the small shark catfish is modest in size, growing only 35 cm in length. Representatives have short antennae and a rich, rich body color - bright silver. They are nocturnal in the aquarium, preferring to hide in shelters during the daytime.

The most popular types of aquarium sharks

Pangasianodon hypophthalmus differ not only in appearance from each other, but also in taste preferences, size, habits and character. The most common types of highly finned pangasius:

1. Dwarf sharks are small, up to 25 cm. They are a viviparous species, produce offspring of up to 10 sharks, the size reaches up to 6 cm. Aquarists consider them the most popular among decorative aquarium sharks. They love warm water. They have sharp teeth. They love to eat cephalopods. The shark has luminescent organs that glow on the lower and lateral fins and the lower part of the abdomen. With good maintenance, life expectancy is up to 10 years.
2. The pennant, freshwater river shark or shark catfish, is the fish that has the greatest external resemblance to the predator. In the natural environment it can reach up to 1.5 m, in domestic ones no more than 60 cm. It has interesting behavior, is very timid and when frightened pretends to be dead, but after 20–30 minutes everything returns to normal. It is not recommended to tease; when irritated, it hits the walls of the aquarium, which can cause damage to itself.
3. The black shark is beautiful and graceful. Gluttonous, if it feels that it is not being fed enough, it periodically makes attempts to attack its neighbor in order to feast on it. If something is wrong in the kingdom, she immediately becomes lighter in color. Signaling the owner to find out the reasons why she doesn’t like it. The black bicolor shark is of fantastic beauty, with velvety black skin and a bright red tail. She has an aggressive and capricious character.
4. The Colombian shark catfish or silver shark is a unique fish that has echolocation, this is a way of communicating with relatives in turbid water. The upper fins are poisonous, but the poison is not fatal.

Dwarf shark Pennant shark Black shark Columbian shark catfish

Features of keeping shark catfish

Decorative domestic sharks are a fascinating sight, so many novice aquarists get pangasius for beauty. However, shark catfish, despite its endurance, is not a fish for beginners in aquarium keeping, since the phenotype requires careful care and specific conditions of detention. Before you purchase a pangasius shark catfish, you should find out about the requirements of your future pet:

• Aquarium - shark catfish at a young age look touching, but the fish grow rapidly and reach considerable sizes. In addition, pangasius are school dwellers, and in order for the catfish not to get bored, you will have to buy him 2-3 relatives. To keep fish at home you will need a huge tank - from 800 liters. A lid is required.
• Internal arrangement - pangasius, despite the similarity in sharks, fish with a hysterical character. If you scare your pet, the fish will begin to frantically rush around the tank, knocking down decorations and neighbors. Taking this feature into account, low-growing plants and round flat stones are planted in the reservoir. The middle and upper layers of the water column must remain free for unimpeded movement.

Water parameters:

• Temperature – 22-26C.
• Hardness – 2-29 dH.
• Acidity – 6.5-7.5 pH.

Pangasius fish is an aquarium resident, distinguished by its demands on the aquatic environment. Given the size and gluttony of catfish, the fish leave a lot of dirt and waste, which the owner will have to deal with regularly. In addition, you need to change the water weekly, updating 40% of the volume. The aquarium must be equipped with powerful and high-quality filters and aerators.

Tips from experienced aquarists

To understand whether it is worth keeping a shark catfish in your aquarium, you should learn about some subtleties:

• You can add fish that feed exclusively from the bottom to the catfish. This way you can save time on cleaning.
• Pets are especially frightened by hitting glass. This is due to the fact that fish have poor eyesight.
• After an attack of fright, the fish may sink to the bottom, lie down in the scenery, and look exhausted. Usually the fish quickly come to their senses; you need to observe their behavior.
• Before purchasing, it is recommended to clarify the more accurate dimensions of an adult individual.
• Be especially responsible when choosing neighbors for your catfish. There have been cases when a pet swallowed large individuals, such as Clarias.

Feeding

The dwarf shark Pangasius has an excellent appetite, and pulls into its mouth everything it can find and swallow. The diet of domestic catfish should be nutritious and varied: shrimp, squid and small fish are suitable as animal products. Pangasius will not refuse both dry food and plant foods.

When feeding fish, it is important to take into account that the shark catfish does not behave like other catfish - the phenotype does not pick up food from the bottom of the reservoir, but feeds while afloat. If there is not enough food, mini-sharks may attack their neighbors.

Interesting fact: as fish age, they lose their teeth and become vegetarians.

Diseases

If you follow all the rules for care and maintenance, the fish will not have any health problems. But in some cases:

• ulcerative formations have appeared on the surface (need to be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate or placed in a saline solution for a week);
• redness may be observed near the gill fins (presence of nitrates in the water, urgently eliminate the cause);
• destruction of antennae or fins (bad water);
• the fish loses activity, settles to the bottom, stops eating (water temperature is not warm enough);
• semolina (ichthyophthyriasis) rashes form on the surface of the fish, similar to semolina, these are fungal formations. The sick individual must be removed and treated with a solution of green malachite.

Although there are unpleasant moments in keeping any species, but looking at a small shark swimming serenely in a home aquarium, you understand that nothing can destroy the majestic charm it has created.

It is quite difficult to breed this species at home, in an aquarium. Therefore, it is customary to buy shark catfish fry brought from the countries of their historical homeland. They adapt well to new conditions and grow quickly.

Compatibility

When introducing shark catfish with other fish, care and caution should be exercised. Despite the fact that pangasius is quite friendly, the fish are still not averse to feasting on their weak and small neighbor. It is recommended to keep aquarium catfish along with the following phenotypes:

• Shark ball.
• Parrots, astronotuses, cichlazomas.
• Indian knife.
• Kalamoikhty.
• Polypterus.

Pangasius has negative compatibility with small and phlegmatic fish - the catfish will eat miniature inhabitants, and can destroy slow but large phenotypes during fright.

Reviews

Reviews from aquarists help you learn more about shark catfish and learn from experience in keeping and caring for them.

On occasion, I bought a baby shark catfish at the market. For more than ten years I watched a 40-centimeter pangasius endlessly “cut” circles in an aquarium. At first I fed the fish shrimp, but I realized that keeping it was too expensive. Later, I picked up dry food and gave her fresh vegetables. Friends suggested that you can feed a freshwater shark by hand. Not right away, but I did it. The catfish greedily grabbed pieces from his palm. It all ended tragically. When I left for a long holiday, the filter failed. This was the reason for the death of my catfish. Maria, Moscow

I don't have the best memories of pangasius. The fish is very shy. Due to the stress that even a person passing by causes, the pet rushes about, damages decorations, and breaks thermometers. I was afraid that sooner or later the glass of the aquarium would break. I had to give the fish back to the pet store. And how much excrement we had to clean up after him! Care and maintenance require a lot of effort and time. I do not recommend keeping Siamese pangasius at home. Natalia

Despite its terrifying appearance, pangasius is cowardly and sometimes loses consciousness. The catfish can lie motionless on the bottom for 10 minutes or stick its muzzle into the sand and not move. Then somehow magically it comes to life. It is interesting to watch a school of fish ride on air bubbles. My shark-like catfish got along with barbs and angelfish. Maintenance and care did not burden me. And there were no problems with nutrition, they are omnivores. Nikolay

Breeding

Unfortunately, breeding pangasius at home is impossible. Those representatives that can be seen in stores come for sale from Southeast Asia, where catfish are bred in lakes or containers, stimulating spawning with injections.

The aquarium fish Pangasius is a favorite phenotype of fans of exotic species and the depths of the sea, because in appearance the fish is so reminiscent of formidable sea predators. Keeping shark catfish requires a responsible and serious approach, since space and a clean water environment are important for pets.