Are Paroon shark legal to own in the United States ?
- Thread starter thefishkeeper2000
- Start date
All jokes aside, a 3m long fish is incredibly big and massively heavy. Just stand beside one in real life and you will realise the tank size and commitment required.
If that doesn't intimidate you then perhaps consider a Mekong cat (gigas) as they get bigger but vegetarian. Gentle giants with crushing plates - no teeth.
I'd love to have some but I don't have the tank space.
If that doesn't intimidate you then perhaps consider a Mekong cat (gigas) as they get bigger but vegetarian. Gentle giants with crushing plates - no teeth.
I'd love to have some but I don't have the tank space.
I’ve been told by multiple suppliers that it is illegal for them to bring them in and sell. However I don’t think it’s outright illegal to own. They live in a tricky grey area as everyone has already alluded to.
I owned a few paroons around 10 years ago when they were easier to find. I bought them around 5 inches and kept them in a 500 gallon. They grew freakishly fast and proceeded to outcompete everything else in the tank apart from a RTC/TSN hybrid. At one point one ate a golden dorado about 2/3s it’s size and had the tail of the fish hanging out of its mouth for a week digesting. They are freaks of nature and probably shouldn’t been in the hobby. They outgrew the 500 in less than 4 years and I had to give them up. But if you have the space there is nothing they compare to and an extremely confident fish that will learn to interact with you.
black ear sharks are a good alternative though. Very similar look and in my opinion adult specimens get even more beautiful than paroons. They are also much more predatory than ID sharks and will attack anything that hits the water much like a paroon. What they lack however, is the paroons freakish ability to track down and eat fish close to their own size. Seems like a win-win.
I owned a few paroons around 10 years ago when they were easier to find. I bought them around 5 inches and kept them in a 500 gallon. They grew freakishly fast and proceeded to outcompete everything else in the tank apart from a RTC/TSN hybrid. At one point one ate a golden dorado about 2/3s it’s size and had the tail of the fish hanging out of its mouth for a week digesting. They are freaks of nature and probably shouldn’t been in the hobby. They outgrew the 500 in less than 4 years and I had to give them up. But if you have the space there is nothing they compare to and an extremely confident fish that will learn to interact with you.
black ear sharks are a good alternative though. Very similar look and in my opinion adult specimens get even more beautiful than paroons. They are also much more predatory than ID sharks and will attack anything that hits the water much like a paroon. What they lack however, is the paroons freakish ability to track down and eat fish close to their own size. Seems like a win-win.
