Paroon shark

Pangasius sanitwongsei

Also known as Giant pangasius, Chao Phraya giant catfish, Paroon shark catfish, Dog-eating catfish

FreshwaterFish

Paroon shark (Pangasius sanitwongsei) — Raymond Ellis · CC0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 118.1 in (300 cm)
Minimum tank: 2,113 gal (8,000 L)
Temperament: Aggressive
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Native to the Chao Phraya and Mekong river basins of Southeast Asia.
Family: Pangasiidae

Overview

Like its cousin the iridescent shark but far bigger, this fish is sold as a striking little juvenile and grows into a three-meter monster that no home tank can hold, so plan on many thousands of liters, really a public aquarium job. It is an active, nervous, powerful swimmer that can hurt itself against the glass and will eat any tankmate it can swallow, so it is best kept alone. It is a decades-long commitment to an animal the size of a person. Feed meaty foods and large sinking items, and think very hard before buying the cute juvenile.

In the wild

The paroon shark is a giant river catfish of the Chao Phraya and Mekong, roaming deep open channels as a fast, active predator. It has a shark-like profile, tall pointed fins, and elongated first fin rays in juveniles. It needs the volume, current, and swimming room of a big river, kept warm and clean at 22 to 26 degrees C, so it is not a fish for any normal aquarium.

Good to know

Pangasius sanitwongsei reaches about 300 cm and up to 300 kg, and is now critically endangered in the wild, hit hard by dams and overfishing. It is a strong, migratory open-water predator. Small juveniles with dramatic trailing fin filaments are exported for the aquarium trade despite the adult size.

Did you know

Juveniles trail long thread-like extensions from their fins, which is where the giant pangasius gets some of its drama, but those same fish grow into one of the largest and most endangered catfish in Asia.