Malabar baril

Opsarius malabaricus

Also known as Barilius malabaricus, Malabar hill trout

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–79°F (20–26°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 4.3 in (11 cm)
Minimum tank: 42 gal (160 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Kerala rivers, southern Western Ghats, India
Family: Danionidae

Overview

An active, trout-like baril for a long tank with real flow, kept as a school of five or more so any sparring is spread across the group. It patrols the midwater and the surface, striking fast at food, so give it robust companions and skip small or delicate fish. It jumps hard, so a tight lid is essential. Feed meaty floating and sinking foods, plus frozen bloodworm, daphnia, and small insect larvae. A tank of around 160 liters with brisk current suits a group.

In the wild

The Malabar baril comes from short, fast rivers of the Malabar coast in Kerala, in the southern Western Ghats of India, in clear, flowing, well-oxygenated water. Build a river-style tank with strong current, a substrate of sand, gravel, and stone, and open length rather than heavy decor. It prefers cooler water, so aim for 20 to 26 degrees Celsius with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5.

Good to know

Opsarius malabaricus is a member of the danio family, Danionidae, reaching about 11 centimeters, silver with blue bars along the flank. Jerdon described it in 1849 and named it for Malabar, its home coast in southern India; modern taxonomy moved it, with other peninsular Indian barils, out of Barilius and into Opsarius. Its breeding is not documented in aquaria.

Did you know

Malabar, the old name for this stretch of the Indian coast, is attached to a whole run of fishes, and this baril shares the label with the Malabar giant danio it often swims beside in the wild.

Tank mates

Malabar baril is a mostly peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.