Which one is the bigger killer, Hoplias Aimara or Channa Micropeltes

[Marcus_H]

B BOTR

Well this threat is 4 years old now, but maybe i can still get an answer. Why do you come to this conclusion? How big have your specimen been?

Since i started this threat, i had the chance to see both species at quite some size life in zoo aquariums. Honestly the aimara seems to be more aggressive, but the Micopeltes had been always the bigger and thicker ones. Just much more fish. I guess C. Micrpeltes is just growing faster than any Hoplias.

When it comes to the maximum size they can reach in the wild there is little serious information. Fishbase says the aimara can reach 40kg and micropeltes only 20. But if you look at serious fishing records (if something like that exists) they seem pretty even and big Micropeltes seems to be much more common.

 

[moe214]

I've always felt like aimara looked more brutish of equal length and seem to have a bonnier (spelling?) head. Wolves are fast and all but micros seem faster and more agile in this comparison, so I'd have to agree with the old conclusion of first bite has the advantages do is more likely to win, but I feel the aimara will withstand a bite better than the micro. But who in their right mind would try this and purposely make them fight? No one, that's cruel.

 

[jlnguyen74]

I've always felt like aimara looked more brutish of equal length and seem to have a bonnier (spelling?) head. Wolves are fast and all but micros seem faster and more agile in this comparison, so I'd have to agree with the old conclusion of first bite has the advantages do is more likely to win, but I feel the aimara will withstand a bite better than the micro. But who in their right mind would try this and purposely make them fight? No one, that's cruel.

Honestly, I don't think they would bother each other, at same size, 8"+. Smaller than 8", my money is on Aimara. Those white belly from those snakehead look yummy to Aimara from below...

 

[moe214]

Honestly, I don't think they would bother each other, at same size, 8"+. Smaller than 8", my money is on Aimara. Those white belly from those snakehead look yummy to Aimara from below...

I'm with you there, I think the aimara has advantages when they're the same size, though I've never kept either personally. So I can't make the greatest conclusion. Just going off of what I've read and watched on both species.

 

[Marcus_H]

Yes i agree that if they are of the same size, the aimara will be the heavier fish with the bigger mouth/teeth etc. But i think it might be very possible, that Micropeltes is the species with the bigger maximum lenght AND weight, despite what the very rare literature says. But this is just my experience with both species which i have seen in zoos, because in zoos the channa have always been bigger since they grow faster.

Of course any real duel would be very cruel, unnatural (since they never meet in the wild) and unnecessary, but it's still kinda interesting to think about because they evolved so similiar.

Sadly BOTR seems to be not longer active on this board.

 

[DB junkie]

Botr lost his Aimara. It was a true beast at over 30". I believe it was hole in the head that was too far gone to treat. Some felt it was due to the previous owner feeding it rats.

So wikipedia and fishbase both list max weight at 20kg and 40kg so I guess I fail to understand why you think the Channa gets so much "bigger" if it only weighs half the wolf.

Do Channa have the same strength in their jaws as Aimara? Would love to see bite pressures tested......

 

[Marcus_H]

Well Wikipedia uses the same data as fishbase. If you look at fishing records you will also find 20 kg for the micropeltes and 40 for the aimara. But in neither case there is any solid evidence that those numbers are true. It you compare the fishing records which have a photo and got officially measured, you got 17kg for the aimara and 18 for micropeltes. So pretty close. And as stated before, any owners i know always reportet that micropeltes reched a big size and weight much much faster. I never even seen an aimara in captivity who was bigger than 32". But i have seen micropeltes at 40".

This is why i think it is possible, that the channa is the bigger fish in the end. Of course i could be wrong, maybe after enough years the aimare will get bigger, ort reach the same lenght and with more weight of course. But the only proof to that is this one source from fishbase with 40kg.

 

[Marcus_H]

http://www.fishing-worldrecords.com/scientificname/Hoplias aimara/show

http://www.fishing-worldrecords.com/scientificname/Channa micropeltes/show

 

[DB junkie]

I like the part about the 114 pound 6 oz unconfirmed catch of Aimara.

Real tight knit record keeping....... What year did this happen in again?

Still don't understand why you just take all the published weights and toss them out the window just cause you haven't personally seen these fish that are fairly new to the hobby at these published sizes.

I've seen video of Lacerdae at sizes that look 3-4 feet long. Yet fishbase says max size of like 7 kg.

 

[Marcus_H]

Yeah but this is the point, actual live experience simply sems to not fit at all with the literature. Like i said, biggest aimara i have seen was around 32", biggest micro 40".

Can you link that video? Would be the biggest Hoplias i have ever seen by far!