ID a fish for me: iridescent shark look alike (bigger, aggressive)

[Cyberian]

It's quite commonly found in some fish stores. They look like a bigger version of the ID shark, but more aggresive. They are black and have a white belly. They cost around $30 each.

I want to know the name of it so I can do some research on the fish before getting it. I have asked the store owner for the name of the fish, but it seems like the owner doesn't know and just simply calls it an "imperial shark", which I have researched and turned out with nothing.

Please help.

[OrionGirl]

A bigger version? As in bigger than the 3 foot critters? Yikes!

Run a search for Shark Catfishes, and see if you come up with anything. There are about 20 species of Pangasius listed in Fish Base, so it could be a relative.

[VoodooChild]

Lessee, bigger than your standard sutchi and more aggressive? Sounds like an Asian version of the redtail. Check out www.planetcatfish.com/

[crash]

Try Paroon Shark.... Pangasius sanitswongi... they are the huge cousins of the Iridescents. They say they can get over 100" inches, however I've never seen one that big whether it be in a giant aquarium or in wild. But this is most likley what your talking about as they get a lot bigger then iridescents and are known to be aggresive.

[pinballqueen]

Are you sure it isn't just a big ID shark? They tend to develop different colorations when they get bigger, and I had one that was very similar to what you describe. Dark overhead, fading to silvery underneath, with a hard black stripe where the iridescence had once been... and he was mean as a fire ant.

I've seen ID's range anywhere from solid black to solid silver, with any number of different fade ranges. They do all tend to keep the stripe they were born with though, it sometimes will lose the iridescence when the fish develops that gorgeous, velvety look they get when they are older.

That's just my XP with them, and I might have been feeding something to induce that sort of coloration, but it's worth looking into...

anyone else have an Amazing Color-Changing Catfish?

[crash]

Eh, pinballqueen has a point, and well that's all I gotta say for now, I guess.

[Cyberian]

I have searched the net for nearly 2 hours and came up empty. Maybe because the lack of pics provided for me to identify the fish.

And no, it's not a mature ID shark. I know the lining of the ID shark fades away when they grew older since I had one before.

There's one very distinctive thing between the shark I was looking for and the ID shark. It's the fins. ID shark has this rounded tip fin while the shark I'm looking for has a pointed large fin. Which Crash has guessed it, the Paroon Shark! :)

Thanks a lot Crash, now I can find out more things about this shark before getting it.

[valerie]

for more info on the parron shark go to www.planetcatfish.com and check in the catfish of the month section. Feb. 1999 is the profile of the paroon shark.

It says that it isn't for home aquaria as it gets 2.5m long.

[Cyberian]

I know the shark will get up to quite large. But I will only keep it for a few years, then release it or give it to the fish store. Maybe giving it to the fist store is best. I wouldn't want to see anyone swimming away from my released shark when they see it in the wild. Maybe those one of those big aquaria centers will take it.

So yes, it's only going to be a temporary pet to me until it grows too big for me to keep.

Also, it seems like there's something wrong with planetcatfish.com. When I click on it, it asks me if I wish to save the file rather than open it as a link. I will try it again later.

The shark I will be getting is about 6-8 inches long. It will take quite a while for it to reach the 2.5 meters.

[valerie]

DO NOT RELEASE FISH INTO THE WILD!~!~!~If you can't care for their full size don't get it!!!

Planetcatfish says this. "This is most certainly not a fish for any size tank. Not even the largest public aquaria could house these giant, migratory cats. ALL of the Paroons imported for the aquarium trade WILL die premature deaths. So spread the word to hobbyists and unknowing retailers alike that this fish should never be ordered or purchased as its maintenance requirements are beyond the dedication of any aquarist. "

I would highly doubt taht a fish store would take back a huge fish, how are they supposed to house it if you can't. Most public aquariums don't want to take fish from people either.If you are going to get it(even though you shouldn't) i would make sure you find a home for it beofer you purchase it.Call to see if anyone will even take it off your hands when it gets too big.I dont' know how fast paroon sharks grow but most bigger fish grow quite quickly.

I personally don't think fish that get to these "monster" sizes should be sold to aquarist from petstores/LFS. Practically no one has tanks to hold them and they end up dying early.

[ChilDawg]

Originally posted by Cyberian
I know the shark will get up to quite large. But I will only keep it for a few years, then release...

WTF? Release of fish into the wild is a terrible idea, and each new species found in the "wild" is another nail in the coffin for our hobby, as it gives legislators even more excuse to kick a few more species to the curb. Think before you say something like this, but please think really long and hard before doing that. I'd recommend getting in touch with a public aquarium...they may want a Paroon Shark, and they are certainly among the few that can care for one...and maybe they can't even do so.

[OrionGirl]

In most places--including the US and Canada--it is illegal to release a fish into waterways. Getting busted might seem like small change, but you could be prosecuted, in addition to fines and loss of privileges (in Wyoming, we'll take your right to buy a fishing/hunting license away). Aside from the destruction such a critter would have on the native population, transferring aquarium diseases into open waters is not joke, and can also result in prosecution.

It's not a good choice, it's not a joke. It is illegal, and very irresponsible. It gives all aquarists a bad name, and takes our liberties away from us.

[crash]

Just to follow up on the shark id, yea one of the Paroon Sharks fins elongates as it grows older, making them pretty distinctive from iridescents, however on planetcatfish.com they state they has been an artifical paroon shark to combat the fishes large size, so if thats true, it's hard to tell what your getting.

I'm not going to get into the releasing fish in the wild or anything, as Oriongirl and chilldawg pretty much covered that.. but my opinion is.

This fish gets huge.... regardless if you buy it or not, someone else will and will most likley die at a young age. If you could find it a place to reach adult hood like a huge aquariam center, well then I say more power to you, but it's just one of the many aquarium fish that will probley never reach adult size.

[Cyberian]

The releasing it to the wild was obviously a joke. Even if I do release it to the wild, the shark will die in a few days since it was raised indoors.

As Crash pointed out, there has been an artificial version of the paroon shark that will grow smaller than the real thing. I only plan to keep it for less than 5 years or so. Then I will find a serious aquarist to take care of it for me.

Someone mentioned that the shark will die prematurely. Don't all (at least most) indoor fish die prematurely? Yes, they do. We aquarists have taken them from their natural environment and encaged them in a tank. We aqua-hobbists are just lesser evils than those who sells them.

Each and everyone of us here are caging fishes for our own purposes; we are selfish. But instead of calling them "fish-slaves" we call them pets because the word "care" is added to it. Nonetheless, we are still ruining their lives by keeping them in a glass "prison". Realism hurts. Most of us just can't handle it.

[bimmersamster]

Find a hobbyist to take care of the fish for you? haha
If you can't keep a fish don't keep it at all....


Originally posted by Cyberian

Each and everyone of us here are caging fishes for our own purposes; we are selfish. But instead of calling them "fish-slaves" we call them pets because the word "care" is added to it. Nonetheless, we are still ruining their lives by keeping them in a glass "prison". Realism hurts. Most of us just can't handle it.

Jeez, someone needs to take a chill pill, bill....had a stressful day at work?

No, realism doesn't hurt, all you did was make lots of fancy (well, no..." amateurish "play by words...let me make my own:

Anyway, all the fish i have are "tank-bred and and raised"...the aquarium, this "glass prison" IS my fish's "natural" environment that it is used to in the first place, ever since it was borne...

Anyway, I'm not even going to bother continuing to argue...what the heck was the point of the above quote you made anyway? You threw salt in your own face as well as ours....your conclusion to your argument makes me laugh. thanks i needed that.

:D

[ChilDawg]

Amen, bimmersamster!

Cyberian, it sounds like you need a hobby where your cynicism doesn't reduce it to such negative levels. My fish are all CBB as well, but, even if I get WC ones, I will provide the best environment possible. I think that my fish would take to their homes, because I won't buy any too big for their tanks, nor will I buy any for which I cannot provide the right captive environment. You would do well to do the same.

[Corax]

To buy a fish you know full well you can never house properly is irresponsible. What size tank do you intend to give it?

"The releasing it to the wild was obviously a joke. Even if I do release it to the wild, the shark will die in a few days since it was raised indoors."
You say that only after being dragged across the carpet by these more responsible keepers. And no, that catfish is probably more than capable of surviving in our waters. Thankfully, reproduction will be impossible due to it being a solitary specimen and very different from anything that might be in our native waters, so the damage will be limited to what it alone can do.

Some people don't deserve the privledge of walking into a fish store and taking responsibility for an animal. THAT is the realism of the situation, and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Hey Onion? This is the kinda person my permit system would weed out =)

[OrionGirl]

I'd like to kill a myth here--fish should live longer in an appropriately sized and maintained tank than they would in the wild. Why? Because their every need can be met, parasites and diseases can be avoided or treated, food is always available, water parameters are stable and can be monitored to avoid negative situations, predation is eliminated. If the human takes care of the tank, the only thing that should kill aquarium fish is old age. Catfish live for upwards of 20 years in the wild--they should beat that in the aquarium.

Fish live shorter lives in aquariums only when the aquarist is irresponsible.

Corax--do you think this guy is going to admit to being irresponsible when he applies for the permit?

[Cyberian]

Not my fault you people are slow and didn't get the release into the wild part. :rolleyes:

RE: "Find a hobbyist to take care of the fish for you? haha
If you can't keep a fish don't keep it at all...."

All bow to the smartass! I only intend to keep it for a few years and give it away to another aquarist, because I'm planning to move out of the country in 5 years or so after I finish university. Not everyone keeps things in their life for life. Way to go on opening your motor mouth and end up proving me to that you're an ignorant.

Oh, yes. I'm so irresponsible, I purposely buy fishes back and leave them starving and couped up in a tank. Again, for those who are slow, that was scarcasm. :rolleyes:

I plan to get a 70 gallons or so for the paroon shark. If it outgrows the tank before the 5 years, then I will get a bigger one.

Look at the title. Does it read "who wants to argue with me?". So why start and arguement with me? You teenagers have too much time on your hand.

You people maybe thinking, "oh, look, he didn't know a fish's name, this is our chance to bash on a 'newbie' aquarist!". Yes, you people are so "cool". Too bad I'm not impressed by it since I long been out of grade 9. Continue arguing, I'm not going to even bother arguing back with you kids.

If you want to help me, then just help me. If you feel so bored and been waiting for a chance to argue, write a letter into your local newspaper and complain about politics or whatever. You will feel much better that way since your name is printed in ink and it's read by millions.

Thanks again for the help, Crash. Many of you need to be more open.

By the way, I have contacted with my LFS's, and one of them (the one I'm getting it from, perhaps, still deciding if I really want to get one) say they will take it back if it grows more than 2 feet in 4 or 5 years. Not all fish stores carry "tiny" fishes. Some of them even sells 2 feet long green Asian arrowana which is worth like $2,500 USD or so.

I have to move on with life now, and get my eyes off the computer screen. See you "cool" people later.

[OrionGirl]

If your comment about releasing the fish was a joke, fine--but it's not a joking matter. There are millions of aquarium fish dumped each year, some with no consequences, some with serious ones. The topic is a hot button--meaning, experienced hobbyists know that mentioning it will get a negative reaction.

It is irresponsible to assume the care of an animal when you can not provide for it's needs in the long run. Pet shelters are filled with animals becuase of exactly this problem, but there aren't as many places for a fish to go. I recently drove 1600+ miles to prevent an african lung fish from being put down because he was turned into an LFS, and they didn't have the facilities to care for the fish long term. The LFS that says they will take the fish--do they have a big enough tank to dedicate to this fish? Any gaurantees that they will still be there, and still willing in 5 years?

I'm sorry that you don't think this is serious matter. The rest of us have taken it as such, and offered advice that is in the best interest of the fish. Somehow, that makes us children? I don't think so.

I am locking this thread now--I don't see it going anywhere but downhill from here.