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Iridescent Shark Information

Although they look great when they are young, Iridescent Sharks grow too big for a regular aquarium. In Asia they are caught in sport fishing.

The Iridescent Shark comes from China.  They are known by the scientific name Pangasius hypophthalmus and Pangasius sutchi.  They are best kept in schools and they need open spaces for moving rapidly. 

The Iridescent Shark is actually a catfish and is also referred to as the Sutchi Catfish.

Comments by LittleHippyGirlIridescent sharks make very poor aquarium inhabitants. I'm assuming that the huge difference in size is because of stunting, similar to goldfish. If you stick a goldfish in a 5 gallon tank, it will probably grow to around 4-5". If you give it an understocked 40 gallon or pond, it has the potential to reach 10-16", depending on the breed. Fish excrete a growth inhibiting hormone into the water, and the higher the concentration, the less growing they will do. This may seem convenient to some people, but it is very unhealthy to the fish, and its life span is usually drastically reduced. A little stunting usually doesn't do too much harm, but stunting a 48" fish down to 12" is definitely harmful to the fish.

 Scientific Name:   Pangasius hypophthalmus
 Family:   Catfish
 Temperature:   22 - 26 C; 72 - 79 F
 PH   6.5 - 7.5
 Size:    125 cm; 50 inches
 Life Span:    ?
 Breeding:    Difficult, Egg layer

Compatibility:


Too large for regular aquarium life.

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