My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

A third asotus passed away. 8 years old. 16 inch / 40 cm. Male. IDK why. The full bely is still full of food - a day before it fed as usual with an enviable appetite and much gusto. They always feed like this.

I don't think this involved any kind of tank mate attack. The only guess is that since it swallowed 3 pieces of cut herring, perhaps a bone could be fathomed to have punctured the stomach and a vital organ, pretty weak hypothesis.

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Overnight the jerks in the jerk tank left nothing but bones of the behri. Final size seems around 10" at 3.5 yo. As stated, the fish grew ok the first year, year and a half - 2.5" in 4 months, then 4" in the following year, then 1" in the next two years.

This means it was feeding ok at the beginning but something kept shifting in its feeding habits and it fed less and less over time, while wasting away and not growing much.

Based on our experience, it seems that some mouth-sucking grazing cyprinids, such as Black shark aka Labeo chrysophekadion, also Labeo congoro are able to learn to take dry feeds like pellets and occasionally thawed fish and attain adult ages and sizes in our hobby rather easily, while others, such as behri, and Cirrhinus microlepis as another example, are unable and perhaps require to be kept in conditions where algae and plankton are plentiful.

From literature:

http://www.fishbase.us/summary/SpeciesS ... name=behri "Occurs in upland reaches of the Mekong. Inhabits rocky stretches of the main stem of Mekong during the dry season and moves into tributary streams during high waters. Found in riffle and slow deep reaches. Herbivorous, feeding on algae, phytoplankton and periphyton. Not known to persist in impoundments. At Stung Treng below the Khone Falls, the species migrates upstream at the start of the rainy season in May-June and downstream in the dry season from November to February. At Sambor and Kratie as well as just south of Khone Falls, it moves downstream at the onset of the rainy season and upstream in the dry season. The reason for such movement seems to be the presence of the important tributary system, Sekong-Sesan-Srepok rivers. Fishermen reported that this fish migrates from this system into the Mekong during receding water and migrates upstream the tributaries during the rainy season, possibly to spawn. Upstream the Khone Falls, this fish begins migrating upstream in the dry season (February-May) and continues into the beginning of the rainy season. This movement may, in fact, be two separate migrations: a dry season non-reproductive migration of smaller fish and an early rainy season migration of larger fish in spawning condition. Undertakes upstream migrations from Khone Falls all the way to Chiang Khong in northern Thailand which are triggered by the increase of water levels and the change in water-color from clear to red-brown. Migrates upstream in schools together with other cyprinids such as Labeo cf. pierrei, Cirrhinus microlepis, Labeo chrysophekadion and Cyclocheilichthys enoplos as well as the loach, Botia modesta. Marketed fresh."

https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/i ... beo-behri/ "A specialized grazer of algae and associated organisms which it rasps from the surface of rocks and other solid objects using its specialised mouthparts."

https://www.mekongfishnetwork.org/bump- ... beo-behri/ "In the Mekong basin, an unusual bump-headed fish called Incisilabeo behri (also known as Bangana behri) migrates out of the Sesan, Srepok and Srepok (the 3S) rivers as juveniles into the mainstream Mekong. They may head downstream to the border of Kratie and Stung Treng Province, or upstream to southern Laos PDR and northeastern Thailand for feeding purposes (grazing on algae on rocks). The species spawns in the middle of the Sekong River in July and August. The maximum size recorded is 60 cm. Wonders of the Mekong project staff came across this colorful specimen for sale at a market in Stung Treng, Cambodia.

In Attapeu and Sekong Provinces in southern Laos, villagers have created protected areas to that have helped conserve this species in the dry season, and have also made attempts to ban fishing during its spawning season. Incisilabeo behri is listed in the IUCN Red List as “Vulnerable” (Red List in 2011), and major threats include being targeted with gillnets during the spawning season and feeding migrations. The increasing use of electrofishing gear and dams proposed on the Mekong and 3S rivers could have a major negative effect on the species during its migration. More research and conservation planning is needed to understand and protect this unique Mekong fish species!"

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Viktor Jarikov
Posts: 5263
Joined: 26 Jan 2010, 20:11
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Thebiggerthebetter
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Viktor Jarikov
Posts: 5263
Joined: 26 Jan 2010, 20:11
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Spotted: 4
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Thebiggerthebetter
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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Justina the marbled pim ripped up by piraiba first and then by an apurensis catfish has been recovering for a month and introduced back into her 4500 gal where she had lived 7 years prior:

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

The last of the 11 adult tig catfish is gone, the same way as the prior 8 - first hunger strike for months, then spinning, erratic swimming as the final stage. The first 3 we had lost to accidents. We have kept them from 2015 until 2022. Last tig looks like a male, 22", 8 yo.

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

The mud carp is moved into isolation to experiment with the feed:

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Thebiggerthebetter
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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Thebiggerthebetter
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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Thebiggerthebetter
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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

The Catla has been doing well except not really growing. I guess I fail to deliver plenty of feed to it to grow to 4, 5, 6 ft... It seems barely 2 ft while it is 8 years old. Other than that it seems happy, looks healthy.

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Thebiggerthebetter
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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Thebiggerthebetter
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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Thebiggerthebetter
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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

The survivor. Seems ok. No problem with a fat pouch above the eye as in the perished one.

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

The experiment appears to have been successful. The mud carp feeds on small NLS pellets and takes a long time, hours, half a day to finish them.

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

The six giraffe have been doing okay in the 25K. The volta female seems to have lost some weight, which I am keeping an eye on. The Congo pair has been too busy courting. Still, to this day. So they too probably don't feed as much as usual.

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

A long overdue update on the two golden mahseer, which have been doing well in the 25K gal, now about 7 years old and 2 ft. One is one-eyed, courtesy of lima shovelnose tank mates for the first couple years, which lets me get close on its blind side when filming:

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

The 5ft / 1.5m piraiba got attacked by two 3.5ft / 1m paroon shark catfish, who were not supposed to be hungry but maybe it is the breeding season that drives them to doing things like this. Paroons do have a bad reputation from some peers of being outright killers and predators, which is coming more and more true with years in our own experience. They will need to be separated from tank mates and maybe even from each other at some point, if it continues like so.

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

15 month update. The original GSC pair has been (what word to use ?) adequate but not growing in the 25K, same as reported before above. They stopped growing 4 years ago and are still around 20". The reason being I suppose (and I have been told) that they are [1] preferential filter feeders and [2] need to be fed often or ideally continuously to grow and thrive. So far I couldn't provide this for them as I feed the tank only 3 times a day and the competition is fierce to say the least. Hence I think the lack of growth. At least they do not lose weight they already have. Perhaps I should consider separating them into their own 240 gal (too small though) and feeding them more and more often... They like swimming though, despite not a hydrodynamic shape for a fish, I see them doing laps in the 25K often.

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Tor khudree update. This is the fish I got from Wesley Wong in Aug 2015 as a subadult / adult Tor malabaricus but it is most definitely not it, thanks to our peers helping with the ID, especially our Indian experts Balaji aka Shovelnose on Planet Catfish and Jibran aka headbanger on the MFK. It is an khudree. We got it from Wes already one-eyed.

One of the subadult / adult mahseer we got in 2015 from Wes was indeed khudree, a much bigger one, over 2 feet but we lost it not too long ago.

This khudree is considerably smaller and has not been growing in the last 4 years or so, so must be maxed out. Perhaps it is a male, hence smaller than our bigger khudree, perhaps a female, used to be.

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Both knifes have been in the 25K for 8 months now and seem to be doing quite well. The strange thing under the K-knife's mouth / gills has disappeared thank goodness. The bigger K-knife is able to take an 8" herring now while the smaller and younger J-knife prefers to try smaller herring, like 6".

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Thebiggerthebetter
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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Peace for 4 days. Then came the feeding day and all fed well. In 1-2 days the paroons were found to bite the piraiba again.

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Thebiggerthebetter
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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Tor progeneius update. Long overdue. This is the fish we got from Wesley Wong in Aug 2015 as a subadult / adult. The fish seems to have stopped growing lengthwise in the last 4 years or so, so may be maxed out. Pointy anal fin - perhaps it is a male.

The tail fin was ripped by a large-mesh size net when transferring from 4500 gal to the 25K gal 3 years ago, and for some reason didn't heal together properly in one spot to restore the beautiful shape. I have been thinking of cutting it along the "V' and slightly deeper so it has another chance to grow together. What do you think?

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Greta the rescue TSN x RTC hybrid catfish sets personal best having consumed eleven 8" thawed fortified herring in one sitting:

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Viktor Jarikov
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

The next morning. Big-stomach Greta chases tank mates:

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Viktor Jarikov
Posts: 5263
Joined: 26 Jan 2010, 20:11
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Re: My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

The bigger, older tarpon in the 25K. No growth in the last 5 years.

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