Pangasius or shark catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus)

Pangasius or shark catfish (lat. Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) is a species of catfish (family Pangasiidae) that lives in the rivers of Southeast Asia. Despite its name, this fish is not related to sharks. This is a large, voracious fish that can be kept in an aquarium, but with big reservations. This is a fish that lives in schools, and in large aquariums, surrounded by relatives, it really resembles a shark with its silvery body, high fins and compressed body.

Habitat in nature

Pangasianodon hypophthalmus was first described in 1878. Despite the fact that residents of Southeast Asia have been catching this catfish for hundreds of years, it is not known exactly who discovered it. This species was recently moved by biologists from the genus Pangasius to the genus Pangasianodon.

In nature, it lives in large rivers: the Chao Phraya and Mekong in Asia, located in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Although they have been introduced to other rivers for commercial breeding.

Juveniles are found in large schools, especially on river rapids, but adults already live in small flocks. In nature, they eat fish, shrimp, a variety of invertebrates, insect larvae, fruits and vegetables.

It is a migratory fish that in most regions moves upstream to spawn during the monsoon when water levels are high and returns downstream to find feeding habitats when river levels drop. Migration dates vary depending on the river system. In the Mekong River basin, they migrate upstream during May–July and return downstream during September–December.

Pangasius has been known to people for a very long time. In Southeast Asia, it has been grown as a commercial fish for hundreds of years, and recently it has become popular as an aquarium fish.

Widely distributed as an aquarium fish, but also widely distributed as a food product, supplied from Southeast Asia even to our countries. At the same time, the fish is considered tasteless and cheap, although it is widely sold. In the USA it is sold under the name swai, panga or pangas in Europe and basa in some Asian countries.

Pangasius fillets are becoming an increasingly popular product due to their low cost, mild flavor and firm texture. Despite its low popularity due to taste, exports brought Vietnam $1.8 billion in 2014. Due to its wide distribution, it is not a species listed in the Red Book.

Pangasius does not have a gourmet reputation and is sold cheaply as swai (pronounced /swaɪ/) in the United States, panga (or pangas) in Europe, and creamy dory and basa in several Asian countries. Basa is also widely used in the United Kingdom.

Breeding shark catfish

Breeding pangasius in an aquarium is quite rare. This is hampered by the large size of the fish and their requirements for spawning grounds. In nature, they usually migrate upstream in rivers, heading to their spawning grounds (in late spring or summer). It is impossible to reproduce such conditions in a home aquarium. Therefore, in Asia there are entire farms for breeding dwarf sharks, where they are raised in huge lakes or in specially equipped glass containers.

If you want to get yourself a large, beautiful and not too demanding fish, then you should pay attention to pangasius. Watching this active fish will bring you a lot of pleasure. Contact the Aqua-store aquarium maintenance company, our experienced specialists will help you with both choosing a pet and installing all the necessary equipment.

Description

Pangasius is a large fish with a body shape resembling a shark. Smooth, powerful body, two pairs of whiskers located on the muzzle.

The short dorsal fin has one or two spines, as well as spines on the pectoral fins. The adipose fin is well developed, as is the long anal fin.

Juveniles are especially attractive; they have two wide dark stripes running across the entire body, but in adults the color fades and the stripes disappear.

The body color becomes uniformly gray with dark fins. Variations include an albino form and a form with a reduced body. Upon reaching adult size, and in nature it grows up to 130 cm, the color becomes less bright, uniformly gray.

Adults reach 130 cm in length and can weigh a maximum of 44.0 kg. The lifespan of pangasius is about 20 years.

There is another species - Pangasius sanitwongsei, whose size reaches 300 cm and weight 300 kg!

Pangasius what kind of fish

The Pangasius fish is a very large specimen. Its body and fins are in many ways similar to those of a shark. No wonder it has a different name. The body is slightly elongated, powerful, the head is large, and two long mustaches grow from the base of the huge mouth.

The skin color of the pangasius catfish without scales varies from dark gray to slightly pistachio color. The young have light stripes on the back, running from the head to the tail. With age, the stripes fade.

The maximum weight of the fish can reach up to forty-five kilograms, and the length of its body can be up to 130 centimeters. Even in captivity, fish live long, up to twenty years.

Content complexity

The juveniles are very attractive and many aquarists want to keep them as aquarium fish. But, this fish is only suitable for very large aquariums.

In addition, pangasius is very active and needs a lot of space for swimming, and it needs to be kept only in a school. He feels normal in a school of 5 or more individuals, just imagine what kind of aquarium such a fish needs.

Although this is a very undemanding fish, you should not buy it recklessly. This is because adult fish will need an aquarium of 1000 liters or more. At the same time, they are accustomed to living in rivers and are active fish that require space. They have very poor eyesight, so detected movement outside their habitat may be considered a threat. When stressed, their first instinct is to escape; Rushing blindly can cause injury and damage to aquarium equipment.

Pangasius has very delicate skin that is easily injured; you need to remove objects from the aquarium that could injure it.

What are the benefits and harms

Vietnamese pangasius has not earned the best reputation for potential harm when eaten. The fact is that most of it in Vietnam is found in the Mekong Delta. There are many similar fisheries here. This area is densely populated. As a result, industrial waste and sewage are discharged into the river water. Nowadays this water has become very dirty. Fish in fish farms live and breed in the same water. In its natural environment, the fish likes to live in clean water, but due to its high ability to survive, it was able to adapt to such conditions here.

For preservation, the fish is frozen alive right after catching without any additional processing (all in the same dirty water). Then it is exported. Moreover, in pursuit of profit, entrepreneurs also use chemicals to enhance the growth of fish (despite the natural rapid growth). Because of this, the import of pangasius into many countries has long been prohibited. Chemicals, E. coli, etc. have been found more than once in fish meat. Such fish is harmful to health when consumed.

In some foreign countries, pangasius is freely sold, but the level of control over imported products is increased here. Russians can also rely on the activities of supervisory authorities, because pangasius can be seen in many grocery stores. These are almost always frozen versions of carcasses. To improve product quality, a lot of pond coding work was carried out in Vietnam itself in 2021. This makes it possible to identify where low-quality batches of pangasius come from (due to dirty water and chemicals used). By tracking the entire movement of a fish shipment, many buyers refuse to work with unscrupulous suppliers.

Does pangasius fish have beneficial properties? If we put aside the unpleasant aspects associated with unscrupulous business practices on fish farms, pangasius itself has many useful qualities. It is not harmful if kept in favorable conditions. Fish do not accumulate poisons in a clean natural environment. There is also a full range of vitamins, microelements, amino acids and antioxidants, as in every fish.

Feeding

The shark catfish is an omnivore, known for eating anything it can find. When he grows up, he prefers higher protein foods.

Over time, he ages, loses teeth, like the black pacu, and becomes a vegetarian. In the aquarium he eats all types of food - live, frozen, flakes, tablets. For pangasius, a mixed diet is best - partly plant and partly animal food.

You need to feed them two to three times a day, but in portions that they can eat in 5 minutes. The best animal feed is shrimp, bloodworms, small fish, worms, and crickets. From plant foods - zucchini, cucumbers, lettuce.

Potential Harm

The negative impact of pangasius on the body is observed in the case of eating fish grown in environmentally unfavorable reservoirs using chemicals, low-grade feed, and without observing safety measures.

Shark catfish that have a certificate of compliance with norms and standards can cause harm to health only in the following cases:

• with individual intolerance to fish;
• for severe diseases of the digestive tract.

Due to the abundance of small bones, pangasius dishes should be given to children with caution.

Keeping in an aquarium

These are freshwater fish that originally live in tropical climates and prefer water with a pH of 6.5–7.5, a water hardness of 2.0–29.0 dGH and a temperature range of 22–26 °C.

In fact, pangasius is unpretentious and water parameters can be different, the main thing is that the water is clean. A powerful external filter and weekly water changes of up to 30% are required, as fish produce a huge amount of waste.

Pangasius reaches a very large size and requires the same aquariums. As already mentioned, for young people you need 300-400 liters, for adults from 1000. It is better to arrange the aquarium so that it resembles their native rivers, add driftwood.

In adolescence they like to hide among snags. It is better to protect the equipment inside the aquarium, as they can break it when frightened.

Shark catfish, unlike many species of catfish, are not covered with bony plates, but have smooth and thin skin. She gets hurt and scratched easily. Also, unlike ordinary catfish, for example fractocephalus, the shark catfish does not have a tendency to live in the bottom layer; it inhabits the middle layers.

They constantly move and periodically rise to the surface to take a breath of air. They are active throughout the day and love a well-lit aquarium.

Be careful!

The fish have very poor eyesight and are very nervous and easily startled. Don't knock on the glass or startle the fish, they may hurt themselves in a frantic panic attack. The frightened pangasius beats hysterically throughout the aquarium, hitting glass, decor or other fish.

After a panic attack, you may see your fish lying on the bottom, broken, exhausted. And if you're lucky, they will recover over time.

Diseases

The immune defense of shark catfish is reduced due to improper care and maintenance:

• the water is rarely changed, the aquarium is contaminated with organic waste;
• acidity and hardness parameters are not met;
• bright lighting installed;
• there are no shelters;
• pangasius lacks nutrients due to unbalanced food;
• fish are in constant stress from fright.

Failure to comply with the temperature regime is also the cause of illness and death. If the water is below 22°C, the shark catfish moves little, refuses to eat, and sinks to the bottom. To save the pet, the temperature is raised to optimal.

Common diseases of Pangasius siamese:

Ulcerative lesions

The reason is the lack of scales, bone plates, and thin skin in shark catfish. Pangasius ulcers are cauterized with “green paint”, a solution of potassium permanganate or iodine diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. After treatment, the fish is placed in salted water for a week (1 g of sodium chloride per 1 liter of water).

Ichthyophthiriasis

The disease, colloquially called semolina, is caused by parasitic ciliates of the genus Ichthyophthyrus. Symptoms are the formation of small white papules on the body, the pangasius rubbing its body against stones.

With multiple lesions, the fins of the shark catfish split, the fish floats to the surface and swallows air. Ciliates die when the temperature and salinity of the water rise. If there is a need to use drugs, sick pangasius are moved to a hatchery and, starting with small doses (1/2 of those recommended in the instructions), medicine is added.

Popular dyes for the treatment of shark catfish ichthyophorosis are malachite green, basic violet K (chlorohydrite). Effective - Sulfur Ectopur, a combination of Omnisan with Mikopur. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals wound healing solution is used for advanced forms.

Bacillary necrosis

Necrotic lesions of pangasius are determined by hemorrhages in the eyes, skin, and white spots on internal organs. The disease in fish develops after the bacteria Edwardsiella ictaluri penetrates the gills.

At the initial stage, shark catfish are treated with organic dyes. In acute cases of the disease, take baths with ciprofloxacin, furazolidone, erythromycin. They can be short-term (2–5 hours) or long-term up to two days, depending on the toxicity of the drug. In the latter case, the nursery with sick pangasius is shaded, and after 2 days the water is changed by 50%. The procedure is repeated until complete healing.

Poisoning, breaking of antennae, fins, redness on the skin

Signs of shark catfish intoxication - the fish suffocates, lies on the bottom or swims near the surface, and loses coordination of movements. If pangasius is kept or cared for inappropriately, poisoning with nitrogen-containing waste occurs. It is necessary to strengthen control over the purity of water. If the fish gets sick after placing a new decorative element or equipment in the aquarium, it is removed and replaced with a safe one. Do a daily 30% water change for several days until the condition of the shark catfish improves.

The same actions are performed in case of redness of the skin of pangasius near the gill covers, fragility of fins, whiskers caused by an increase in the concentration of nitrates.

Compatibility

They are quite peaceful, but only with those fish that they cannot swallow. They don’t pay attention to the parameters of the water, only its purity and will eat whatever you offer them.

Young people stay in a school, but the older the fish, the more prone they are to loneliness. They get along well with fish of equal size, or fish that they cannot swallow.

Pangasius considers any small fish exclusively as food. And not small either. For example, they swallowed such large catfish as Clarias, although it seemed that this was impossible.

Popular recipes

cook fillet in the oven , in a frying pan , add it to salads or prepare soups based on it. There is a wide variety of recipes . It’s not difficult to come up with a dish from this type of fish meat yourself. The article will present the most simple but delicious dishes, the preparation of which will not take much time and will not take much effort.

Pangasius under a fur coat in the oven

For preparation you will need the following ingredients:

1. 2 small fish fillets.
2. Sunflower oil.
3. Salt, pepper, seasonings to taste.
4. 2 pcs. medium sized tomato.
5. Green onions.
6. Hard cheese – 100 g.

The fillet is pre-washed. Then it is greased with oil, salted, peppered, and seasonings are added. Place on a baking sheet. Place a tomato cut into slices on top and sprinkle with finely chopped green onions. After which the fillet is sprinkled with grated cheese.

Composition and calorie content of pangasius

Pangasius is a low-calorie fish species: its calorie content is 92 kcal per 100 g of product. Approximately 60% of the volume is represented by protein and another 40% by monounsaturated fats.

This fish contains almost no cholesterol, but has a large amount of substances beneficial to the body:

• antioxidants;
• Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids;
• vitamins A, B, D, PP;
• sulfur;
• zinc;
• iron;
• chromium;
• fluorine;
• potassium;
• selenium;
• iodine;
• sodium;
• calcium;
• copper.

When preparing fillet, almost the entire fat layer is cut off, so it can be considered dietary.

How to select and store?

Today it is difficult to find a whole pangasius carcass on store shelves. In 95% of cases, customers are offered frozen ready-made fish fillets. When purchasing a product, give preference to small pieces; they contain less ice and fat. High-quality pangasius has a pale pink color, without darkening. A yellowish or reddish tint to the meat indicates a violation of the storage conditions of the product or re-freezing of the fish. Give preference to beige or white fillets. It is recommended to purchase fish from trusted places where the quality of the product is controlled and sanitary standards are maintained.

Freshly caught pangasius should be cut and cooked within 4 hours. Store cooled or frozen. At zero ambient temperature, fish is stored for 8-10 days. Deep freezing (down to minus 17 degrees) increases the shelf life of the product to three months.