Giant Pangasius
2 Photo Gallery
1 Species Overview
The Genghis Khan Fish is a mid-to-bottom-dwelling, migratory fish. Because it swims fast and has a powerful build, care is needed when choosing tankmates, and a large aquarium is required. Fish of very different sizes will be swallowed by it.
Chinese name: ęåęę±é±¼ (Genghis Khan Fish). Common alias: long-whiskered catfish. Scientific name: Pangasius sanitwongsei. Distribution: Mekong and Chao Phraya river basins, Asia. Breeding: oviparous (egg-laying).
2 Morphological Characteristics
The Genghis Khan Fish is not hard to keep; being robust and powerful, it seldom falls ill. Adults grow very long, so a larger aquarium is needed. Many keepers confuse it with the Iridescent Shark (Blue Shark) because the two look alike.
The Genghis Khan Fish exceeds one meter in length, with the clear features of a tall dorsal fin (the first dorsal spine is especially long), a powerful build, fast swimming, and a very wide mouth ā it needs a large volume of water. Watch the mix: fish of vastly different sizes will eat each other. It is mainly distributed in the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins of Asia and breeds by laying eggs.
3 Habitat & Living Environment
The Genghis Khan Fish is a mid-to-bottom fish in the aquarium. Suitable temperature is 22ā28Ā°C and pH 5.0ā7.5. Because it is robust, it is not difficult to keep.
It tolerates low oxygen well and adapts broadly, but has weak cold resistance: below 18Ā°C it becomes sluggish and slow to react, and below 12Ā°C it begins to die. As long as the environment suits its survival, it generally stays healthy.
4 Feeding Guidelines
Although not hard to keep, raising it well is its own skill. Once a suitable environment is set up, what to feed becomes the key question.
The Genghis Khan Fish is omnivorous: fry feed on zooplankton, adults on aquatic plants and formulated pellets, with a recommended protein content of 28ā32%. It eats a lot and grows fast ā a 3ā4 cm fingerling can reach over 0.6 kg in four months. It matures late; at 3ā4 years and over 3 kg it can breed. The breeding season is AprilāSeptember, and it is a single-spawning fish (one breeding episode per year).