Few loaches of the Western Gharts of India

[madhu]

Few more pics after they've settled a bit.

[Mad Duff]

WOW

I thought they looked nice before they colord up but now you have posted them photos

I want some

[madhu]

I want some

Make a trip to India. I'll take you to where they are.

[Matt]

The S. kodaguensis is amazing! From which part of the Ghats are they caught madhu?

[madhu]

Coorg District, Karnataka. Its called Kodagu plateau, a highland plateau in the middle of the western gharts and hence the name kodaguensis

[mickthefish]

whats their temperament like Madhu ?, they certainly are a pretty schistura the dorsal fin makes them.

mick

[madhu]

Definitely a typical Schistura, Mick. Greedy while eating, wasnt very fuzzy or choosy about food and not that aggressive as say a denisonii or for that matter even a semiarmatus.
A bit surprisingly, most of the time they are out in the open and rarely have I seen them going inside rocks and leaf litter. They bring out the red only around morning and I've never seen any red during the later hours of the day.
In the wild, they seem to have a very restricted range. Very fast against water that Rahul and myself found very difficult to get a hold on them. By the time we lifted the nets, they were fast enough to swim against the current and get outta it.

[mickthefish]

thanks for the info Madhu, the denisonii i picked up awhile back aren't that aggresive and there is a dominant male among them , he's nearly half the size bigger than the rest with a massive head and mouth.
i have a pic of him that i took recently if i can find it i'll put it up.

mick

[mickthefish]

found it pretty easy. lol

what do you think of him mate.

mick

[madhu]

he's nearly half the size bigger than the rest with a massive head and mouth.
mick

That's probably the reason why there isn't much aggressive Mick. I have 2 huge ones almost at the same size and full grown to around 3.5" and that tank is seldom at peace. And yes they have a massive head, mouth and of course a massive stomach.

And that is one huge looking fish Mick.

I think sooner or later they will have a complex of species just like the filamentosa complex. What I have is pretty different from yours and at the same time much different from what my friends have collected around the Eastern Gharts.

[Keith Wolcott]

They are really beautiful!

[mickthefish]

it's about the same size as yours Madhu, but i know a lad who got some of the same shipment and his male is a good half inch bigger than mine, from what he's said it's also more aggressive than mine.

mick

[Matt]

Thanks for the information madhu. Mick your fish is a beast!

[madhu]

Mick,
Your fishes sure are suffering from Obesity!

[mickthefish]

lmao, not my fault Madhu theyre always hungry. haha

mick