Rohu
Labeo rohita
Also known asRoho labeo · Rui · Indian major carp
Water parameters
Minimum tank: 2000 L per individual at harvest size.
Feed and growth
- Feed protein
- 30% target
- Daily feed (warm)
- 1.80% of body weight
- Daily feed (cool)
- 0.60% of body weight
- Max density
- 40 g per litre
A 10000 g adult eats about 180.0 g of feed per day at optimum. 10 fish at adult size: ~1800 g daily.
Legality
Rules vary by jurisdiction and change over time. Verify with your local fisheries or wildlife authority before stocking.
| Jurisdiction | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| United States (federal) | check local regulations | verified 2026-05-13 |
| New South Wales | prohibited | verified 2026-05-13 |
Unlisted jurisdictions default to "check local regulations".
Origin and habitat
Native to the rivers and floodplains of the Indian subcontinent, across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar, with introduced stocks in parts of Southeast Asia and Africa. Rohu is the leading member of the three Indian major carps, the trio of rohu, catla and mrigal that underpins South Asian pond farming. It is a column feeder, taking phytoplankton, periphyton and soft plant matter as an adult after starting life on zooplankton. Wild fish commonly reach about 1 m, and the species can grow exceptionally to roughly 2 m and 45 kg, with a maximum reported age near 10 years; farmed fish are usually taken at 0.5–2 kg. Together the three major carps yield close to 6 million tonnes a year in India and Bangladesh, and rohu alone tops 2 million tonnes, placing it among the most-farmed freshwater fish on earth. The flesh is white to pinkish and bony, as in all big cyprinids, and rohu is the carp South Asian cooks prize most.
Climate and outdoor ponds
- Climate
- tropical (needs warm water year-round)
- USDA zones
- 9–13 (winter low around -7°C or warmer)
- Heating needed
- no
- Cooling needed
- no
Care notes
The most important warm-water food fish in South Asia, a natural fit for aquaponics across the subcontinent. It does well across a broad warm band, flourishing from roughly 14°C to 38°C with best growth in the high 20s to low 30s. Growth is quick: about 35–45 cm and 700–800 g in the first year on carp pellet of 25 to 32 percent protein, or on the natural algal bloom of a fertilised pond, with feed conversion near 1.5 to 2.0. Rohu is almost always grown in the classic three-carp polyculture, where it works the middle of the water column, catla feeds at the surface and mrigal scours the bottom, so the three together use the whole pond. A typical mix runs about 40 to 50 percent rohu, with the rest split between catla and mrigal; in monoculture or aquaponics, stock around {density:10}-{density:25}. The fish is hardy and generally disease-resistant, though epizootic ulcerative syndrome can flare in cool, wet conditions in some regions. Genetically improved lines such as Jayanti rohu now offer faster growth. Fingerlings are cheap and plentiful from government and private hatcheries throughout India and Bangladesh. The species is rarely farmed outside South and Southeast Asia, but where it is the default it is culturally preferred, fast-growing and affordable.