Date: Fri, 14 Mar 1997 20:07:56 -0400 (AST)
From: gblack@newcomm.net
To: esarchy@wsunix.wsu.edu
Subject: Re: irridescent sharks

At 12:35 PM 3/14/97 -0800, esarchy@wsunix.wsu.edu wrote:
On Thu, 13 Mar 1997, gblack wrote:

 are these fish hard to breed? whats the difference between male and
 female. are thay live breeders ?
 

	The irridescent shark is actually not a shark at all but a catfish from SE Asia. The correct scientific name seems to be Pangasius
hypophthalmus, but most of the hobby literature refers to them as P. sutchi which is no longer a valid name. They belong to the family Pangasiidae. They are found in Viet Nam, Thailand, Laos, and Kampuchea.

	The are not good aquarium fish! A large adult may reach 1.3 meters and weigh 15.5kg. They are also very active and should be kept in shoals.
They are nervous in captivity and the noses of those that are kept in captivity are invariably severly deformed from constantly ramming the
sides of the aquarium. A proper set up would contain atleast six individuals and be atleast 20 feet long by eight feet wide. They are bred
throughout Asia as food fishes. They are bred in large shallow ponds. I am not sure if they breed "naturally" in these ponds or if hormones are
injected to induce spawning. If you have not bought one, then don't! If you already have one take it back and trade it for something that you can
provide a proper habitat for.

	There are quite a few catfishes out there that are being bred with some frequency. If you are new to catfish breeding I would suggest
Corydoras, Hoplosternum, or the bushy-nose Ancistrus spp. Good luck.

		-Shane
	North American Catfish Society

Thank you for your help and you cought me just in time i was on my way to
buying one. the guy at the pet store just told me thay were non agressive.
but i already bought a rainbow shark and had it for a while now, do you know
anything about these. i already know some other names for them(ruby shark or
red-finned)but i would like some info on there breeding habbits difference
between male and female and any other good stuff. and thanks again. its to
bad you didnt work at the pet store down here.!!!!!!!!