ID sharks theories?

[ColeFishing]

i have some questions to ask about ID sharks. as most of you know, they get very large. but then there are the ones that stay very small and there appears to be a large gap in sizes. for instance, i know a restaurant owner who has 6 ID sharks that he has had for 11 years and they are 9-11 inches in a 100(5' x 18" x 20") tank. he also said he had two that grew faster than the rest that had to be given away. also, the owner of a LFS told me that one of his customers tried to return a 42" ID shark that outgrew his 180G tank!!! so why is it that some ID sharks get very large and some that stay small? i've heard a theory saying that there are many species that are all actually referred to as ID sharks but are in-fact different species from the same area that have a large array of sizes. Does any one know this to be true? (at least if my writing is legible lol)

[Inglorious]

Interesting theory, I have no idea if it could be true but I do know that my two are only 6" and 8" after two years.

[ColeFishing]

Interesting theory, I have no idea if it could be true but I do know that my two are only 6" and 8" after two years.

yeah and this is the kinda stuff I'm talking about too because i also seen reports of some that have grown 12"+ in their first year.

PS: just for any of you wandering, i know the difference between a paroon and ID sharks and I'm not getting them confused.

[Stateofficer1984]

The LFS I go to sales ID sharks and some of them have that iridescent blue and some look more silver in color... The lady that works there said the iridescent blue ones get bigger than the silver ones!!

[thebiggerthebetter]

IME and IMO, all IDSs we get in the states are the same. There are other species in that family that grow only to about a foot but they can be relatively easily distinguished and are almost never exported anyway. Any IDS when properly cared and housed hits 1'-1.5', can be even 2', in the first year of its life (again, IME and IMO which are not all-inclusive by any means - I only raised a couple of dozen IDSs).

Pangasius macronema http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...pecies_id=1369 is only 12"
Pangasius nasutus http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...pecies_id=1243 is only 32"
Helicophagus typus http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...pecies_id=2085 is only 15".
Helicophagus leptorhynchus http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...pecies_id=2086 19"

So, if a fish is under a foot after 2 years, IMO & at my current understanding, it is either not an IDS, or not housed right (stunted), or not getting the right diet (under-nourished). Having said that I must add that I am much open to new knowledge

[projectile]

I have never seen a specimen above 14" , even those grown in ponds with koi.they just grow fat after that ( had both blue and albinos).

But heard a lot about monster sizes.

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[thebiggerthebetter]

Hmm... How many adult and sub-adult IDSs have you guys seen - I am talking yours, friend's, LFSs, P.A.s, YouTube, etc? Just trying to gage the vastness of your statements. I have seen hundreds of 2'-ers and bigger but of course I have seen hundreds smaller ones too whose age I didn't know - they could have been still young (in my theory) or just as you say, midgets (in your theory).

I believe you, of course. ATM I don't know how to reconcile our views and experiences. Hope more fish heads will chime in. Cole's initial hypothesis looks like starting to gain merit.

[ColeFishing]

Hmm... How many adult and sub-adult IDSs have you guys seen - I am talking yours, friend's, LFSs, P.A.s, YouTube, etc? Just trying to gage the vastness of your statements. I have seen hundreds of 2'-ers and bigger but of course I have seen hundreds smaller ones too whose age I didn't know - they could have been still young (in my theory) or just as you say, midgets (in your theory).

I believe you, of course. ATM I don't know how to reconcile our views and experiences. Hope more fish heads will chime in. Cole's initial hypothesis looks like starting to gain merit.

I've seen a few 12"+ ones at lFS, a friend of mine also had 1 that was about 9" long in a 55 for around 7 years before it died. Also had another friend that had two that got to around 30" and one more that stayed 13" after a couple years. I honestly think its the same issue as the Lima shovelnose (elongatus being sold as limas) catfish to a larger extent.


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[projectile]

its a food fish where I live and have seen it being cultivated, caught from lakes & on sale . Like I said around 14" max maybe a bit more but never a truly monster size.

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[thebiggerthebetter]

CF: I've seen a few 12"+ ones at lFS, a friend of mine also had 1 that was about 9" long in a 55 for around 7 years before it died. Also had another friend that had two that got to around 30" and one more that stayed 13" after a couple years.
TBTB: Did that last friend buy all three together and all recieved the same food and care and housing? If yes, did they look identical?


CF: I honestly think its the same issue as the Lima shovelnose (elongatus being sold as limas) catfish to a larger extent.
TBTB: Yeah, good analogy. Perhaps there are more undescribed species in the genus. Still just a guess. If you get no more good feedback here, I think it is a good idea to ask on PlanetCatfish - if only Silurus would chime in as he knows everything there is to know about Asian catfish and IDS in particular.