The pic looks like a mala to me....i mean fish never stop growing, and if the environment is right, and its eating good, who knows how big it can get. Not saying it will grow to 5ft or anything, jus saying im sure malas can pass the 2ft mark if conditions are right....with enough time of course.
i think its not really that big...i think hes just holding it out to make it look big compared to him.
there are variants out there that get bigger than 24".
I agree with you channarox.... It is a big fish alright but not as big as we perceive it to be.... He is holding the fish a full arms length in front of him... making the fish look like a monster... check how big his three fingers (not even the whole length of the fingers) are compared to his face. This is an old angler's trick to make the fish look big
The one who posted the thread, iceman_1 also mentioned that it is a http://www.drpez.net/panel/member.php?u=28729Tararira (Hoplias malabaricus).... the title even said: ficha del Hoplias malabaricus