Catfish at LFS marked as Pangasius Catfish, but is not an iridescent shark

[Nephalem]

The LFS had this catfish that I loved in a tank right next to a Shadow Fin Catfish, but when I asked about it they said it was a Pangasius Catfish. I know there are quite a few different catfish from the Mekong Basin that all get labeled this same name, but this guy is definitely NOT an iridescent shark, or a sun catfish. I would really like to find out one of the common names that is unique to this guy so I can do some research. The little bit of info I did find about him said that his max size should be about 10", and they live aprox 10 years.

Here is a pic of the guy. Sorry about the poor quality, all I had at the LFS was my phone.



Anyone know what this fish is exactly? He is a beautiful blue color with a silver stripe running down his side. Very peaceful, and according to some research he seems to be an air breather. He swims to the surface about every 10 mins to take a big gulp of air. He is currently just under 3" long.

[Aeonflame]

Looks like an iridescent cat to me. Thats how they look as fingerlings. Its also where they get the iridescent part of their name from. They lose it as they age

[Nephalem]

This is a pic of an iridescent fingerling tho, and his head shape is completely different.

http://www.aquariumlife.net/profile-...cent-shark.jpg

Here is a clearer google image pic of the species I'm talking about:

http://naturaqua.fr/PhotoPois_1/Pang...thalmus_04.jpg

But they both have the same scientific name. Maybe its just me but they look like totally different species even tho they are approx the same age. And like i said, I read that this species needs to be re-evaluated because the family hasn't been properly identified yet. There are many of them with a huge variance in size that all have the same name. Anywhere from 10" to 6'+.

Even this guy here has the same name:

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...SxQ8dICcPQQgVP

[cuckoochews]

Having kept a few types of asian cats, I would guess the 1 you saw in the lfs to be an iredescent or poss. a grass cutter shark. Your first link you referred to as an ired. fingerling, I believe to be a young paroon shark(same as the big guy the man is holding in your last link.) Currently I have 2 common iredescents in a 270g tank and at @2' each, they are probably gonna need a bigger home soon. These were both rescues and unless you have a real abundance of space and cash, any of these "sharks" should be avoided... They are also schooling, so imagine housing a school of 10" asian cats... Imo, if they only grow to 10" in an aquarium it's because there skiddish nature causes them to die from stress and head trauma from crushing all that's in their paths w/ their faces.

Just a little side note... Here in the states, for some reason I do not know, it is illegal to lable imported catfish as catfish when meant for human consumption. Therefor, when your in the grocery store and see frozen "swai fillet", those are iredescent sharks in the bag.

[Fish from Filly]

Maybe african glass cat? Also known as debauwi cat

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...species_id=603

[Nephalem]

Thanks for the info cuckoo. Ill do some narrowing down using those names. We have plans to convert an above ground swimming pool into a large indoor pond this winter. It wouldn't be ready for stocking for a long time as i expect cycling alone to take about 3 months or so, and that comes long after the build is done. But I wanted to make sure I had an idea or two for good stocking options both in fish and plants alike before I get to that point. I love the shadow fins except for the fact that they are extremely brackish as adults, and these guys seem interesting but I'm not sure yet if they are for me. Seems like a lot of the larger species I have found that I like have a salt requirement when they get older. I guess that's just part of the territory when you are that big, you naturally head for the ocean. lol. You know of any other mid sized Asian species that are really cool that I might check out for this?

EDIT: hell not even just Asian, I'm interested in ANY mid sized freshwater species.

Yeah your two boys sound awesome. What do you have planned to move them into next? Sounds like they are growing well.

And fish from filly, no it isn't a Debauwi cat, we actually have six of those in with our Asian ghost cats in our community. I love them, but they are just little guys. They make great community fish tho. Have always been one of our favorites. Thank you for the suggestion tho.

[cuckoochews]

I can rattle off a wish list of larger species to you all day, but what are your intentions w/ this project... Breeding or strictly housing? Also will this be top viewing only? How big is this pool and how warm will you be able to keep it? A converted pool sounds like its gonna have an open top, and heating water in cooler ambient room temperature makes for a ton of evaporation. If this is the case, you may want to consider an indoor koi pond... No heat needed and no other fish look as beautiful from up top. + They are awesome!

[Nephalem]

Very true. We are actually working on plans for a koi pond outside as well. Actually it will be a little small for koi so we may stick with shubunkins.

As for the indoor one yes it will be topdown only. Right now we are only intending it for housing our personal pets, and also for acting as a nursery for plant species which we will be growing to sell.

It is definitely not something I am rushing through with. I am just very slowly drawing up plans and collecting as much of the parts as I can to DIY most of the filtration and such. Evaporation is going to be one of the biggest hurdles along with heating, especially as we are working in an old music studio attached to our house that has pine walls and concrete floors. I'm having to look into ways to keep the pine from soaking up moisture like a sponge and warping. Might be building an indoor greenhouse around it, but not sure yet. Might also just be using a dehumidifier.

Half of the lighting is already present in a large tracklight setup, and the other half will be supplied by a large mirrored grow ballast. Thankfully one of the LFS here is a hydroponics supply shop. It's a little spendy maybe, but they have a lot of equipment you cant find anywhere else, and the knowledgeable staff to back it.

We already own the above ground pool, it has never even been used. We have about half the pond liner we need to reinforce it, as well as all the substrate and rock I need. I have a little over half the supplies I need for the DIY filter system, just need to get some good media to go in it and a pump to move the water. Most of it is just a drip feed, but I will need a pump for part of it. That again will prob come from the hydroponics/pond supply store. The setup they have there is incredible.

[cuckoochews]

My 270g was a diy project also and many of my ideas and supplies came from here...
http://www.aquaticeco.com/
I had an actual catalog and spent hrs going over every item in it. Do you have the volume figured out yet? As a grow out for plants, would that mean a shallow set-up or maybe shelves? Trying to think of larger species that won't rip up and destroy the flora.

[Nephalem]

Nice, tyvm for the link.

Yeah just simple home made shelves is what I was thinking, but that detail is ssooo far down the road its only been a passing thought at this point. Lots of other stuff to get the kinks worked out of first.

I think the volume of the pool is aprox 1,000 gallons? I'll have to double check on that. I could be totally off. I know the pool we were looking at getting originally was around that, but then the in-laws found one for next to nothing that had never been used for us. We just have to make it down the hour drive south to their neck of the woods to pick it up. I think it is a little smaller than the one we were looking at first, but not positive on that.

Yeah that's the other thing about the volume is it will be significantly taken down due to the shelves and plant life. The shelves I was picturing would have "guards" if you will to protect the root basses, and the plants will all go around the circumference. That way the plants with the shallowest requirement can go on the outside, with a secondary ring inside that for deeper and so on. What that will make the total volume for the critters is something I will have to look at once the pool frame is set up.