Anybody have a hi fin banded shark?

[Lardeelion]

I traveled an hour to the best aquarium store within 100 miles yesterday to check out their pond section. They had hi fin banded sharks, which I have never seen before.

Anybody have one? I'd love to see a photo when they get bigger. I wasn't about to purchase one, since I don't have the space and the thought of paying $40 for a fish goes against my frugal nature. Plus, I know nothing about them. The fish guy said they're hard to find.

Just curious. My first experience with this lovely little creature.

 

[Troutredds]

I know they are actually a catfish species - they grow into a large dark catfish, loosing the high fin and stripes or bands. Breeders and the pet store industry term them "sharks" to make them sound more exotic and appealing, I assume. They can grow up to four feet, too!

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I have seen those for sale a Petsmart although they don't have them all the time. They are a cool water fish and can get pretty big from what I have read. They are not aggressive like you would think of a shark.

 

[jmajid]

we have 3 of these..bought them earlier last month.
2 are about 5 inches in length and the 3rd in probably about 7 inches.
They are in our pond; we have a not so brutal winter as other areas of the US and we wanted something like a pleco, and found that these are tolerant of weather down to close to freezing.
so far, everytime we see them, they are eating algae
NOT begging for food like our koi or goldfish
so, we now know them as the "worker" bees of the pond!
they are supposed to grow quite large; are happy with some moving water; apparently they like to be in groups, but ours tend to roam by themselves....
they are all a deep brown with orange/cream strips; the stripes will disappear and they will go moderately brown all over; they do not lose their high fin to my knowledge or research.
but.... dont expect them to grow quickly like koi - they grow much slower and its next to impossible to have them breed in captivity.
We actually like them alot...
we paid 14 each for them; some outlets in town had them for 24, but we couldnt see any difference between those the cheaper place...

 

[Troutredds]

I'm sorry jmajd - let me correct my posting. They don't "lose" their high fin, they grow into it! As adults they grow long and the dorsal fin, although still prominent and pointy, no longer runs the length of their whole back. My friend has had one in a 12000 gallon system for ten years - it's almost a foot long and enjoys koi food. It's a great fish if you have the room.

 

[Lardeelion]

It was an awesome-looking fish. I couldn't properly house one, due to space and winter temps, but it sure was cool. Although these were $40, but that particular fish store is expensive.

 

[crsublette]

I traveled an hour to the best aquarium store within 100 miles yesterday to check out their pond section. They had hi fin banded sharks, which I have never seen before.

Anybody have one? I'd love to see a photo when they get bigger. I wasn't about to purchase one, since I don't have the space and the thought of paying $40 for a fish goes against my frugal nature. Plus, I know nothing about them. The fish guy said they're hard to find.

Just curious. My first experience with this lovely little creature.

That price does not sound too far off. I'd say around $30~45 (USD), if including shipping so might be found cheaper elsewhere, for one of these fellas. I think it is due to the limited availability of them.

Here's a fun article for ya to read... Shark Pond!!! Easier than you think.