Not Your Typical Shark – Chinese Hi-Fin Banded Sharks

Here is an interesting fish for your pond or water garden:

Chinese Hi-Fin Banded Shark.
  These guys are wonderful for a backyard pond.  They are only referred to as sharks because of their very tall dorsal fin, much like a shark.  In reality they are very peaceful and will get along with all of your pond fish.  The are most popular because of their appetite for eating algae, and can greatly reduce the amounts of stringy algae in a pond.  Unlike Plecostomus, Hi-Fin Sharks thrive in cold water and can easily withstand a cold winter.

Hi-Fin Sharks are native to the Yangtze River basin in China and are not easily bred in captivity, so available numbers are usually pretty small each season and the prices can get a bit high.  They are only recommended for larger, well established ponds that are heavily aerated and planted.  They are more sensitive to water conditions than your average koi or goldfish.

Chinese Hi-Fin Sharks can get over four feet long in the wild and are generally pretty active, but mostly cling to the sides or bottom of the pond where they forage for food.  Overall Chinese Hi-Fin Banded Sharks are a fascinating, useful addition to most water gardens.