Colored Glass Fish/Irridecent Sharks

Question
I have read allot about people buying irridecent sharks, and having them turn out to be full blown catfish which quickly outgrow their aquiariums.  How often does this truely occur and what are distinquishing characteristics of the irridecent shark?  I also unfortunately have purchaced just the other day a painted glass fish, which after reading up on it, seems that I have been decieved by clever marketing.  Injecting of the fish with colorful dyes to catch the buyers' eyes.  Unfortunately it succeeded in doing just that.  I also read about the risk of infection and a quite premature death.  Is there anything I can do to help ensure the survival of the one that I have already purchaced and or go to the pet store which I purchaced it from to prevent this abomination from continuing?  Also, if infection or disease does set in, are my other fish in danger, and if they are how should I go about dealing with it?  Thankyou very much for your time and I hope that the questions of an amateur are not wasting your time.
-Roland Young


Answer
Hi Roland;

Your concerns are quite valid. Definately not a waste of time! Your concerns are my concerns. It's what I am here for.

Irridescent sharks all get big. No avoiding it. They are a catfish and there aren't any that look like them that could be mistaken for them. Their first common name was "Pangassius Cat". When I first heard the name "irridescent shark" a few years ago I was quite unfamiliar with them until I saw a picture. Very nice fish actually, but like any other fish they will eat others that are small enough to fit in their mouth. They can be a bit hyper, but most catfish can be. Unless you have a tank that is 55 or larger, I would avoid them.

The colored glassfish thing is pretty weird. It does predispose them to illness, but it isn't anything mysterious. They are just more prone to getting ill because their bodies have been stressed. And who knows what's in that paint? Yikes! As long as there is a market for them the stores will continue to sell them. You could complain to your local store, but be aware that they will probably continue to sell them anyway. Smaller stores keep selling them because their customers go to Petsmart, Petco and Walmart to shop if they don't have them. It's often about competition in business. As  matter of fact, our store carried them too. However, we informed our customers that the fish were injected and it is a cruel practice. I turned lots of people off to it once they knew. They didn't buy the colored varieties from us or anywhere else either because they were told the truth about it. Perhaps you could persuade your local stores to do the same?

Followups welcome.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins