Found a giant mekong catfish

[Nikokolas]

the guy selling the fish said this catfish is the giant mekong catfish, need help identifying it if its real or nah

View attachment 20191227_194005.jpg

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[Carter020108]

Real

 

[BIG-G]

thebiggerthebetter

.....

Looks like baby iridescent to me but I’m far from expert so I could be wrong

 

[islandguy11]

Looks like baby iridescent to me but I’m far from expert so I could be wrong

+1
I'm not 100% sure either but it really looks like a baby iridescent to me as well.

 

[Stanzzzz7]

I'm not a catfish expert either but that fish looks like pangasias sutchii.
It lacks the shark like appearance of pangasias sanitwongi. Spelling may be a little off from memory.

 

[krichardson]

The tail fins look different than an iridescent shark's and in the second photo the head shape looks different as well.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

IMO, this is a stunted or poor quality / health (because of the oversized eyes) iridescent shark catfish aka Pangasionodon hypophthalmus, junior synonym Pangasius sutchi.

All I know about the MGC ID is here: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...s-how-to-id-mekong-giant-catfish-juvi.584508/

I personally don't believe anyone of us ever had one (I think it is a hoax or a scam, more or less elaborate, to get money out of hobbyists) but some claimed and still insist they did / do, so they can chime in with their opinion too
bobVillanueva
GiantFishKeeper101
vincentwugwg

Sometimes some hybrids seem to become available of unknown Pangasiidae species, which too confuses people. It seems there is a laboratory activity in Asia exploring hybridization of MGC with other species and the products of such (IMHO illegal, immoral, and wretched) activity are spilled over into our trade.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Real

Explain your reasoning please, if you will, for the benefit of all who read it now and who will will be reading this thread in the hundred years to come.

 

[Nikokolas]

Was the picture clear enough? Imma ask the owner to send me a clearer picturep

 

[islandguy11]

IMO, this is a stunted or poor quality / health (because of the oversized eyes) iridescent shark catfish aka Pangasionodon hypophthalmus, junior synonym Pangasius sutchi.

All I know about the MGC ID is here: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...s-how-to-id-mekong-giant-catfish-juvi.584508/

I personally don't believe anyone of us ever had one (I think it is a hoax or a scam, more or less elaborate, to get money out of hobbyists) but some claimed and still insist they did / do, so they can chime in with their opinion too
bobVillanueva
GiantFishKeeper101
vincentwugwg

Sometimes some hybrids seem to become available of unknown Pangasiidae species, which too confuses people. It seems there is a laboratory activity in Asia exploring hybridization of MGC with other species and the products of such (IMHO illegal, immoral, and wretched) activity are spilled over into our trade.

Yep, fins are the same as Pangasionodon hypophthalmus:


(http://badmanstropicalfish.com/stats/stats_catfish_Pangasius_hypophthalmus.html)

OP's fish is a tad younger/smaller (if not stunted as Viktor says), so the fin coloration isn't as strong as above but they're the same.