The Striped Catfish is a species of Cat Shark native to the rivers of Southeast Asia whose scientific name is Pangasius hypophthalmus. Don’t miss this chance to learn everything about it.
Also known as «Pangasius Sutchi», this is an omnivorous species. They come from the rivers of Southeast Asia and can reach 120 cm in aquariums and even more in their natural habitat. They usually grow a lot the first year, and eat every fish that fits in their mouth.
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Taxonomy
Animalia Kingdom Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Siluriformes Family: Pangasiidae. (Pangasius
Local Names
“Cá Tra” y “Cá Tra yêu”, (Vietnan); “Pa sooai”, “Pa sooai khaeo” y “Pa souay kheo” (Laos); “Pla sawai” (Tailand); “Pra” y “Trey pra” (Camboya)
The Striped Catfish’ Habitat and Distribution
Striped Catfish inhabit in rice fields and the basins of large rivers, such as Mekong and Chao Phraya. In addition, they have also been introduced in other river systems for aquaculture. Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand. Malay Peninsula are the locations where they are distributed.
The Striped Catfish’ Main Characteristics
The stripped catfish have a body similar to that of a shark, with a large oval horizontal mouth. The juveniles can live in a community aquarium, but should not be with fish that fit through their mouth.
Body Color
Stripped catfish have a back of dark blue or ash gray color, with a white belly (the white color of the belly reaches the height of the fins). Their fins have a blue tone slightly darker than that of the back and a white dot crown their head (between the eyes).
They also have a white line in the middle of their body that goes from the tail to the gills. The juveniles have a longitudinal line along the entire side. There are albino and semi-albino species.
Size
When they are in their natural habitat or in large (public) aquariums, the Stripped catfish exceed one meter in length. In small aquariums their growth diminish a little bit and they even die before reaching their adult size, since they are too big fish for aquariums of medium size and even large. We invite you to read our article the anatomy of fish to learn more about such a topic
Sexual differences
Sex differences in this species are not very large, although sometimes the male has a darker coloration than the female.
here they are
Aquarium Conditions
The aquarium’s measure may vary depending on the specimen’s size. A 250 liters aquarium will be enough for juvenile specimens.
Temperature
From 25 to 30ºC.
Water
pH: from 6.5 to 7.5. Stripped catfish don’t tolerate a pH lower than 6.2. Hardness: water slightly soft to medium hard (up to 20ºdGH).
Feeding Stripped Catfish
These are omnivore and very voracious fish. They accept food in flakes, although which must be alternated with fresh and / or live food, such as prawns, pieces of fish and crustaceans, or fish that fit through their mouth.
Reproduction
It has not been achieved naturally in aquariums and hormone treatments have been necessary for such purpose.
Behavior
Juveniles can live in a community aquarium, but should not be with fish that fit in their mouths, as they could swallow them. Moreover, they are active fish, which require space to swim. It’s good to point out that these are very nervous fish that get scared with ease, and live stressed most of their time.
