Hong Kong Shark?

[Dave Ehl]

i was in an lfs the other day and saw a catfish the perfect size for my 180g tank. its about 10". too big for my oscar to eat. to me i thought it was a colombian shark but the owner said it was a hong kong shark. i've never heard of a hong kong shark. so i did some research and found out they dont exist so what i bought was a colombian shark. i know they are a brackish cat when they are adult, but at the lfs they dont use any salt in their freshwater setup and the cat looked very healthy and comfortable. in my tank, which has pristine water conditions with 0ppm of anything, it's been freaking out for about two days. just swimming up and down against one of the sides of the tank. is this considered normal behaviour for a cat? how long should i wait for it to calm down?

 

[kewskills]

At 10 inches if it is a Columbian cat shark then it will slowly get ill and die if it is kept only in freshwater, this catfish definitely needs brackish water at this size and quite strong brackish water to marine water. It can survive in fresh but will be very prone to illness as time goes by. Post a photo to get a definite ID, if it turns out to be one then i would recommend getting rid of it to someone who can provide proper environment, or setting up a brackish tank of your own.

Also they are a very active Catfish if it is a Columbian Cat Shark, so pacing up and down the tank is fairly normal.

cheers, Karl

i was in an lfs the other day and saw a catfish the perfect size for my 180g tank. its about 10". too big for my oscar to eat. to me i thought it was a colombian shark but the owner said it was a hong kong shark. i've never heard of a hong kong shark. so i did some research and found out they dont exist so what i bought was a colombian shark. i know they are a brackish cat when they are adult, but at the lfs they dont use any salt in their freshwater setup and the cat looked very healthy and comfortable. in my tank, which has pristine water conditions with 0ppm of anything, it's been freaking out for about two days. just swimming up and down against one of the sides of the tank. is this considered normal behaviour for a cat? how long should i wait for it to calm down?

 

[Dave Ehl]

thats a shame. it really is a good looking cat! i'll bring it back to them asap and tell them everything. do you know anything about a "hong kong shark"? i'm just curious as to why he thought that's what this was.

are lima shovelnose cats brackish as well? which other cats that grow to about one foot to one and a half feet could i keep in a freshwater setup?

 

[kewskills]

It is a shame because they are a fantastic fish, hopefully your LFS will listen to you and house it and then sell it appropriately.

never heard of a "hong kong shark" but then again the way LFS and their suppliers name fish willynilly nothing surprises me.

I have no idea about the "lima Shovelnose Cat", i just noticed this post because of the Columbian in the sub title, being that Brackish fish are one of my passions, it caught my eye.

I'm sure someone else more into Catfish will help you.

Cheers, Karl

thats a shame. it really is a good looking cat! i'll bring it back to them asap and tell them everything. do you know anything about a "hong kong shark"? i'm just curious as to why he thought that's what this was.

are lima shovelnose cats brackish as well? which other cats that grow to about one foot to one and a half feet could i keep in a freshwater setup?

 

[invader]

The reason why the shark was freaking out is because it's on it's own. They are very social animals and will be very spastic if not kept in a group.

Now, for catfish tankmates with oscars, I would go with Synodontis species. They are interesting and large enough to live with an oscar.

EDIT: I just read your stocking and I want to warn you about keeping a senegalus bichir with an oscar. I am really worried that one day you are going to look into your tank and see a bichir hanging out of the oscar's mouth. Bear in mind that bichirs grow fast up until about 8" and then grow pretty slow after that, maybe not even larger, while your oscar can easily hit a foot.

Lima shovelnose cats are docile fish (but will eat anything that fits in their mouth) that come from the Amazon river (so definitely freshwater). They can be kept in groups and a 180 is a good tank size for them. If you plan on getting these fish, though, I would keep an eye on the oscar, as it may be too boisterous for the limas.