Yeah well i look forward to your findings also cant wait to get my mahseer
Ive got an idea maybe if you put goldfish in with the mahseer the mahseer will see the goldfish eating fruits and it will get tempted it will eat it too
Anyone Managed to Successfully Preserve Colouration of Mahseers, Tor and Neolissochilus sp like Those from The Wild?
- Thread starter Asian Exotics
- Start date
Ive got an idea maybe if you put goldfish in with the mahseer the mahseer will see the goldfish eating fruits and it will get tempted it will eat it too
Mahseers are not picky eaters. It will eat the goldfish alright.
Maybe but im saying a good sized goldfish with a good sized mahseer may entice the mahseer to eat the fruit and see if it will have coloration from the wild
I'm saying a good size mahseer will eat a good size goldfish which doesn't need enticing.
Good idea, but if I put in those goldfish, yes, it should be gone in a while. The mahseer will also give chase to feeder (smaller) tinfoil barbs. My mahseer is fast, not agile, but fast.
Funny thing you mentioned goldfish. Because I not only have a big comet/carp, but also a now table sized tilapia, and tinfoil barb (all were ex-feeders) in my tank all courtesy of unexplained mercy or pardon by the tank's previous tenant, an arowana. The snakehead though is in real danger of being eaten due to it's shape and size. So my tank currently does look like a tank in a restaurant in Asia
Yup, Mahseers shouldn't be picky eaters. I'd imagine them to behave the same as my previous collection of Koi when it comes to food. When lockdown is lifted, I'll plan for some Stracheyi to be brought in. Then I'll look for new homes for the all the other non mahseer fishes currently in the tank. That's when I'll also try to get a consistent source of these potential plant matters that may also produce the vibrant colours. I guess I can safely skip the plants already used by commercial farms to make their flesh more fragrant as this practice has only proven to make their flesh more appealing for consumption, and did nothing significant to their colours.
Well thats great and what do you mean tinfoil barbs as feeders and also your pretty lucky to be able to have a snakehead as a petGood idea, but if I put in those goldfish, yes, it should be gone in a while. The mahseer will also give chase to feeder (smaller) tinfoil barbs. My mahseer is fast, not agile, but fast.
Funny thing you mentioned goldfish. Because I not only have a big comet/carp, but also a now table sized tilapia, and tinfoil barb (all were ex-feeders) in my tank all courtesy of unexplained mercy or pardon by the tank's previous tenant, an arowana. The snakehead though is in real danger of being eaten due to it's shape and size. So my tank currently does look like a tank in a restaurant in Asia
View attachment 1416663
Yup, Mahseers shouldn't be picky eaters. I'd imagine them to behave the same as my previous collection of Koi when it comes to food. When lockdown is lifted, I'll plan for some Stracheyi to be brought in. Then I'll look for new homes for the all the other non mahseer fishes currently in the tank. That's when I'll also try to get a consistent source of these potential plant matters that may also produce the vibrant colours. I guess I can safely skip the plants already used by commercial farms to make their flesh more fragrant as this practice has only proven to make their flesh more appealing for consumption, and did nothing significant to their colours.
I meant the real deal species of that fish, tin foil barbs, which is one common type of feeder fish sold here.
Oh, that is because a quite significant part of all ornamental fishes being sold around the world are native to where I live, South East Asia. Hahaha.... in fact, I shouldn't consider myself lucky cuz when you guys are buying, my hobby suddenly becomes much more expensive.
Oh oof sorry for making the hobby so expensive for you lol also didnt know there was more than one species of tinfoil barbI meant the real deal species of that fish, tin foil barbs, which is one common type of feeder fish sold here.
Oh, that is because a quite significant part of all ornamental fishes being sold around the world are native to where I live, South East Asia. Hahaha.... in fact, I shouldn't consider myself lucky cuz when you guys are buying, my hobby suddenly becomes much more expensive.
This is a long overdue update. Due to the long closure of the Thai border, I wasn't able to get any 'Original' Thai blue mahseer. Most people will associate Thai blue mahseer as Neolissochilus Stracheyi. While the Thai border remains closed at point of writing, I did manage to purchase what I thought is the dream size of Thai blue mahseer (Tor version), one was 28 inches and the other between 32-34 inches. I was very happy with my purchase and found them as very easy species to maintain body colouration close to how they would look in their natural habitat (I've this habit of always using angling pictures/videos as general guide to how they would look in their natural habitat as a catch and release anglers won't travel from where they fish for photographs).
I learnt something valuable in these fish. The reason their colours are so easily maintained are cuz these fishes are much better camouflage fishes compared to other mahseers or fishes. Hence, it is very easy to have them to the colour you desire. Like golden, expose them to lots of sunlight and bright aquarium setup. Like the mean look, just have the tank cover to be dark and add in some rocks, you get your mean fishes.
My purchase initial pics, tank setup with one huge granite boulder at 90% completion and 2 weeks after fishes settling in where it's clear the biggest one has established a territory (which btw baffles me as I thought mahseers are schooling fishes and not territorial):
Below are pictures of the very same fishes by anglers :
I made special mention of this Tor like species I purchased for the simple reason that I believe this is a poorly studied/described species. It was thought to be a morph of Neolissochilus Stracheyi, (Hoang et al. 2015) but I beg to differ as locals have different names for them in Thai (pla wien for these Tor versions instead of pla puang for the original Neolissochilus Stracheyi). The Tor versions easily grow to double the length, never found to be obese/fat (think a well fed koi), reported to live twice as long. Biological differences that it's highly unlikely to be change as a morph.
Viktor
thebiggerthebetter
you'll probably curse me for throwing even more confusion to the Stracheyi debate, but this is worth mentioning....Hahaha
However, similarities are that both the Neo and Tor are highly adaptable in terms of colours. Both living in lower altitudes where rivers are more sandy and less crystal clear, both exhibit more golden colours, and when they migrate to higher altitudes, as the riverbed substrate change from sandy to rocky, both Neo and Tor change colours to darker shades from dark brown/bluish up to almost black. They share very similar habitat and I was told these cross path occasionally, so being caught together at the same fishing spot isn't surprising at all. But locals insist that the Tor versions swim with their own kind and so does the Neo versions. The scientific community of that region did briefly describe the Tor versions, but the description is too generally classified as Tor Tambroides as you can see below Fig 376:
These Stracheyi like Tor aren't only found in Laos/Mekong, but it's pretty common in river Salween and their tributaries both in Thailand and Myanmar. In conclusion, I highly doubt it's a Neolissochilus Stracheyi morph, but an actual Tor in its own right but not well studied or described in the world scientific community. I am aware I am a keyboard scientist wannabe, I mean no disrespect to any ichthyotologist, and I am aware it's much easier to study and comment on a keyboard in the comfort of my house than the actual works the proper scientists do, but I'm just offering my observations and if it helps in their studies, please feel free to verify and correct my understanding if I am wrong.
As a bonus information, locals did verify that the newly discovered species also by Hoang et al. 2015, where it was mentioned that they can so far only confirm that Tor Sinensis is so far recorded only in Laos and possibly Yunnan, China, well, locals who study and fish off river Salween tributaries also did verify that Tor Sinensis are also found in these rivers (which aren't connected to Mekong). The following (it could also be an Tor Laterivitattus) is from an unnamed river near Salween. So, any aspiring ichthyotologist may confirm this and have their own academic paper ?
But this will be an unmistakable red adult Tor Sinensis
thebiggerthebetter
and in my opinion looks way better than the mono colour Malaysian Red mahseer.
Ok, back to my 'Thai blue mahseer, Mekong Tor Sp.), it was a stupid mistake I made. I thought a bigger fish is a show stopper, but this is far from what I wished for as these XL sized mahseers are timid and skittish while being real bullies to their tank mates (I still don't understand the logic). I blame their skittish behaviour to my tank (96 inches × 34 inches [footprint], 32 inches depth) which are all internal measurements. So, no, these giant of a fish don't swim gracefully at all. I'll have no choice but to relocate them either to my concrete pond where I work or to a new owner who can better take care of them. If there's an advise to anyone wishing to start with Thai Blue mahseer, don't be over ambitious like how I was, and try to start with smaller specimens
MatteoTheEnder22
3 months into my tank, they already broke 2 wavemakers, somehow through skittish feeding behaviour, also torn a protective panel to prevent my rock decoration from hitting one glass panel making the rock uncomfortably close to the rear tank glass panel, I would have no choice but to temporarily abort my mahseer community tank dream for now until I get much bigger tank (I would say 1700-2000 gallons will be a comfortable minimum size for monster sized mahseers of these sizes).
Hope these information helps anyone who are interested in starting a collection of Thai blue mahseer. They are among the easier ones to maintain natural coloration, but just don't repeat the mistake I made, get the right size for your tank.
As for the soon to be emptied tank, I'll be going back to Asian arowana, but this time, an arowana community tank. I did purchase one exceptional piece still with the LFS which is a crossbelly. And as much as my wallet allows, I would love a collection of exceptional pieces of Malaysian golden blue base arowana.
My little precious:
But I'm not giving up on the mahseers, just not this time.... I'll definitely be back once I have the right sized tank for these mountain monster fishes.....
I learnt something valuable in these fish. The reason their colours are so easily maintained are cuz these fishes are much better camouflage fishes compared to other mahseers or fishes. Hence, it is very easy to have them to the colour you desire. Like golden, expose them to lots of sunlight and bright aquarium setup. Like the mean look, just have the tank cover to be dark and add in some rocks, you get your mean fishes.
My purchase initial pics, tank setup with one huge granite boulder at 90% completion and 2 weeks after fishes settling in where it's clear the biggest one has established a territory (which btw baffles me as I thought mahseers are schooling fishes and not territorial):
Below are pictures of the very same fishes by anglers :
I made special mention of this Tor like species I purchased for the simple reason that I believe this is a poorly studied/described species. It was thought to be a morph of Neolissochilus Stracheyi, (Hoang et al. 2015) but I beg to differ as locals have different names for them in Thai (pla wien for these Tor versions instead of pla puang for the original Neolissochilus Stracheyi). The Tor versions easily grow to double the length, never found to be obese/fat (think a well fed koi), reported to live twice as long. Biological differences that it's highly unlikely to be change as a morph.
Viktor
thebiggerthebetter
you'll probably curse me for throwing even more confusion to the Stracheyi debate, but this is worth mentioning....Hahaha However, similarities are that both the Neo and Tor are highly adaptable in terms of colours. Both living in lower altitudes where rivers are more sandy and less crystal clear, both exhibit more golden colours, and when they migrate to higher altitudes, as the riverbed substrate change from sandy to rocky, both Neo and Tor change colours to darker shades from dark brown/bluish up to almost black. They share very similar habitat and I was told these cross path occasionally, so being caught together at the same fishing spot isn't surprising at all. But locals insist that the Tor versions swim with their own kind and so does the Neo versions. The scientific community of that region did briefly describe the Tor versions, but the description is too generally classified as Tor Tambroides as you can see below Fig 376:
These Stracheyi like Tor aren't only found in Laos/Mekong, but it's pretty common in river Salween and their tributaries both in Thailand and Myanmar. In conclusion, I highly doubt it's a Neolissochilus Stracheyi morph, but an actual Tor in its own right but not well studied or described in the world scientific community. I am aware I am a keyboard scientist wannabe, I mean no disrespect to any ichthyotologist, and I am aware it's much easier to study and comment on a keyboard in the comfort of my house than the actual works the proper scientists do, but I'm just offering my observations and if it helps in their studies, please feel free to verify and correct my understanding if I am wrong.
As a bonus information, locals did verify that the newly discovered species also by Hoang et al. 2015, where it was mentioned that they can so far only confirm that Tor Sinensis is so far recorded only in Laos and possibly Yunnan, China, well, locals who study and fish off river Salween tributaries also did verify that Tor Sinensis are also found in these rivers (which aren't connected to Mekong). The following (it could also be an Tor Laterivitattus) is from an unnamed river near Salween. So, any aspiring ichthyotologist may confirm this and have their own academic paper ?
But this will be an unmistakable red adult Tor Sinensis
thebiggerthebetter
and in my opinion looks way better than the mono colour Malaysian Red mahseer. Ok, back to my 'Thai blue mahseer, Mekong Tor Sp.), it was a stupid mistake I made. I thought a bigger fish is a show stopper, but this is far from what I wished for as these XL sized mahseers are timid and skittish while being real bullies to their tank mates (I still don't understand the logic). I blame their skittish behaviour to my tank (96 inches × 34 inches [footprint], 32 inches depth) which are all internal measurements. So, no, these giant of a fish don't swim gracefully at all. I'll have no choice but to relocate them either to my concrete pond where I work or to a new owner who can better take care of them. If there's an advise to anyone wishing to start with Thai Blue mahseer, don't be over ambitious like how I was, and try to start with smaller specimens
MatteoTheEnder22
3 months into my tank, they already broke 2 wavemakers, somehow through skittish feeding behaviour, also torn a protective panel to prevent my rock decoration from hitting one glass panel making the rock uncomfortably close to the rear tank glass panel, I would have no choice but to temporarily abort my mahseer community tank dream for now until I get much bigger tank (I would say 1700-2000 gallons will be a comfortable minimum size for monster sized mahseers of these sizes).
Hope these information helps anyone who are interested in starting a collection of Thai blue mahseer. They are among the easier ones to maintain natural coloration, but just don't repeat the mistake I made, get the right size for your tank.
As for the soon to be emptied tank, I'll be going back to Asian arowana, but this time, an arowana community tank. I did purchase one exceptional piece still with the LFS which is a crossbelly. And as much as my wallet allows, I would love a collection of exceptional pieces of Malaysian golden blue base arowana.
My little precious:
But I'm not giving up on the mahseers, just not this time.... I'll definitely be back once I have the right sized tank for these mountain monster fishes.....
