Black Fin Shark Catfish Info Needed

[PoseidonCichlid]

I'm looking for catfish candidates for a brackish aquarium. Here's what I know about the Black Fin Shark Cat so far by talking to people and seeing young ones for sale. First the positives. A school of them looks incredible, especially on a sand substrate and with pieces of coral, they look like marauding mini reef sharks! They are very active and entertaining to watch and are said to be peaceful and hardy eaters.

Now the negatives, they get quite big so I'll need a very large final habitat. I've also heard conflicting things about the age and at what size I should start introducing salt into their water, I'd like to nail that down if possible. Anyone have any experience with them or can pass on any info? Or do you have a different catfish species to recommend for the brackish aquarium? Thanks.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

I wouldn't agree they are peaceful. They can cause a lot of havoc in an aquarium. They are fast swimmers and just about never stop swimming. I had 1 and found another home for it and that was in a 180 gallon. It grew pretty fast.

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[ScaryFatKidGT]

Your talking about Colombian sharks? Yeah they get big, idk why fish stores even sell them to people.

 

[lindenthaler.9]

4 to 5" you can start converting them to brackish, as adults they become full strength saltwater. Mine may have been 3 or 3.5" when I converted them, but they came to me with ich so it was partially a way for me to treat them. The good news is there's a lot of brackish fish you can take right up to salt with them. 12 to 16" as an adult. (Slightly vague for a definitive size but that's what I've come up with) You just have to watch their tank mates. They're predatory so you don't want anyone to become lunch, and their activity can scare more timid, peaceful fish. You want at least three of them, 5 or 6 would be best. Very large aquarium.
My Monodactylus Sebae matches up wonderfully with these guys.

 

[lindenthaler.9]

This is the most accurate I've been able to find before as far of a list of possible contenders goes.
Unfortunately there aren't many catfish that live in brackish conditions. Narrow that down even farther because few are actually traded, like it states. But here's the list.

http://www.scotcat.com/articles/article84.htm

 

[Coursair]

Are you talking about Columbian Shark Cat ...Ariopsis seemanni ?
They hit over a foot, but still need Brackish to Marine.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=700

Iridescent Sharks... Pangasianodon hypophthalmus are ridiculous and should not be sold AFAIC.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=172

Be precise. Common names suck.
They call any Catfish a shark in order to sell it.

It can be the difference between a 1 foot fish and a 5 foot fish.


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[ScaryFatKidGT]

Are you talking about Columbian Shark Cat ...Ariopsis seemanni ?
They hit over a foot, but still need Brackish to Marine.

PlanetCatfish.com -Ariopsis seemanni • Ariidae • Cat-eLog

Iridescent Sharks... Pangasianodon hypophthalmus are ridiculous and should not be sold AFAIC.
PlanetCatfish.com -Pangasianodon hypophthalmus • Pangasiidae • Cat-eLog

Be precise. Common names suck.
They call any Catfish a shark in order to sell it.

It can be the difference between a 1 foot fish and a 5 foot fish.


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Bala's sharks aren't cat fish... or sharks . I will give it to them Ariopsis Seemanni kind of look like sharks, and yeah Pangasianodon hypophthalmus would be great... for your 500+ gallon pond in your garage/basement.

I think, Parana's, Redtails, and all these cats along with Bala's and Arowana's should be in the back in the "I know what I'm doing, I'm not retarded and possible have a 210g or larger tank/indoor pond" section.

 

[Coursair]

Bala's sharks aren't cat fish... or sharks . I will give it to them Ariopsis Seemanni kind of look like sharks, and yeah Pangasianodon hypophthalmus would be great... for you 500+ gallon pond in your garage/basement.

I think, Parana's, Redtails, and all these cats along with Bala's and Arowana's should be in the back in the "I know what I'm doing, I'm not retarded and possible have a 210g or larger tank/indoor pond" section.

Who is talking about Balas ?

The title has Catfish as part of the common name. I'd never heard of this common name, had to look it up.

I believe the OP is referring to Columbian Shark Catfish



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[ScaryFatKidGT]

Are you talking about Columbian Shark Cat ...Ariopsis seemanni ?
They hit over a foot, but still need Brackish to Marine.

PlanetCatfish.com -Ariopsis seemanni • Ariidae • Cat-eLog

Iridescent Sharks... Pangasianodon hypophthalmus are ridiculous and should not be sold AFAIC.
PlanetCatfish.com -Pangasianodon hypophthalmus • Pangasiidae • Cat-eLog

Be precise. Common names suck.
They call any Catfish a shark in order to sell it.

It can be the difference between a 1 foot fish and a 5 foot fish.


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Who is talking about Balas ?

The title has Catfish as part of the common name. I'd never heard of this common name, had to look it up.

I believe the OP is referring to Columbian Shark Catfish



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I have heard them called, silver, black, black tip, black fin, silver tip

 

[lindenthaler.9]

Bala's sharks aren't cat fish... or sharks [emoji14]. I will give it to them Ariopsis Seemanni kind of look like sharks, and yeah Pangasianodon hypophthalmus would be great... for your 500+ gallon pond in your garage/basement.

I think, Parana's, Redtails, and all these cats along with Bala's and Arowana's should be in the back in the "I know what I'm doing, I'm not retarded and possible have a 210g or larger tank/indoor pond" section.

http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/articles/146
-Top 10 Aquarium Busters

Let's add a few of these to the list that are currently missing from it.

I wanted a High-Fin Banded Shark.. until I realized how big they get. Lucky for me I do the research before I buy a fish.

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

The Top 10 Worst Tank Busters | RateMyFishTank.com
-Top 10 Aquarium Busters

Let's add a few of these to the list that are currently missing from it.

I wanted a High-Fin Banded Shark.. until I realized how big they get. Lucky for me I do the research before I buy a fish.

It does make me angry that my "good" lFS sells tiger shovlenose, redtail, iridesent sharks, colobian sharks and occasional arowana... they inform people they sell them to but I think they still sell them to people with 125g type tanks.

 

[lindenthaler.9]

It does make me angry that my "good" lFS sells tiger shovlenose, redtail, iridesent sharks, colobian sharks and occasional arowana... they inform people they sell them to but I think they still sell them to people with 125g type tanks.

I have Columbians but I'm prepared to take mine up to a 200 gallon. Bigger than that need be.
My biggest issue with them in the trade is they're sold as a freshwater fish, and then get thrown into the 10 gallon starter tank. I think they should only be available on special order, along with Gars, Red-Tails, Arowanas.. There might be a few more in there.
Fish like the Pangasius and Bala just shouldn't be sold, period. They don't belong in the aquarium trade.

 

[Coursair]

I have heard them called, silver, black, black tip, black fin, silver tip

Yes, which is why I googled the name the OP used as Id never heard that exact common name before.

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[PoseidonCichlid]

Your talking about Colombian sharks? Yeah they get big, idk why fish stores even sell them to people.

Most of humanity's interaction with this species is eating them, I see no harm with a small percentage of them being kept alive, or do you prefer they all end up being served with rice?

 

[PoseidonCichlid]

4 to 5" you can start converting them to brackish, as adults they become full strength saltwater. Mine may have been 3 or 3.5" when I converted them, but they came to me with ich so it was partially a way for me to treat them. The good news is there's a lot of brackish fish you can take right up to salt with them. 12 to 16" as an adult. (Slightly vague for a definitive size but that's what I've come up with) You just have to watch their tank mates. They're predatory so you don't want anyone to become lunch, and their activity can scare more timid, peaceful fish. You want at least three of them, 5 or 6 would be best. Very large aquarium.
My Monodactylus Sebae matches up wonderfully with these guys.

Thanks, just the information I was looking for. Also the brackish catfish list, yes there are very few options. But a brackish mouthbrooding catfish where it's the male that holds the eggs, what a fascinating fish, if only they were selectively bred to create a dwarf variety...

 

[lindenthaler.9]

Thanks, just the information I was looking for. Also the brackish catfish list, yes there are very few options. But a brackish mouthbrooding catfish where it's the male that holds the eggs, what a fascinating fish, if only they were selectively bred to create a dwarf variety...

I don't how many different fish I've said that about lol.
Keep in mind they are going to need full strength saltwater once they're mature. Maybe a year.
Mine are getting a tank built around them. I've had Lionfish recommended to me a few times as a possible tank mate.

 

[Coursair]

Most of humanity's interaction with this species is eating them, I see no harm with a small percentage of them being kept alive, or do you prefer they all end up being served with rice?

My issue is that they die a SLOW death as babies in Freshwater tanks.
In nature, they at least have the chance to grow up and breed.

There is so much misinformation about the species. We sold these at Petsmart and even we were never told that they needed marine tanks as adults. I read up on my own to see why so many babies died once they've been sold to the public.

I basically stopped selling them and recommended people buy other fish instead.

A few people to try to meet their needs but breeding them in captivity is almost impossible to try to duplicate a river that changes salinity


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[lindenthaler.9]

My issue is that they die a SLOW death as babies in Freshwater tanks.
In nature, they at least have the chance to grow up and breed.

There is so much misinformation about the species. We sold these at Petsmart and even we were never told that they needed marine tanks as adults. I read up on my own to see why so many babies died once they've been sold to the public.

I basically stopped selling them and recommended people buy other fish instead.

A few people to try to meet their needs but breeding them in captivity is almost impossible to try to duplicate a river that changes salinity


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I worked at Pet Smart as well. Almost 8 months. They didn't teach me anything I didn't already know about fish. But I have to say Walmart is much worse. At least Pet Smart has employees that will actually learn or care about the different fish and what to recommend. (Most of the time) I don't think I could say that about anyone that works in the fish section at Walmart.
They shouldn't be sold in stores though. Maybe marine specific shops only. Maybe.

 

[PoseidonCichlid]

My issue is that they die a SLOW death as babies in Freshwater tanks.
In nature, they at least have the chance to grow up and breed.

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Yes it's true that maybe 1% of those wild babies grow up and actually breed (the rest being eaten long before then) but the ones caught by humans won't be among them. If they didn't go into the pet trade they'd go into the human or animal feed consumption market like all the other larger ones caught are, were you under the mistaken impression that the little ones are released back into nature alive and unharmed?

We do totally agree, however, on how outrageous it is that this species is being sold as a "freshwater fish" when keeping it under such conditions guarantees an early death. That's consumer fraud and frankly animal cruelty. We also agree that its adult size restricts it from being a good choice for most hobbyists. Like most, I've come to the somewhat sad conclusion that keeping this species, for me, is not currently feasible. I applaud those who can somehow make it work, keep us posted.

 

[PoseidonCichlid]

Someone who's visited the area and can shed light on this just wrote me that the baby sized fish we see here being sold in a LFS when caught by fishermen are fried up en masse and eaten as a finger food or used as bait fish, none are released. The few aquariums, research facilities and aquarists who have the proper conditions to keep them are the only happy potential ending these fish will ever see once they've been caught.