Iridescent Shark / Pangasius Catfish

[wayne84]

Hi need a bit of help on this type of fish. First of all when i first started keeping fish in a small tank we got hooked and got a 4ft tank set up to get a few larger catfish , so off down the local shop we went , we asked about catfish and see a tank full of Pangasius Catfish babys no bigger then 2" when asked how big they grow bloke said up to 10" ( haha git ) so we said we will have one when talking about the fish we found out they like living with the same type of fish so we walked out with 3 baby Pangasius Catfish. Once home in there 4ft tank they was happy but after a few weeks we started to see something was not right haha they was growing at a rate we did not think was right. So we started reading up and found out they are tank busters etc.. , We had a good think and made our minds up that no matter what we will keep them and buld a tank if we have to so we can keep them. By the end of the first year two of the fish was about 8" long one seemed to have a problem with his fin and did not grow as fast ( but his happy he eats and swims fine and joins in with the other two ) When we moved to our new house 3 years ago we said we would upgrade the tank so we got a 7ft tank for them , all 3 seem happy yes they have a few marks on them from when they flid out and bash into the tank now and again but are all doing fine. What i want to know is what age do they stop growing ? they must be nearly 7 years old now the first year they was growing like mad ( it did worry us at first as could not build a tank till we moved house ) but since being in the 7ft tank it seems to of gone slow the two larger ones are around 12" maybe a few cm over and the smaller one seems to of stoped growing at around 7". There are storys of people saying they grow up to 4ft in size which if honest we was sort of thinking once they get to the 2ft mark we might start to build a nice big home for them but over the last year things have slown down in a big way. We spoke to a few local fish shops they have said most grow to about 16" - 2ft tops then stop unlike the red tail catfish that grows much bigger they even showed me one in a tank that they say was 12 years old and it was only about 15" in sized ( well still a big fish ). I would ruther here from people who have kept them or are keeping them now and see what size they have had. As there seem to be storys being told on how small and how big they get , now in the wild like most fish they can get big and i know theres a few types , most of the wild types i seen the photos are true monsters haha , and i also understand that to a lot of people a 12" or 2ft fish is big whenever i have people round they can't belive how big the fish are but to me i have had my mind set to them geting huge so am not worried. If they have stoped growing then thats great/perfect i can enjoy them as they are without the stress of trying to build them something , but i think theres so much said about them and i have never seen one over 2ft in a tank ( my local fish shop has huge tanks with oversized fish ) the main one which seems to be the larger one is the red tail catfish i have seen many of them over the 3ft size. I always had a soft spot for them but we can't have no more tanks haha.

Please please understand i was new to fish keeping when i got the Iridescent Shark / Pangasius Catfish and went on the shop words but as a owner i think i done the right thing in saying i will rehome them for how long it takes no matter the size tank and i have done so much reading up over the years and if honest i dont want them to grow any bigger as they are a very nice size , but we was ready for when/if they do , but it just seems to of slowed down in a major way now ?

Any help on what age they stop growing , but please only from people who no facts about this types as i have been told so many things about the type and have been reading up info on them the only true fact i have came across that i can say as a keeper of them is they do flid out now and again ( get spooked but no as often as some say ) And they are such nice fish to watch , really are a nice fish would i have them again YES i would do it all over again but as a keeper of them i would say there worth it if you plan for them. Dont get them for your starter tank haha

Mine are around 6-7 years old

 

[Davo86]

The majority of a fish's growth occurs in the first few years and it is this period of time where the real damage is done with regard to stunted growth, therefore given that the fish are nearly 7 and are only 12" then it is pretty safe to assume these will never reach their natural adult size,
maybe another 3-5" but nothing more IMO

So many people purchase large fish for smaller tanks with the intention of upgrading at a later date, not realising that it the the first few years that are the most important in terms of reaching a healthy adult size. That said in this instance, a 7ft tank or even a 4ft tank for that matter would normally be ample for most species but in this instance with a species like this the only adequate home is their native rivers.

A few years ago i saw 3 Pangasius in a shop/cafe in Cyprus that were easily 3 foot long, housed in a cylinderincal 5foot tank, they were obviously wild caught as they would never had reached anywhere near this size if they had been brought up in a tank like this in captivity

 

[wayne84]

Thanks for your post you have been a very big help thank you