Tag Archives: blue tor

Neolissochilus stracheyi – Blue Tor

30. November 2018

Once more we have this splendid large barb (maximum size: approx. 60 cm) from Burma in stock. We have only a limited number of specimens! If one photographs these fishes and sets the flashlight directly from the front the fish looks rather drab silvery. But in the real life, when the fish is swimming, the extremely large, diamond-shaped blue scales on the back shine brightly and the orange-red stripe on the side looks really gorgeous. It is due to these wonderful colours that the “Blue Tor” is already a much sought-for fish for koi carp ponds in tropical Asia (at temperatures between 22 and 24°C). These colours, which are always visible for the human eye under daylight conditions, can be shown in photos only in slightly underexposed pictures and grazing light.

Neolissochilus inhabit rivers in primary forests of subtropical regions of northern India, Burma, Thailand and most probably Cambodia. The water in their habitats is always very clean and it is known that the fish disappear when human activities (clearning, water pollution) are increasing. Due to the geografical distribution the species is adapted to water temperatures between 16 and 26°C.

For our customers: the fish have code 438363 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Neolissochilus: ancient Greek, means “new Lissochilus”; Lissochilus is anther genus of barb. stracheyi: dedication name. Blue Tor: the common name refers to the large blue scales on the back and the overall similarity of the fish to the members of the carp genus Tor.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer