🐟 Colombian Shark (Ariopsis seemanni)
Brackish-to-Marine Catfish • Genuinely Must Transition to Saltier Water as It Grows — Freshwater-Only Is Fatal Long-Term
 
⚠️ Please Read First
Despite genuinely often being sold as a "freshwater shark," this is genuinely a sea catfish that must be transitioned to increasing salinity as it matures. Young fish tolerate hard freshwater for a while, but adults genuinely fail to thrive and typically die prematurely if kept in freshwater long-term. The correct approach is genuinely a gradual increase in salinity with age, moving from light brackish toward marine conditions as the fish grows — this is a genuine, well-documented, non-negotiable care requirement, not a preference.
 
📋 The Colombian Shark, also called the Tete Sea Catfish or Silver-Tipped Shark, gets its name from its sleek, shark-like silhouette, though it's genuinely a true catfish, not a shark. It's native to Pacific-draining rivers and estuaries of Central and South America. As it matures, it genuinely goes through periods of restlessness with sudden dashes around the tank — a fluctuation in salinity sometimes genuinely helps settle this behaviour.
One safety note worth knowing: like other sea catfish, its saliva genuinely contains an anticoagulant, so handle with care if you ever need to net or move one. It's generally peaceful with similarly sized fish but will genuinely eat anything small enough to swallow, and genuinely has not been successfully bred in captivity.
 
💡 Highlights
✨ Sleek Shark-Like Silhouette: A true catfish, not a shark
⚠️ Genuinely Must Transition to Saltier Water: Freshwater-only is fatal long-term
📏 Genuinely Large: Up to about 35cm
💨 Fast, Active Swimmer: Needs genuine open swimming space
🦷 Anticoagulant Saliva: Handle with genuine care