# Dolphin Shark??



## Stoner (Oct 24, 2008)

a couple of my local fish shops have these cracking sharks that they call 'dolphin sharks' but i cant find any info online , so im thinking maybe this isnt their correct name.

they are about 2 inches & can grow 8''+

anybody any idea what im talking about? lol


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## ukboaconstrictors (Aug 9, 2008)

what do they look like 


luke


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## Graylord (Jul 17, 2007)

i`m guessing they are are Bengana species ,they can grow to over two feet but in my experience are incredibly slow growing.

They also seem to glance across other fish as though they are scraping the mucus off.

Does it look a bit like this ?


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

might be Pangasius catfish do they look like this?


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## blackdragon (Jun 27, 2008)

i was gonna say pangasius catfish as they do look a bit like a dolphin/shark if it is they grow very big but are great fish


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## Joshuashaw (Apr 27, 2008)

daftlassieEmma said:


> might be Pangasius catfish do they look like this?


We had one of those in our tank, never liked fish, but I like that. Grew to about 8/9", gutted when he snuffed it!


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## retri (Mar 5, 2008)

Definately a shark and not a cichlid?

not one of these?


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

Joshuashaw said:


> We had one of those in our tank, never liked fish, but I like that. Grew to about 8/9", gutted when he snuffed it!


Count yourself lucky. most species of pangasius will clear 2 foot. A lot of them will go over a metre and the biggest species is also the biggest recorded freshwater fish, pangasius gigas (the mekong catfish). Just google image search mekong catfish. that will tell you all you need to know about how big they can get


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## Graylord (Jul 17, 2007)

mike515 said:


> Count yourself lucky. most species of pangasius will clear 2 foot. A lot of them will go over a metre and the biggest species is also the biggest recorded freshwater fish, pangasius gigas (the mekong catfish). Just google image search mekong catfish. that will tell you all you need to know about how big they can get


yes and the sanitwongsi you see in the shops are not much smaller than gigas when they are fully grown.


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

Blue whale catfish? Could also be one of the Gnathenomus *sp* species, (the 'elephant' fish, i have seen the ones with no lower jaw named baby dolphins)


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

darwengray said:


> yes and the sanitwongsi you see in the shops are not much smaller than gigas when they are fully grown.


 
awesome fish though. I've been considering them for a bit. But I planned to have a purely american tank so I'm gonna stick with that.

Pangasius are cool though, used to have a 2 foot sanitwongsi where I used to work, great fish but they are so jumpy it's not fair to keep them in something under 12x6. Ideally you're looking at a trop pond with a shoal of pangasius, but obviously that's not possible for most keepers


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## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

Stoner said:


> a couple of my local fish shops have these cracking sharks that they call 'dolphin sharks' but i cant find any info online , so im thinking maybe this isnt their correct name.
> 
> they are about 2 inches & can grow 8''+
> 
> anybody any idea what im talking about? lol


Dolphin shark catfish(Pangasius Sanitwongsei).The grow a fair size.









Nothing compaired to whats sometimes called the BLUE-dolphin shark catfish(Pangasius Gigas).They are a monster catfish you'll have a hard time houseing them:lol2:.










LINK TO DOLPHIN SHARK PICTURES.
pangasius sanitwongsei - Google Image Search


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## SkinheadOi85 (Sep 28, 2008)

the one above the BLUE-dolphin shark catfish looks bizarre but i do like it sadly my 3ft 3 inch tank aint gonna hosue that beastie!!!...even in miniture form (if possible) i bet they are huge!!


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

gazz said:


> Dolphin shark catfish(Pangasius Sanitwongsei).The grow a fair size.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
If you EVER find one for sale. they are cities, banned from exportation, and so rare nowadays that you will never find one for sale.

this is a fish that will probably never be found this big again and will gradually die out due to over fishing and pollution/loss of habitat. Of course they might cling on and become repopulated but that is unlikely.

the same fate for giant freshwater stingray, arapaima and the giant carp. And basically every other large food fish eventually.


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## Stoner (Oct 24, 2008)

daftlassieEmma said:


> might be Pangasius catfish do they look like this?


im pretty sure thats the one :2thumb: cheers Emma : victory:


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