Goonch ID

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Chicxulub said:
I second this, especially in regards to goonch surviving long term.

Ime, they are remarkably sensitive to change and will go into shock. Both of the goonch I've succeeded in raising out of the initial sensitive phase of introduction into a new tank from a retailer have not survived when I attempted to move from one house to another. I had Dottie, a rutilus, that lived in a tropical (~78*) tank for almost 3 years. She (randomly assigned pronoun lol) ate pellets, was stable and grew from about 6" to 12" at death when I moved homes and tried to transfer her. 3D the Defiler, a lica, lived with me for almost two years. Same tank conditions as Dottie. He (random again) grew from 6" to almost a foot in that time, and would eat or kill pellets and literally anything else made of organic material I put into the tank. He also died after I moved homes and tried to move him to the new house.

I see goonch as a remarkable risk that should only be introduced into well established systems that are immune from disturbance or disruption. I feel that a goonch tank should be treated with the same care and attentiveness to stability that one would provide to a saltwater reef. These simply aren't fish that can go into a bucket when you're moving.
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Saltwater has been my thing for years. Mainly nano reef tanks which are much harder since when things get unstable it goes down hill fast. I decide to get a freshwater tank but guppies and goldfish don’t interest me and thanks to Instagram I come across lots of monster fish tanks and decided that’s what I want. So I’m building a 600gal tank to go in the garage since we don’t use it, I am also fully prepared to house this fish alone. I’m keeping the water on the colder side with strong current and no light. I watch him and look over him a lot, even at night with a lamp on in the distance just to watch his swim around looking for his next victim.
 
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Jdadams said:
Saltwater has been my thing for years. Mainly nano reef tanks which are much harder since when things get unstable it goes down hill fast. I decide to get a freshwater tank but guppies and goldfish don’t interest me and thanks to Instagram I come across lots of monster fish tanks and decided that’s what I want. So I’m building a 600gal tank to go in the garage since we don’t use it, I am also fully prepared to house this fish alone. I’m keeping the water on the colder side with strong current and no light. I watch him and look over him a lot, even at night with a lamp on in the distance just to watch his swim around looking for his next victim.
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I think your fish will end up being just fine :)
 
Jdadams said:
i think so too. If I could just get the stubborn thing to eat frozen foods that would be great. Also, would 2 goonchs in one tank be ok as long as they are the same size? I still want a legit yarelli
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I wouldn't risk two if they were my fish. Ymmv
 
Jdadams Jdadams Could be mistaken but I do think IMO yours has the round eyes of b.b or b.y assuming that we are still happy that the eye shape is a defining trait.
Would suggest that some Bagarius seem flakey however found mine to be quite resilient to changes in temperature although was never in more than 76 degrees and it didn’t fluctuate wildly. What mine was susceptible to was lack of oxygen in the water and a pump failure claimed him after getting him from 7” to 20” in 18 months.
I would say to keep him at the temperature he’s at as he seems ok with that and personally lean towards it being bagarius bagarius like mine. You cant over oxygenate that tank so an extra air pump would be a must for me.
 
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Fishman Dave said:
Jdadams Jdadams Could be mistaken but I do think IMO yours has the round eyes of b.b or b.y assuming that we are still happy that the eye shape is a defining trait.
Would suggest that some Bagarius seem flakey however found mine to be quite resilient to changes in temperature although was never in more than 76 degrees and it didn’t fluctuate wildly. What mine was susceptible to was lack of oxygen in the water and a pump failure claimed him after getting him from 7” to 20” in 18 months.
I would say to keep him at the temperature he’s at as he seems ok with that and personally lean towards it being bagarius bagarius like mine. You cant over oxygenate that tank so an extra air pump would be a must for me.
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I wish I had a light and somthing better to take pics with to get a good confirmation on which type it is. The guy I bought it from kept it in 79-83 degrees. I put my heater on 77 and over a few days brought it down to room temp of 68 degrees, so I guess mine handled it pretty well with no issues. My tank is open top with lots of top water movement. My pump does have a spot to Hook a air hose up to that i might try out. And incase of failure I have an extra pump just in case
 
I may be wrong but I recall people reporting their goonch jumping out.
 
thebiggerthebetter said:
I may be wrong but I recall people reporting their goonch jumping out.
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I might should invest in a screen top then. Also, when trying to get to eat frozen shrimp and krill should I just leave it in the tank over night and get out what he doesn’t eat in the morning? Because that’s what I’ve been doing
 
It sounds sensible. Are you fasting the fish? If you offer both, it will never wean onto the non-live feed. You have to fast it and perhaps will have to use other tricks, like presoaking in garlic juice, or train the fish to take feed from your hand, or tongs, or a stick, etc.

Again, other goonch folks should tell you better than me.
 
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