catfish · freshwater

Iridescent Shark: adult size, tank size & tankmates

The Iridescent Shark (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) grows to about 61 in (130 cm SL). It needs a tank at least 177 inches long and about 3850 gallons. It doesn't need a group of its own kind, at 72–79°F.

Try it in the tank builder See tankmates

How big it really gets

Drawn to scale against common tank lengths. Green bars meet the minimum tank length from our sources.

Outgrows most home tanks. Sold as a 2-inch novelty shark; grows into a 3-4 foot massive river catfish that consumes tankmates.

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Quick facts

Adult size: 61 in (130 cm SL)
Minimum tank: 177 inches long and about 3850 gallons
Temperature: 72–79°F
pH: 6.5–7.5
Hardness: 2–30 dGH
Group size: 1 (solitary or pair)
With other fish: peaceful
With its own kind: peaceful
Swims: middle of the tank
Diet: omnivore
Care level: advanced
Lifespan: 20 years

Watch for: eats small fish · eats shrimp · eats live plants · jumps, so keep a lid

Iridescent Shark tankmates

Checked with the same rules as our tank builder: temperature overlap, pH and hardness, predation and mouth size, fin-nipping and temperament. Tank size is left out here; check it in the builder.

Good tankmates

Use caution

Avoid

All 105 species we checked against the Iridescent Shark

Species	Verdict	Why
Angelfish	Compatible	No conflicts found
Assassin Snail	Compatible	No conflicts found
Bala Shark	Compatible	No conflicts found
Blood Parrot Cichlid	Compatible	No conflicts found
Clown Loach	Compatible	No conflicts found
Common / Comet Goldfish	Compatible	No conflicts found
Common Pleco	Compatible	No conflicts found
Electric Blue Acara	Compatible	No conflicts found
Japanese Trapdoor Snail	Compatible	No conflicts found
Kissing Gourami	Compatible	No conflicts found
Malaysian Trumpet Snail	Compatible	No conflicts found
Moonlight Gourami	Compatible	No conflicts found
Oscar	Compatible	No conflicts found
Rainbow Shark	Compatible	No conflicts found
Ramshorn Snail	Compatible	No conflicts found
Scissortail Rasbora	Compatible	No conflicts found
Siamese Algae Eater	Compatible	No conflicts found
Swordtail	Compatible	No conflicts found
Three-spot Gourami	Compatible	No conflicts found
Tinfoil Barb	Compatible	No conflicts found
Weather Loach	Compatible	No conflicts found
Yoyo Loach	Compatible	No conflicts found
Discus	Caution	Iridescent Shark and Discus only share 79–79°F. That's a tight window.
Mystery Snail	Caution	Iridescent Shark (pH 6.5–7.5) and Mystery Snail (pH unknown) prefer different pH.; Iridescent Shark (2–30 dGH) and Mystery Snail (unknown dGH) prefer different water hardness.
Nerite Snail	Caution	Iridescent Shark (pH 6.5–7.5) and Nerite Snail (pH 8–8.4) prefer different pH.
African Dwarf Frog	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and African Dwarf Frog only grows to about 1.4 in.
Amano Shrimp	Avoid	Iridescent Shark will eat Amano Shrimp.
Bamboo Shrimp	Avoid	Iridescent Shark will eat Bamboo Shrimp.
Betta	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Betta only grows to about 3.3 in.
Black Neon Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Black Neon Tetra only grows to about 1.7 in.
Black Skirt Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Black Skirt Tetra only grows to about 3.5 in.
Bleeding Heart Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Bleeding Heart Tetra only grows to about 2.9 in.
Boesemani Rainbowfish	Avoid	Iridescent Shark (72–79°F) and Boesemani Rainbowfish (81–86°F) need different temperatures.; Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Boesemani Rainbowfish only grows to about 5.2 in.
Bolivian Ram	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Bolivian Ram only grows to about 3.8 in.
Bristlenose Pleco	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Bristlenose Pleco only grows to about 5.9 in.
Bronze Cory	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Bronze Cory only grows to about 3.5 in.
Buenos Aires Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Buenos Aires Tetra only grows to about 2.8 in.
Bumblebee Goby	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Bumblebee Goby only grows to about 1.7 in.
Cardinal Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Cardinal Tetra only grows to about 1.7 in.
Celestial Pearl Danio	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Celestial Pearl Danio only grows to about 1 in.
Cherry Barb	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Cherry Barb only grows to about 2.4 in.
Cherry Shrimp	Avoid	Iridescent Shark will eat Cherry Shrimp.
Chili Rasbora	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Chili Rasbora only grows to about 0.9 in.
Chinese Algae Eater	Avoid	Chinese Algae Eater is aggressive toward tankmates. Iridescent Shark is peaceful.
Clown Killifish	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Clown Killifish only grows to about 1.6 in.
Clown Pleco	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Clown Pleco only grows to about 4.2 in.
Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid only grows to about 3.5 in.; Iridescent Shark (pH 6.5–7.5) and Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid (pH 5–6) prefer different pH.
Congo Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Congo Tetra only grows to about 3.8 in.
Convict Cichlid	Avoid	Convict Cichlid is aggressive toward tankmates. Iridescent Shark is peaceful.
Crystal Red Shrimp	Avoid	Iridescent Shark will eat Crystal Red Shrimp.
Denison Barb	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Denison Barb only grows to about 5.2 in.
Diamond Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Diamond Tetra only grows to about 2.8 in.
Dwarf Gourami	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Dwarf Gourami only grows to about 4.2 in.
Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish only grows to about 3.8 in.
Electric Yellow Lab	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Electric Yellow Lab only grows to about 4.7 in.; Iridescent Shark (pH 6.5–7.5) and Electric Yellow Lab (pH 7.7–8.6) prefer different pH.
Ember Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Ember Tetra only grows to about 0.9 in.
Endler's Livebearer	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Endler's Livebearer only grows to about 1.2 in.
Fancy Goldfish	Avoid	Iridescent Shark (72–79°F) and Fancy Goldfish (50–70°F) need different temperatures.
Firemouth Cichlid	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Firemouth Cichlid only grows to about 5.7 in.
Forktail Blue-eye	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Forktail Blue-eye only grows to about 2.8 in.
German Blue Ram	Avoid	Iridescent Shark (72–79°F) and German Blue Ram (81–86°F) need different temperatures.; Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and German Blue Ram only grows to about 1.9 in.
Ghost Shrimp	Avoid	Iridescent Shark will eat Ghost Shrimp.
Giant Danio	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Giant Danio only grows to about 3.5 in.
Glass Catfish	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Glass Catfish only grows to about 3.1 in.
Glowlight Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Glowlight Tetra only grows to about 1.9 in.
Gold Barb	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Gold Barb only grows to about 3.5 in.
Guppy	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Guppy only grows to about 2.8 in.
Harlequin Rasbora	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Harlequin Rasbora only grows to about 2.1 in.
Head-and-tail-light Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Head-and-tail-light Tetra only grows to about 2.1 in.
Hillstream Loach	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Hillstream Loach only grows to about 3.1 in.
Honey Gourami	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Honey Gourami only grows to about 2.6 in.
Julii Cory	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Julii Cory only grows to about 2.6 in.
Kribensis	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Kribensis only grows to about 4.7 in.
Kuhli Loach	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Kuhli Loach only grows to about 4.7 in.
Lambchop Rasbora	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Lambchop Rasbora only grows to about 1.4 in.
Lemon Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Lemon Tetra only grows to about 1.9 in.
Marbled Hatchetfish	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Marbled Hatchetfish only grows to about 1.7 in.
Molly	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Molly only grows to about 3.8 in.
Neon Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Neon Tetra only grows to about 1.4 in.
Odessa Barb	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Odessa Barb only grows to about 2.2 in.
Otocinclus	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Otocinclus only grows to about 1.7 in.
Panda Cory	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Panda Cory only grows to about 2.4 in.
Paradise Fish	Avoid	Iridescent Shark and Paradise Fish only share 72–72°F. That's a tight window.; Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Paradise Fish only grows to about 3.8 in.
Pea Puffer	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Pea Puffer only grows to about 1.4 in.
Pearl Danio	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Pearl Danio only grows to about 2.6 in.
Pearl Gourami	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Pearl Gourami only grows to about 5.7 in.
Penguin Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Penguin Tetra only grows to about 1.7 in.
Peppered Cory	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Peppered Cory only grows to about 3.3 in.
Pictus Catfish	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Pictus Catfish only grows to about 5.7 in.
Platy	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Platy only grows to about 2.4 in.
Pristella Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Pristella Tetra only grows to about 2.1 in.
Pygmy Cory	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Pygmy Cory only grows to about 1.4 in.
Red-Tail Shark	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Red-Tail Shark only grows to about 5.9 in.
Rosy Barb	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Rosy Barb only grows to about 4.7 in.
Rummy-nose Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Rummy-nose Tetra only grows to about 2.4 in.
Serpae Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Serpae Tetra only grows to about 1.9 in.
Silver Hatchetfish	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Silver Hatchetfish only grows to about 1.9 in.
Silver Tip Tetra	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Silver Tip Tetra only grows to about 2.4 in.
Sparkling Gourami	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Sparkling Gourami only grows to about 1.9 in.
Sterbai Cory	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Sterbai Cory only grows to about 3.2 in.
Tiger Barb	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Tiger Barb only grows to about 2.8 in.
Upside-down Catfish	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Upside-down Catfish only grows to about 4.7 in.
Variatus Platy	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Variatus Platy only grows to about 2.4 in.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow	Avoid	Iridescent Shark and White Cloud Mountain Minnow only share 72–72°F. That's a tight window.; Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and White Cloud Mountain Minnow only grows to about 1.9 in.
Zebra Danio	Avoid	Iridescent Shark eats small fish, and Zebra Danio only grows to about 2.4 in.

Care notes

Needs: Unsuitable for home aquaria; requires indoor pond or public aquarium with massive swimming lanes and secured heavy lid

Group: Obligate open-water riverine schooler; panics and collides with glass when solitary or confined; keep 5+

Temperament: peaceful toward other fish, peaceful toward its own kind. Lives in the middle of the tank.

Common questions

How big does a Iridescent Shark get?

About 61 inches (130 cm SL) as an adult, according to seriouslyfish.com.

What size tank does a Iridescent Shark need?

At least 177 inches long and about 3850 gallons. The smallest standard tank that meets that is a 180 gallon.

How many Iridescent Sharks should be kept together?

It can be kept on its own. Obligate open-water riverine schooler; panics and collides with glass when solitary or confined; keep 5+

What fish can live with a Iridescent Shark?

Species that passed every check include Angelfish, Swordtail, Electric Blue Acara, Malaysian Trumpet Snail, Japanese Trapdoor Snail, Ramshorn Snail.

Gear for a Iridescent Shark setup

TankSmallest standard tank that meets its minimum: 180 gallon (72 in long).Find on Amazon →HeaterAbout 2 × 300 W for 180 gallons, holding 72–79°F.Find on Amazon →LidIt jumps. A full lid keeps it in the tank.Find on Amazon →FoodA quality flake or micro-pellet as a staple.Find on Amazon →Test kitCheck ammonia, nitrite and pH. Cycle the tank before adding fish.Find on Amazon →

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Sources

Values come from these pages, in our own words. Status: verified. Last reviewed 2026-10-12.

seriouslyfish.com /species/pangasianodon-hypophthalmus
fishbase.se /summary/Pangasianodon-hypophthalmus.html