How to Care for a Pangasius Catfish

The Pangasius catfish has several nicknames including iridescent shark, sutchi catfish and striped catfish. Your new iridescent shark will require lots of care, and its upkeep will be expensive due to its large size. This catfish has an average life span of 10 years, so it will be a long-term partner for you to grow with over the next decade. With proper care and maintenance, you can give your Pangasius catfish a long and healthy life.

Things You'll Need

  • Small fish
  • Catfish pellets
  • 300-gallon fish tank
  • Floating plants
  • Algae wafers
  • Fish flakes
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase an indoor tank that can hold a minimum of 300 gallons water. Buying a larger tank will give your Pangasius catfish a big enough habitat to allow it to swim freely as it will reach 4 feet in length, if not longer.

    • 2

      Buy more than one Pangasius catfish. A school of these catfish will give them a sense of security and keep them calm. Otherwise, your catfish will be skittish and avoid any interaction with you or anyone else.

    • 3

      Keep the water pH between 6.5 and 7.5 and the temperature between 72 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a tank heater if necessary and add a shock treatment if the pH level drops. Never use chemicals while the fish are inside the tank. If your tank condition does not meet these standards, your fish could suffer from an illness and possibly die.

    • 4

      Feed baby Pangasius catfish with fish flakes, algae wafers and catfish pellets. Once they grow to about a foot in length, start feeding the catfish a mixture of small fish and green food. Females will grow larger and are more full-bodied than males.

    • 5

      Avoid placing other species inside the fish tank. Pangasius catfish do not make compatible tank mates.

    • 6

      Keep a fitted hood over the fish tank to prevent the catfish from jumping out of the tank.

    • 7

      Place floating plants such as seaweed in the tank to give the fish a sense of security. This will also give them a feeling of the ocean ̵1; their natural habitat.