Fun Rohu Fish Facts For Kids

Rohu or Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822) is a freshwater fish of the carp family of Cyprinidae. This fish is also more commonly known as ruee, rui, or tapra. Rohu is a giant silverfish with the same shape as other fishes in its family and has a conspicuously arched head. It is a colorful fish and has dark scales on its upper body, a golden brown belly, and bright red colored fins. This beautiful Indo-Gangetic silver species can be easily found in parts of South Asia and southeastern Asia in northern and central India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar in ponds, rivers, and reservoirs. Rohu also makes excellent fish for aquaculture because of the high demand in the market. In Indian markets, fish seeds for this fish are sold for INR 0.5/piece ($0.007). They are also tough to catch on a hook because they do not give up without a good fight. This fish also doesn’t feel oily; instead feels smooth and has a pleasant taste that doesn’t resemble the taste of other fishes. Rohu (Labeo rohita) is also consumed in many parts of India as a sacred food.

For more relatable content, check out these monkfish facts and bonito fish facts for kids.

What type of animal is a rohu fish?

The rohu fish, Labeo rohita, is a carp fish found in freshwater and extensively used for aquaculture.

What class of animal does a rohu fish belong to?

The rohu fish belongs to the Actinopterygii class of animals.

How many rohu fishes are there in the world?

Roho labeo is mainly found in South Asia and Southeast Asia and is also very extensively used for aquaculture. Labeo rohita is also popularly used for practicing fish stocking. The practice of fish stocking involves raising fish in a hatchery and then releasing them into their organic habitats to increase or create their population in the particular habitat. This makes it difficult for this common carp to know their exact count in the world.

Where does a rohu fish live?

The rohu fish can be easily found in parts of South Asia and southeastern Asia in eastern, northern, and central India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar and has now also been introduced into some rivers of Peninsular India and Sri Lanka.

What is a rohu fish's habitat?

This fish species of carp family prefers to live in habitats with an abundance of freshwater like ponds, reservoirs, and weedy, slow-flowing, or standing waters of lakes and rivers.

Who do rohu fishes live with?

Most of the species in the carp family prefer to live either alone or in small schools in their organic environment. The rohu fish is considered a solitary fish and does not live with other fish of their own species.

How long does a rohu fish live?

The rui fish in their organic wildlife habitat can live for up to 10 years.

How do they reproduce?

Roho labeo is polygamous fish, and the female rohu fish contains up to 300,000 eggs. The male and the female rohu fish reach their first sexual maturity at around two years and attain 50% of their sexual maturity by the age of three years. The rohu fish gain its complete maturity by the age of five years. The best season for rohu to lay eggs is in the monsoon season from April to July, and the female rohu fish lays 200,000-250,000 eggs per 2.2 lb (1 kg) of their weight. The rohu katla fish prefers laying eggs in the depth of open waters or flooded rivers instead of stagnant waters to protect the eggs from prey. When trying to breed this species in aquaculture, spawning is induced as the fish won't lay eggs in calm waters. The optimum temperature for spawning of rohu fish is 71.6-87.8 °F (22-31 °C).

What is their conservation status?

These common carp species are abundantly found in their habitat and also extensively used in aquaculture, thus making its population very wide in the world. Therefore it is listed as Least Concern species by the IUCN.

What do rohu fishes look like?

Labeo rohita has a bilaterally symmetrical and elongated body and has a more arched dorsal profile than their ventral profile. Their bodies have cycloid scales, whereas their head has no scales. Also, they do not have any teeth on their jaws. This fish also has a small head with a sharp face and frill-like lower lip. They have a very silver-gray color, a golden brown belly, and have a total of seven fins on their body, none of them covered with scales. This fish has a mouth with a crescentic transverse opening with thick fringed lips.

*Please note that this is an image of a common carp, a fish similar to rohu fish. If you have an image of a rohu fish please let us know at [email protected].

How cute are they?

The rui fish look very cute, especially the baby rohu fish. Their silver color gives them a wonderful look.

How do they communicate?

The rohu Labeo fish are considered to be solitary fish. It is very likely that they won't communicate much with other fishes; however, they're more likely to use acoustic signals for communication like all other fishes if they do.

How big is a rohu fish?

Roho Labeo can grow as big as 78.7 in (200 cm), which is 10 times the body length of longhorn cowfish.

How fast can a rohu fish swim?

Roho fish cannot swim very fast. On average, carp fish swims at a speed of 3.7 mph (6 kph).

How much does a rohu fish weigh?

In their wildlife habitat, this fish can gain a weight of about 99.2 lb (45 kg). This weight is almost twice the weight of rainbow trout fish.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names given separately to the male and female rohu fish. However, you can differentiate between them by looking at their pectoral fins. During the breeding season, the pectoral fins on the dorsal surface become rough for males and smooth for females.

What would you call a baby rohu fish?

Just like all other fish babies, a baby rohu fish is also called a fry.

What do they eat?

Rui is pure vegetarian fish; however, their food preference changes with the change in their age. The diet of rohu fry consists mainly of zooplankton, whereas rohu adults feed on phytoplankton and submerged plants. They also like to feed on bread, which is hence used as bait to catch them on a hook. In their organic environment, this fish mainly feeds by sieving the water with the help of their thin hair-like gill rakers. Since they do not have any teeth in their jaw, the fish feeds by nibbling the food using their mouth.

In aquaculture, rohu fish are given artificial feed and a diet full of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. There are two types of artificial feed available for rohu fish: wet pellet and dry pellet. Carboxymethylcellulose or gelatin is used to make wet pellet feed, but it can't be stored for a longer time. In comparison, dry pellet feed can be easily transported and comes in two types: sinking type and floating type.

You can easily find rohu fish or rui in south Asian markets for consumption. But apart from us humans, this vegetarian fish is also a target for many big fishes and aquatic animals for consumption. For example, fingerlings are very easy targets for turtles, ducks, water-breathing insects, and larger fishes.

Are they dangerous?

This Indian major carp is a solitary fish and not dangerous in the way that it will bite you. But an examination conducted by the National Institute of Biotic Stress Management of the Indian Council in 2018, found rohu fish carrying multiple dangerous drug-resistant bacteria.

Would they make a good pet?

Rohu can make for a good pet. They are solitary fish and are not predatory at all. With proper care and feeding, you can keep them as pets.

Did you know...

Being an Indian major carp, rohu is very commonly eaten with rice in many states of India like Bihar, Odisha, Assam, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh. The Maithili Brahmin and the Kayastha communities have been eating this fish on all their auspicious occasions since they treat this fish as one of their most sacred foods. A recipe for the preparation of fried rohu fish is also mentioned in Manasollasa, which is a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia. This Sanskrit encyclopedia was compiled by Raja Someshvara III, who was the ruler of the present-day Karnataka (a state in the southern part of India).

Rohu fish tastes really good. You can make a variety of dishes using rohu fish. The most famous rohu fish recipe is West Bengal's macher jhol (fish curry), a very spicy rohu fish preparation consisting of a mixture of spices and mustard gravy.

Rohu fish English name is Labeo rohita. However, you cannot find rohu fish in USA or anywhere other than its southern Asian habitat. This fish is not even in stock or reared in other parts of the world. But any fish related to the carp family can be used as a substitute for the rohu fish.

Is rohu fish good for health?

Rohu is generally eaten very widely and is prepared using a number of ways, making it a very delicious food option. This fish is nutritionally very rich and is a great source of vitamin C, proteins, heart-friendly omega 3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, potassium, calcium, selenium, and also has low-fat (oil) levels. This rohu fish nutrition is also a great source of cancer-fighting antioxidants.

Is rohu a bony fish?

Rohu is a very bony fish. They lack opisthotic bone, and the other bones in their body are inverted, which gives them the inverted cup-like structure. Given the number of bones they have in their bodies, it is easier for people to fillet them.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Arctic char facts and chum salmon facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable rohu fish coloring pages.