What Type Of Catfish Is This?

[razer121]

ive just got a couple of these guy as the guy at my local lfs wanted rid of them so i happily took the....however im now abit worried they may grow abit to big....so i just need a ID, they are currently living with my cichlids in the 135litre (i know its not the best size but it will be upgraded soon)


p.s its a 4ft tank,

edit lol forgot the picture...

 

[Wills]

Mate..... its bad, I mean really bad.

Im about 80% that its a Pangasius or Iridecent Shark. At adult size its going to be around 5 foot, they are far too commonly sold. What name did they sell you it as?

Just re read topic title, the blue streak makes me pretty much 99% its one of these monsters, usually sold as the iridescent catfish or iridescent shark

Seriously take them back they need swimming pools to live in.

Wills

 

[razer121]

i took them in as he had no where for them and needed rid for new stock....ive no idea what he does with fish he cannot sell, the guy in the shop knows what he is on about *most of the time so this has to be a first mess up from him, (he normaly is pretty good about what fish are and such, ive not asked him i have his number so i can phone him, i will do some more research and hope this is not what we think it may be!

 

[razer121]

just got of the phone...there selling them as Pangasius, the guy is not there at the mo but the lady i spoke with says they dont grow to big lol i just hope he will take them back!

 

[Wills]

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=172 thats a good place for comparative photos of young ones.

I tried to think of alternatives and the only other ones I can think it could be are, three striped glass catfish or african catfish it could also be Dewubi Catfish - that spelling is wrong and I cant get any positive searches for the right name lol sorry.

When you ring him ask him what they were ordered in as, the scientific name thats the best way to find out what you have. One idea you could try though it may be frowned upon, head over to #99### and see if anyone has a tropical pond and room to take them off you.

I know these are small now but they grow at a startling rate with some hitting 20 inches in under a year, I mean even if your thinking short term care they are going to get big fast.

*edit as if the website was censored, since its pretty relevent to help out you as a member the website I was trying to say is one that specialces in the Keeping of Monster Fish (reorder the words and win the prize!)

 

[razer121]

funny you should say that was just reading about a guy who kept 1 for 7 years at 12 inchs, and he states it never grew bigger very confused! im all for nice looking fish...but ive a very BIG feeling this guy is not going to be happy in my tank, his growth would justt be stunted to much....shame i really like him

 

[Squid]

funny you should say that was just reading about a guy who kept 1 for 7 years at 12 inchs, and he states it never grew bigger very confused! im all for nice looking fish...but ive a very BIG feeling this guy is not going to be happy in my tank, his growth would justt be stunted to much....shame i really like him

That 12" size seems to correspond to this statement on wikipedia:

Juvenile iridescent sharks are often sold as pets for home aquariums. However they are not easy fish to keep and are not recommended for most home aquariums. Iridescent sharks are schooling fish that prefer to be kept in groups of 5 or more.[3] Accustomed to living in rivers, they are very active fish that require a lot of space. They have very poor eyesight, so any foreign movement they detect outside of their habitat, they will see as an utter threat. If stressed, their first instinct is to flee, and such a blind dash can result in injuries, especially in an aquarium environment. These flights may be terminated by the fish sinking to the bottom, where it may lie on its side or back until it recovers.[5]

Many fish owners are unaware of the enormous size that an iridescent shark can reach and also that they can bite very harshly. If given enough room and fed adequately, an individual of this species can reach 1 m (3 feet) in length. In most home aquariums, the amount of space an iridescent shark has severely stunts its growth. It's for this reason that most iridescent sharks kept in home aquaria grow to only 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 inches) in length and die prematurely from organ failure.[dubious – discuss] As a rule of thumb, an iridescent shark requires a minimum tank size of 12 m (40 feet) to develop naturally and live a long, healthy life. Schools require even larger tanks. When provided with adequate sized aquaria and proper husbandry, an iridescent shark may live well into its teens and grow to full size.[6]

**Although- -they do have a dubious/discuss note

Squid..

 

[Wills]

I believe there are quite a few fish in the family I once saw proof of a dwarf one that maxed at 18/20 inches but one that small is stunted. And I would hazard a guess that these fish live for a hell of a long time like 30-50 years easy.

just got of the phone...there selling them as Pangasius, the guy is not there at the mo but the lady i spoke with says they dont grow to big lol i just hope he will take them back!

Ah there we go then, seriously short of building a swimming pool there are very few options for them. Far too often sold fish for its size.

 

[razer121]

lol i already know the lady has no idea i said to her ive been doing some research and belive the fish to become to large for my tank, shes more of the cat lady, i need the guy who runs the shop so i can just confirm i can tank them back otherwise im going to need to start searching for someone who has a tank large enough!

quick one though, can they live in ponds at all?? my nan has a massive pond! (bought 16ft long and 9ft wide no idea how deep lol) they would love it in there right??

 

[Wills]

As long as its heated I think it should be okay? Is it a koi pond or does she keep other tropical monsters like red tailed catfish?

 

[razer121]

ive no idea, all i no is there is about 3 large fish in it, they look like koi's but i dont know i will have to ring and find out,

edit" there is alot of little fish as well but there no larger then a ft, no idea they are!

 

[Wills]

Is the pond heated? Like you would a tropical tank but on a bigger scale, the temperature needs to be at tropical temperatures all year round they wont survive winters outside of a tropical climate. Where abouts are you from?

Wills

 

[razer121]

i couldnt tell you if it is heated, im going to phone my nan later and find out more about it,

 

[Squid]

If you live in Banbury, and your nan is also in the UK, I wouldn't recommend putting it in the pond. Imagine the heaters required for a pond like that in winter! hehe.

Squid

 

[razer121]

no she lives in a place called st neots or something