Pond Boss
Posted By: huntjen Chinese Hi Fin Banded Shark - 05/11/12 11:25 PM
Does anyone know anything about their cold tolerance (what climate hardiness zone could they tolerate up to)? Could they survive outdoors in a pond type setup in the Northern USA or Southern Canada?
Posted By: Omaha Re: Chinese Hi Fin Banded Shark - 05/12/12 12:07 AM
This piqued my interest so I did some reading. Yes, looks like these fish are considered a coldwater fish, being native to rivers in China. They get huge in the wild, over 3 feet in length. One of their favorite foods is filamentous algae, which I can assume is one of the reasons for this inquiry. I'm interested to hear more. I wonder if, since they prefer cold, moving, well oxygenated water, if their spawning would be indicative of that, much like trout. Having a fish incapable of spawning in a pond might be a huge factor in potentially using this species as a weapon against FA. I'm very interested in hearing more.

Also read they are illegal in the UK, so I wonder what invasive tendencies they may have.
Posted By: CJBS2003 Re: Chinese Hi Fin Banded Shark - 05/12/12 12:17 AM
They're probably tolerant to zone 6 maybe further north than that. They definitely won't spawn in ponds. They are becoming popular with koi/goldfish pond owners because the young look very unique and they do seem to eat algae. They're only wild caught from their native China where they are endangered.
Posted By: huntjen Re: Chinese Hi Fin Banded Shark - 05/12/12 07:20 PM
I seem to remember reading on this site or elsewhere on the internet a few years ago that someone kept one outside in a pond in Idaho for a while and also someone else kept one in a pond which froze over in winter (didn't say where) and they survived. Not sure how true it is though.
Posted By: Gambusia Re: Chinese Hi Fin Banded Shark - 05/16/12 11:24 PM
Get one from the fish store and find out.

They do seem to be pricey though as juveniles
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