Leptobarbus melanopterus

[esoxlucius]

I went to my LFS earlier and yet again they had a fish which immediately piqued my interest. They have a habit of getting some of the less common fish, and this one is simply stunning!

The tank was marked up as "Borneo red cheeked sultan fish", Latin name Leptobarbus Melanopterus. They were about 4".

I'd left my phone in the car so couldn't research on the spot, or take pictures in store. But as soon as I got home I looked into them.

However, I have a couple of issues. One...I don't really have room in my 360, there's enough going on already, and two....unfortunately these things get huge, but what a stunning fish.

Anyone heard of them before?

 

[Backfromthedead]

I dont remember the name but those cheeks and beautifully contrasting scales remind me of some barbs i may have looked up...ive certainly never seen one for sale in person though. That would be hard for me to pass up on too.

 

[jjohnwm]

I went to my LFS earlier and yet again they had a fish which immediately piqued my interest...

Hmmm...starting to see a pattern here...

Thanks a lot, Esox. Would it have killed you to just say flat out what you discovered regarding size? Oh, nooooo....you force those of us with slow internet (yes, we still exist in 2023...) to laboriously search up this fish for ourselves. Evil, evil man...

That is a stunning fish, for sure. Let us know if when your resistance breaks down and you snag a couple.

 

[esoxlucius]

That is a stunning fish, for sure. Let us know if when your resistance breaks down and you snag a couple.

I'm not gonna lie John, I won't sleep a wink tonight now. I'll be tossing and turning all night cursing myself for not following my instincts.

I have a funny feeling this thread is far from done. On a positive note, although I've seen pictures of these guys around the 15" mark on Asian angling websites, fish base state that they only get to about 24cm, which is what, about 7-8"?

If I tell myself enough that there's a bit more room in my 360 I might just start to believe it! Lol.

 

[esoxlucius]

Well, it's done. Up early and back to my LFS to pick up these guys. There were four so I got them all, £30 a fish, yikes!!! My most expensive lay out on fish to date.

They're about 4" but currently look nothing like what they'll turn into as they develop, hopefully! However, even at this small size they do have a beautiful black and red scissor tail and you can see the very faint red markings on other fins too, but the red cheek isn't showing yet, give it time.

I have them in a makeshift quarantine set up for now, but they wont be in there for long. They've already been through a lengthy quarantine period in store. I trust my LFS and haven't had any problems in the past re short home quarantine periods.

Pictures and videos will follow in due course once they're settled in my 360, and obviously I'll update this thread regularly as they mature.

I've told my LFS keeper that if he sees me set foot through his door again, he can shoot me on sight!

 

[jjohnwm]

I've told my LFS keeper that if he sees me set foot through his door again, he can shoot me on sight!

I'm pretty sure he knows how many ways that would work against his interests...

My local guy has actually learned the sound of my old cordura-nylon velcro-closed wallet being torn open; its spiteful snarl always brings a smile to his face on the rare occasions that he gets to hear it. Last winter I was in his shop with my youngest granddaughter and had knelt down to adjust one of her snow boots. As I played with the velcro straps that secured the boot, he popped his head out of the back room with a hopeful look on his face...his evil smile quickly faded when he realized that he had not in fact heard the wallet wail...

Your tank now has, I believe, 3 or 4 relatively uncommon species of beautiful "sharky" Asian cyprinids; I can't wait to see these new guys in there.

Congrats on having no will power!

 

[tlindsey]

I've told my LFS keeper that if he sees me set foot through his door again, he can shoot me on sight

Hate to break the news to you but that will never happen

 

[esoxlucius]

Your tank now has, I believe, 3 or 4 relatively uncommon species of beautiful "sharky" Asian cyprinids;

Yes. Beardless barbs (Cyclocheilichthys Apogon), Borneo red finned silver sharks (Cyclocheilichthys Janthochir), Red tailed barbs (Discherodontus Ashmeadi) and now my Borneo red cheeked sultan fish (Leptobarbus Melanopterus).

I don't believe any of them are endangered in the wild, they just don't seem to be a common hobby fish for whatever reason, and the boss of my LFS has a habit of getting these sort of fish in, and suckers such as myself can't resist.

Congrats on having no will power!

Yes, and no money either!!! Lol.

 

[jjohnwm]

Hey, come on, give yourself credit where credit is due. You saw a fish that appealed to you; although aware of the fact that a simple search on your phone would reveal much info (a notion that seems utterly foreign to many fishkeepers...), you were unable to access that so you went home, thought it over, did some research and slept on it before pulling the trigger.

What a refreshing story! Contrast that to the all-too-common tale of a strange new fish seen, which immediately leads to a frenzied wallet-grab and an instantaneous purchase. I swear, some people seem to have special wallet-holsters designed to allow for a quick draw that would be the envy of a gunslinger back in the Wild West.

And you told us the information regarding the fish...instead of standing in your living room with a bag of fish in your hand, no tank in sight set up for them...wailing "Urgent! Help required! What is this fish? WHAT DO I DO?????"

Seriously...Bravo!

 

[esoxlucius]

Contrast that to the all-too-common tale of a strange new fish seen, which immediately leads to a frenzied wallet-grab and an instantaneous purchase

Oh, don't bestow too much credit on me John. I too, on occasion, have exhibited quick on the draw wallet displays whilst at my LFS which would have had John Wayne applauding, lol.

Those three Columbian cat sharks I once purchased were a prime example. No research, no scratching my head, no hesitation whatsoever. But in my defence on that one, it was my wife who instantly fell in love with the adorable little guys, not me.....and they would have eventually eaten everything in my com tank had I not taken them back, lol.

It was the only time in my entire marriage where my wife went goo goo over fish. I had to get them there and then in an attempt to seal the deal regarding her fall into the dark side. When I had to take them back she lost interest all over again, lol.