Likely true MGC but who knows for sure? https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...-huge-aquarium-with-mekong-river-fish.753918/
Anyone knows how to ID "Mekong Giant catfish" juvi?
- Thread starter thebiggerthebetter
- Start date
Firsthand info:
www.monsterfishkeepers.com
Made an acquaintance with a super peer in Asia
He obliged my suggestion and published his first short video on YT. 25 seconds but what fish! 3ft / 1m Giant Siamese Carp, Mekong Giant Catfish, and arapaima, I am guessing this is a 6000 gal growout for his large pond/lake, in which he says he has 30-70 kg / 65-155 lb Giant Siamese Carp:
www.monsterfishkeepers.com
Incredible. Dream pond. Dream property. To see that many Giant Carp is incredible.Firsthand info:
Made an acquaintance with a super peer in Asia
He obliged my suggestion and published his first short video on YT. 25 seconds but what fish! 3ft / 1m Giant Siamese Carp, Mekong Giant Catfish, and arapaima, I am guessing this is a 6000 gal growout for his large pond/lake, in which he says he has 30-70 kg / 65-155 lb Giant Siamese Carp:
I’m no help in this matter of ID’ing but looks to me as though juvenile Paroons and ID’s possess much darker fins at an early age.
On the other hand a GMC has Gold/Yellow/brown especially on Anal, caudal fin. They also have the look to them as if they’re smiling.
I wish I could add to this with some first hand experience or knowledge but that is just something I don’t have, yet(lol). I came very close to buying them from a friend who brought them in with some Jillian’s carp. Too bad they get much too large too soon for my weenie 2000 gallon pond
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I've never heard of anyone bringing the MGC into the states, nor do I think it is possible. Are you sure?
As a general rule of thumb heres what seperates the Gigas from every other Pangasianodon catfish from my experience.
1) the yellow coloration present only on mgc,
as juveniles under 4" the most difficult fish to differentiate it between is the Irridescent shark (IS) or hypothalmus while both are in the water swimming. However, only gigas will have the yellow coloration particularly towards its gills and fins which becomes very noticeable when you raise both fish out of the water. No matter the age, all gigas will have the yellowish coloration whereas hypothalmus is generally closer to red.
2) head size + position of eyes
All gigas their heads are proportionally bigger than hypothalmus. Roughly 30% of the fish's length will be its head whereas every other pangasianodon have very short heads in comparison. Also, all MGC will also have a white spot on the top of their heads and the eyes will be below their mouth
3) growth rate
Other than alligator gars which top out at 3ft in a year roughly, these are the fastest growing fish I have ever known or seen.
Feeding them roughly 10% of their body weight in food, 45% protein a 4" mgc should roughly reach roughly 3ft in about 13 months assuming proper nutrition and ample swimming space. Anything under 4ft needs a 6000 gallon pond bare minimum where length is the priority over depth. As juveniles this fish is hyperactive, becoming far less energetic as they approach 3ft or 1m long, that said I have never seen this fish be able to grow at its full potential in a hobbyist setting and I believe this comes down to nutrition.
Other notes and thoughts
From what ive seen, MGC are filter feeders for the most part but have zero issues eating smaller fish (3" and under) and ghost shrimp. I once experimented with putting 10kg of three spot gouramis in the conservation pond and they were all promptly eaten by the MGC all of which were roughly 5ft in length. In nature this fish is constantly feeding as it swims which is something that cannot be replicated in anything other than a natural pond,river or lake.
I came to the 10% body weight feeding guesstimate based off of several different MGC i raised in my own 6000 gallon backyard pond/aquarium. I had three individual MGC all weighing roughly 5kg give or take 100-200grams at different periods of time and I fed the first one 5% of its body weight and it looked skinny to me. the 15% body weight fish started growing an abnormally sized belly and the 10% one looked like the MGC ive seen captured in the wild in terms of body proportions. Very rough and unprofessional I know but online information is either outdated or nonexistent for this fish.
1) the yellow coloration present only on mgc,
as juveniles under 4" the most difficult fish to differentiate it between is the Irridescent shark (IS) or hypothalmus while both are in the water swimming. However, only gigas will have the yellow coloration particularly towards its gills and fins which becomes very noticeable when you raise both fish out of the water. No matter the age, all gigas will have the yellowish coloration whereas hypothalmus is generally closer to red.
2) head size + position of eyes
All gigas their heads are proportionally bigger than hypothalmus. Roughly 30% of the fish's length will be its head whereas every other pangasianodon have very short heads in comparison. Also, all MGC will also have a white spot on the top of their heads and the eyes will be below their mouth
3) growth rate
Other than alligator gars which top out at 3ft in a year roughly, these are the fastest growing fish I have ever known or seen.
Feeding them roughly 10% of their body weight in food, 45% protein a 4" mgc should roughly reach roughly 3ft in about 13 months assuming proper nutrition and ample swimming space. Anything under 4ft needs a 6000 gallon pond bare minimum where length is the priority over depth. As juveniles this fish is hyperactive, becoming far less energetic as they approach 3ft or 1m long, that said I have never seen this fish be able to grow at its full potential in a hobbyist setting and I believe this comes down to nutrition.
Other notes and thoughts
From what ive seen, MGC are filter feeders for the most part but have zero issues eating smaller fish (3" and under) and ghost shrimp. I once experimented with putting 10kg of three spot gouramis in the conservation pond and they were all promptly eaten by the MGC all of which were roughly 5ft in length. In nature this fish is constantly feeding as it swims which is something that cannot be replicated in anything other than a natural pond,river or lake.
I came to the 10% body weight feeding guesstimate based off of several different MGC i raised in my own 6000 gallon backyard pond/aquarium. I had three individual MGC all weighing roughly 5kg give or take 100-200grams at different periods of time and I fed the first one 5% of its body weight and it looked skinny to me. the 15% body weight fish started growing an abnormally sized belly and the 10% one looked like the MGC ive seen captured in the wild in terms of body proportions. Very rough and unprofessional I know but online information is either outdated or nonexistent for this fish.
