Are Paroon shark legal to own in the United States ?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
There is this confusion as to their status it seems,so vendors don't bother bringing them in.
 
I suggest getting ID sharks (iridescent) rather than paroon (sangwongsei) as the paroon is highly predatory and easily gets to 3m in captivity. Most literature says 3m but I've seen 4m specimens up close. Even in large tanks (100,000L +) they will determinedly follow a faster prey fish for hours until it tires out.

The ID is gentle natured and will only get to 1.5 - 1.8m. Possibly much easier to find as well.
 
Think its the Thai Government that’s protecting this fish. But am confused myself why there’s not much info on this fish species in particular due to its popularity in the fish trade. It’s not banned in the US outright Yet. It will change if the fish ever makes it on the CITES appendix I category though. States have their own restricted species list thats more species on top of federal Restrictions.

this fish sp is being farmed and produced so whatever fish we get is farmed, not wild caught whatsoever due to the ban of harvesting wilds. and with the pandemic and all of the regs who the heck knows due to the fact that there’s not much of them left in the real wild where they are found though this part is confusing if they’re critically endangered Isn’t it like a speed pass into the CITES? I’m not even sure why they’re not even on the CITES yet If its that bad in the wild And why is it not even on the appendix III if a government is protecting them? Only the p.gigas for that genus And that was all the way back in 1975? Or am I being an idiot on my end here though? Can someone explain how the qualification works for a species to be on that or is it just due to the fact that they’re just mass farmed and exported that easily?

F fishdance definitely hit the nail on the head on this fish. ID sharks are definitely more workable.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tlindsey
Interesting info Drownedfish.Another alternative might be the black eared shark which strongly resembles the paroon.They are not as aggressive and don't seem to grow nearly as big as their cousins.
 
Actually the black ears can potentially grow past four feet in length in optimal conditions.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tlindsey
Big boy ran down a leporinus.Unlike a lot of freshwater fish,paroons truly are fitting of the shark name.
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com