Pangasius – Albino

The Albino Pangasius or Iridescent Shark (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) is a very active catfish. They are schooling fish, and a group of these swimmers makes a delightful display. The name is derived from its juvenile coloring, a silvery iridescence with a couple dark stripes, and a body shape resembling that of a shark.

As they mature, their colour changes and large adults are uniformly grey. The fins are dark grey or black. Juveniles have a black stripe along the lateral line and a second black stripe below the lateral line.

Be cautious! The Pangasius Catfish have bad eyesight and they are a nervous fish that can be easily spooked. Don’t tap on the glass or startle the fish as it is likely to injure itself in its mindless flight. They can get hysterical when frightened and dash madly around the aquarium. They will often bash into the sides of the aquarium, ornaments or other fish and if stressed, their first instinct is to flee; a blind dash can cause injury in an aquarium environment. These injuries may result in the fish sinking to the bottom, where it may lie on its side or back until it recovers.

These fish have sensitive barbels so a soft substrate is needed. This will also replicate the river conditions they are used to in the wild, which usually have a soft muddy bed.

Since they are a schooling fish and are happier when in a school, larger tanks are better for them and will also allow them to grow larger. If given enough room and fed adequately they can even grow up to a meter in a large aquarium.

They like to eat and are constantly moving and looking for food and will, like most catfish, eat any fish that fits into their mouths.  Pangasius is an omnivorous fish, and thus does not require a high level of animal protein in its diet.

Compatibility: Some recommended tank mates include other large fish such as Arowanas, Datnioides, and perhaps large Cichlids.

If you have live plants in your aquarium, they could suffer as the pangasius often bulldoze them when searching for food on the bottom of the aquarium.

The addition of Lava Rocks in the aquarium will help to keep nitrates in the ideal range.