Giant Slender Mahseer

[surfermike915]

Finally moved the three mahseer into a 4 foot tank. They are currently growing out with a Geophagus sp. 2x Brazil Piraiba, a maculata catfish, a phoenix barb and a Nile perch. They have packed on some weight. When moving them to the gallery from the house, one jumped out of the net when I was trying to put him in the bag to float acclimate. He (knock on wood and thank the lord) has been well overall. It was a vicious jump and landing I immediately picked him up and he was fine within 30 minutes. They are much more skittish than before when they were in a 3 foot tank. They continue to outcompete my Nile perch whom I am trying to get on prepared. I want to upload pics later tonight. I have to set a sump up for them tonight, as well as get my 180 set up. Never a dull day around here!

 

[surfermike915]

Sorry for such awful pics today. Here they are. I have been watching them closely for nearly an hour and the phoenix barb seems to be at the top of their individual pecking order. The mahseer are getting fat and thick. I have noticed my one who I’ll call “tank” has a second pair of barbels below the chin. These are wild caught from the Nepalese foothills, but I just have found it interesting. More pics to come.

 

[surfermike915]

as of december 12-13:
They have grown significantly. They have started a pecking order. Often with the phoenix barb tagging along. I can tell whos who now by the aggression between the 3 and the imposter himalyan mahseer, the phoenix barb. theyve grown from 4'" to 6-7" but they've added a lot of weight.

 

[surfermike915]

As of Januraray 3rd:
Moved them to indoor pond that I made last year. It’s 9’ x 5’ x 3’ foot deep.Tank mates are a 9” wallago, 8” Oscar, 6” banded leporinus, pair of Dovii, and a Paraiba. Now with predators such as the ones above, I’ve added a lot of obstructive barriers. They also have the imposter mahseer aka my phoenix barb who is confused in what he is. I’ve dwindled stock substantially in last 2 weeks, and a lot more changes in my fish room are coming. They are eating well, and in a larger tank, they seem less skittish, as well as begging for food much more. Definitely my favorite mahseer sp. they are such cool fish, that are severely underrated. My goal is to hopefully grow them large enough for my pond, in which I am building for my Bambusa. Does anyone know how cold it gets in the Himalayan rivers they come from?

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Good question on the golden mahseer / tor putitora temp range. IDK off the top of my head. I'd need to dig.

 

[surfermike915]

My Mahseer have grown. The pond is steady at about 76. One is especially large probably closing in on 8” mark. They are getting very bold. I want to add more though lol. Or maybe aral Barbel? They are some of my favorite fish. As they grow you can see their lips getting thicker and more robust. This is their primary weapon along with their huge mouth that they use to eat small fish/crustaceans and to scour the river floor. They are just so active.

 

[surfermike915]

Good question on the golden mahseer / tor putitora temp range. IDK off the top of my head. I'd need to dig.

thebiggerthebetter any word on their temp?

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

It seems sources cite 5 to 25 C or 40 to 78 F. The adults seem to prefer low land regions of Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra, which I'd imagine are warmer than 78F.

Mahseer (Golden) - FFI Magazine

ffimagazine.com

Golden mahseer

Golden mahseer

www.wwfindia.org

 

[surfermike915]

It seems sources cite 5 to 25 C or 40 to 78 F. The adults seem to prefer low land regions of Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra, which I'd imagine are warmer than 78F.

Mahseer (Golden) - FFI Magazine

ffimagazine.com

Golden mahseer

Golden mahseer

www.wwfindia.org

So that’s a now go for me for my outdoor pond idea. I guess my indoor pond will be okay for a few years. The largest sits at 8”.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Were you concerned about the low temp range? IDK if they could overwinter under ice, I'd guess they couldn't but it's a guess. 5C is close to 4C which is the temp of water on the bottom of the frozen bodies of water. But they could still need running water even at 4C. IDK.

They are slow growers. Our two 9yo are 2ft, maybe a bit over. One 4yo is under 1.5ft. They have done well so far and our water gets into upper 80-ies but never below 70F.