hi got this info off a website this is all i could find about high fin sharks.
Myxocyprinus asiaticus Bleeker. Myxocyprinus asiaticus sinensis, Myxocyprinus asiaticus asiaticus, Chinese High Fin Sucker, Sailfin Sucker, Topsail Sucker, Asian Sucker, Chinese Sucker, Wimple Carp, Freshwater Batfish, Hilsa Herring, Rough Fish, Entsuyui (Japanese).
Family: Catostomidae (true suckers)
This page is intended to provide aquarium keeping information for the Chinese High Fin Banded Shark, Myxocyprinus asiaticus. This fish that is often sold to aquarists who are not informed of the possible problems involved with keeping this fish. I myself do not have any of these fish, though I find their appearance of the juvenile form in dealers' tanks undeniably appealing.
Images at right from:
KKS-Myxocyprinus
The "Shark" appellation is a fanciful trade name due to some slight resemblance to a shark. A temperate (not tropical) water bottom feeder native to the Yangtze river in China. Mature length up to a meter (39 inches), but it is not known if aquarium kept individuals will survive long enough to reach this size. Omnivore (but strongly herbivorous). Hunziker states that "They feed on benthic (bottom-dwelling) invertebrates and also rasp algae from rocks and logs." Described as "peaceful" (Mills), so I would not expect any predatory tendencies. Not recommended for casual aquarium keepers due to large size at maturity. Difficult to raise to maturity in captive conditions. Thought to be incompatible with tropical tank mates due to water temperature needs. Body shape and coloration changes radically with maturity (see quote from Castro, and series of drawings, below). Native to moving, cool water streams and rivers, so provide some water movement and well oxygenated water. Feed with sinking algae and plant matter containing foods (algae wafers and pellets, sinking Goldfish pellets). Appear to be schooling fish, therefore it would be best to keep them in groups (likelihood of survival without a school not known).
Temperate origin, diet and size suggest care similar to Goldfish. Possibly suited to sharing tanks with Goldfish. Stocking levels for Goldfish (10-30 gallons per fish for juvenile forms) might apply. Possibly suited to outdoor ponds in milder temperate climates, but may be difficult to see due to coloration.
An endangered species in China due to human development. Source of specimens for the aquarium trade not known.
Drawings from Fang, P.W.
Juvenile, approx. 4 inches long
Sub adult, approx. 20 inches long
Adult, approx. 40 inches long
"The truely unfortunate thing about this species is that by the time it reaches a year in age, it has changed its basic shape from a deep bodied species with a high dorsal fin to a long, slender cylindrical species with a low dorsal fin. Its marvelous contrasting colors fade into a dull blackish brown, and, if properly housed, it continues to its potential length of about 3 feet in length. So ironically, the highly desirable Chinese highfin shark, if it is fortunate enough to survive, turns into a fish that would hardly anyone would give a second look to - a sort of ugly duckling in reverse."
-Alfred D. Castro
Conclusions:
It is of dubious ethical value to keep a fish which may outgrow its tank; keeping fish is too small a tank is inhumane. Few (if any) aquarists have the tank space to house this fish at its adult size. If it is unlikely that the fish will reach adult size in an aquarium, this is a moot point. It is also of note that the fish is an endangered species. Since the fish is not really "captive bred" in the aquarium trade, keeping the fish in an aquarium does not contribute to its survival as a species. Aquarist demand for this fish may contribute to its extinction, since juveniles must be taken from its breeding habitat and out of any pool of individuals that are likely to reproduce.
