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I'm new to this, and I bought a Pangasius Hypophthalmus at a fish store sale last year. I didn't even know what he was until just recently. I have learned that he will get nearly 5 feet in length. This is a touch big for my 29 gallon tank. When I got him he was about 3 inches and after a year, he is about 3.5 inches. Are there any suggestions as to what to do with this fish...I had no clue he was going to get that big... Any help is appreciated.

Laura

Return it to the LFS?.

i bought 2 at the lfs; they were about 3-4" each; less than a year later, 1 is around a foot long and the other around 8" or so; they are really cool but "freak out" a lot a bang the glass!!! keep them in 100g tank. my pacus keep eating the tips of their tails and dorsal fins off they need a lot of room and little furniture!!

keep them in 100g tank

Is that going to be their permanent home? People here have strong feelings about keeping large fish in small tanks.

hmm.... i bought mine late Dec 2003 for my 55gallon tank. they were just 3"-4" then. and now as of Feb 10, 2004 they are 7"-8". How come mine grows sooo fast!!!

as usual they freak out when i clean the tank. but i noticed that when the lights are switched off as i clean the tank they basically dont mind at all.

I would be tempted to take it off your hands, however I don't even feel my 4000 gal pond is adequate. They are big and among the most active swimmers.

First of all, the 5' length is exceedingly unlikely. Most sources I've read say just over 3', and though I have seen photos of large specimens, I haven't personally seen one approaching that length. This is of course still not a small fish, so you will eventually need to provide more space or a new home. They are seemingly always available in fish stores. Would be nice if the employees knew enough to properly advise you, but that's probably only true in some alternate matrix. My experience with them is that they are very nervous, so bear that in mind when approaching the tank. Sometimes they'll lie down and "play dead", rather like a clown loach, but more often they'll panic and try to swim through the end of the tank. They are also bright, and, given enough distance and calmness, avid people watchers. If you take the time to get to know them and get them to trust you, they're quite interesting fish. I haven't seen one offer harm to other fish. They're more comfortable with at least one other of their fellows, though of course this will take some of their attention away from you. Other than their eventual size and skittishness, they're quite easy to feed & care for. They have a reputation for being particularly susceptible to ich, but my somewhat limited experience does not support that.

They are quite prone to ich. I had two a while back and both contacted it twice. Unfortunately, I think playing dead got the best of them. They were in the pond outside and I think a bull frog got them. As much as they swim, a pond wasn't the best for them anyway. I also have strong feelings about stores selling them along with some others that get big. I just was at an lfs today and saw 5 or 6 rtcs in a tank (about 2"). Across the way were some Pangasius. A customer asked me about the pangasius and when I told him they can reach 3' or more he went on to another tank. Unfortunately, the sales people don't always warn people.

well i would not get all your whiskers in a frizzle , enjoy the fish at the size he is now . it takes along time to get to his maximum size .but i would too, get him a buddy or three.

timetraveler wrote:well i would not get all your whiskers in a frizzle , enjoy the fish at the size he is now . it takes along time to get to his maximum size .but i would too, get him a buddy or three.

And what would you suggest for them when they do outgrow the aquarium? As with most fish widely used in aquaculture, under correct conditions Pangasius will grow extremely quickly.

Chocky316 wrote:they are really cool but "freak out" a lot a bang the glass!!!(snip) my pacus keep eating the tips of their tails and dorsal fins off

The fact that they are hitting the glass shows that they have nowhere near enough room to cater for their natural escape reaction to any perceived threat. They are also in an environment where they are subjected to repeated traumatic events as a result of being housed with unsuitable tankmates.
Discuss.

I've had two irids for about three years, and they're only about 6" long and haven't grown in quite some time. At this point in time, I keep them in a 20 gallon tank, and they only use half the tank's space(which is why I'm reluctant to buy a bigger one just yet). Am I doing something wrong or do I just have scrawny irids?

Am I doing something wrong or do I just have scrawny irids

Depends, how often and how much water do you change?

What diet do you feed?

Do you test for nitrate?

At this point in time, I keep them in a 20 gallon tank, and they only use half the tank's space(which is why I'm reluctant to buy a bigger one just yet).

They are built for swimming around, not just for sitting still or in a small location. Knowing that they are in tight quarters is probably why them seem like they're not taking up the whole tank. I'd be bummed out to if my room was a closet. I'm sure that if you move them into a 55 gallon tank they will be happy to swim around. Just be sure NOT to put any sharp decor since they just bang around at everything when they get scared, which is very often.

Crazie.Eddie wrote:I'm sure that if you move them into a 55 gallon tank they will be happy to swim around.

That will only work for some time and then we will be back to the 'having a closet for a room' analogy.

Just be sure NOT to put any sharp decor since they just bang around at everything when they get scared, which is very often.

If they are in appropriate quarters, big and open tank, they shouldn't bang into anything with regularity.

however,IMHO,no matter how they bang or get stunted in our tanks,it's still better compared to seeing them lie dead at the fish market...

Torture -

shawnme wrote:however,I.M.H.O.,no matter how they bang or get stunted in our tanks,

is better than peace?

it's still better compared to seeing them lie dead at the fish market...

Better get a reality check IMO.

well,since we cant stop them...my as well save them...then to just sit there and talk....tell people around the world....stop eating them please...

hi, i thought it would pipe up and put a few lines on here about the pangasius. i have had two pangasius for about two years now and bought them from my lfs at about two inch. they fed flake for the first three months, for which they tripled in girth and got to about 4 inch. then i fed catfish pellet and bloodworm mix in my hand and slowly let them get closer to my hand without going mental. by the way, at this size they really were mental. used to take about ten mins to calm down if you banged the tank or hoovered or even shut the front door! anyway, the pangs eventually got used to me and fed every day from my hand as i wanted. mine is now well over a foot long after only 2 year. they are ill at the mo, and i am bothered about the fact that they are ill for two reasons - one they might die, and two,if and when they recover, i know full well that it will only take one sniff of the mix and they will be eating like horses. skinny things now theyre ill, but when they eat, they eat! i reckon by now that in my 5and a half footer, thay should at least get to two foot by christmas, providing they recover and dont have any long term probs. with enough filtration, my two guys will go through a small £1.50 tub of catfish pellets in about a month. mine did and they grew soooo fast.




as for lfs's, i could slap them all for what they sell pangasius as. i have even seen some mystus species being sold as a pangasius. columbian/arius sp as pangs even dolphin hammerheads as pangasius. why aren't people educated?

cheers for the rant, here are a few pics:


Dave@

BMFH, Carlisle.

I just bought one of Friday and hes very calm. I had one before that I bought before I knew how big they got but he broke his back on the aquarium. This one is in a 77 gal. and I really enjoy him. He's only about 3 in as of now. Hes very cool and I hope I can keep him.