Baikal white grayling
Thymallus brevipinnis
The Baikal white grayling features a streamlined body, prominent dorsal fin, and distinct light gray to silver coloration with dark speckles.
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About the Baikal white grayling
Think of a trout-shaped fish with a huge sail-like dorsal fin that really pops on the males. It comes from Lake Baikal and wants icy, roaring, ultra-clear water with a ton of oxygen, so it is more of a public-aquarium fish than a home tank resident. It shoals and snaps up drifting insects, but will also take small crustaceans, fish eggs, and the odd tiny fish.
Also known as
Quick Facts
Size
50 cm
Temperament
Peaceful
Difficulty
Expert
Min Tank Size
300 gallons
Lifespan
5-10 years
Origin
Siberia (Lake Baikal, Russia)
Diet
Carnivore-insectivore - aquatic and terrestrial insects, crustaceans, small fish, and fish eggs
Water Parameters
6-18°C
7-8
3-6 dGH
Need a heater for this species?
This species needs 6-18°C in a 300 gallon tank. Use our heater calculator to find the right wattage.
Calculate heater sizeCare Notes
- This is a cold, fast-river fish - run a chiller and heavy aeration, and use river pumps to make strong, laminar flow; lock a tight lid because they jump hard.
- Keep temp 4-12 C year-round and never let it creep past 15 C, even for a day.
- Water chemistry: Baikal-clear and lean - pH 7.2-8.0, soft to moderate hardness, nitrate under 5-10 ppm; big mechanical/biological filtration and hefty weekly water changes.
- Layout like a riffle - rounded cobbles with open raceway lanes and a few big stones to make resting eddies; bare-bottom or thin gravel so you can vacuum waste fast.
- They are drift feeders, so feed the current with live or thawed insect larvae, blackworms, daphnia, mysis, and chopped fish, plus high-protein trout pellets; small, frequent meals so nothing rots.
- Tankmates are tricky - skip warmwater fish and anything bite-size; only consider other large coldwater salmonids in a huge system, or keep a single fish to avoid sparring.
- Juveniles may shoal but adults get territorial; if you try a group, go 4+ with lots of space and sight breaks, not pairs.
- Top killers are heat and low oxygen - watch for surface gulping and rapid gill beats; handle with wet hands/nets to avoid fungus, and reach for short salt baths before harsh meds.
- Breeding at home is near impossible without seasonal cues and a gravel riffle at 4-8 C; also check legality and buy only from documented, legal sources.
Compatibility
Good Tankmates
- Fast, coolwater river minnows like dace and shiners that can keep up with the flow and are similar size
- Peaceful bottom dwellers that like current, like stone loach or weather loach, rummaging while the grayling cruise midwater
- Hillstream loaches (Sewellia, Gastromyzon) that cling to rocks and ignore the grayling
- Coldwater sculpins/bullheads (Cottus spp.) that park on the bottom and do not compete for drifting food
- Adult European minnows (Phoxinus) or other sturdy, coolwater cyprinids that are too big to be gulped
- A small group of their own kind in a long, high-flow tank with tons of open swim room
Avoid
- Anything nippy or hyper like tiger barbs or giant danios that will harass them and hate the cold
- Warmwater tropicals like bettas, gouramis, or angelfish - wrong temps and they struggle in strong current
- Big predators or pushy salmonids like trout that outcompete them or try to eat them
- Tiny nano fish like white clouds, endlers, or juvenile danios that can be inhaled during feeding
Where they come from
Baikal white grayling are a coldwater salmonid from Lake Baikal and the fast, icy tributaries feeding it. Picture gin-clear water, rocky runs, and strong current under snowmelt conditions most of the year. They are built for speed and oxygen-rich water, not warm living rooms.
Check your local laws. Baikal grayling may be protected or restricted, and wild-caught fish often come with parasite baggage. Most hobbyists will never see this species for sale.
Setting up their tank
Think cold, clean, and fast. If you cannot keep 6-12 C water with strong, steady flow and sky-high oxygen, pick another fish. This is more like running a mini raceway than a standard aquarium.
- Tank size: 180-240 cm long footprint if you want adults to cruise. I would not keep a group in less than 400-600 liters, and bigger is better.
- Temperature: 6-12 C most of the year. Short dips to 4 C are fine. Avoid going over 14-15 C for long.
- Flow and O2: 10-20x turnover per hour using river manifold or multiple powerheads. Aim spray bars at the surface. Add oversized air or oxygen if you can.
- Filtration: Big biofilter that handles heavy feeding without nitrate spikes. Canister plus sump is a nice combo.
- Water: pH 7.0-8.0, low ammonia and nitrite at all times, nitrate kept low (<10-20 mg/L). Weekly large water changes are the norm.
- Substrate and decor: Rounded gravel and cobbles, open lanes for swimming, a few shaded areas. Skip sharp rocks and dense plants.
- Lighting: On the dimmer side. They do not love bright, overhead glare.
- Lid: Tight cover. Grayling will jump if startled.
Run a chiller with a backup plan. I keep a temp probe with alarms and a UPS on at least one pump and an air pump. A summer power cut can wipe them out in hours.
What to feed them
They are drift feeders. In the wild they chase insect larvae, amphipods, and small crustaceans carried by the current. Replicate that by letting food ride the flow right into their lane.
- Staples: Live or frozen blackworms, bloodworms, daphnia, mysis, chopped earthworms.
- Prepared: High-protein salmonid or trout micro-pellets. Start with soaked pellets mixed into live food so they learn the drill.
- Routine: 2-3 small feedings per day. They do better with frequent light meals than big dumps.
- Tools: A turkey baster or feeding tube helps you send food into the current where they sit and sip.
- Supplements: Rotate foods to keep condition up. Avoid fatty feeder fish.
New fish may snub pellets for weeks. Keep offering a few with each live feeding. Once one individual takes them, the rest usually follow.
How they behave and who they get along with
Active, alert, and always facing the current. They hold stations midwater and make quick darts for food. In groups, they sort out a pecking order with fin flares and short chases.
- Best plan: Species-only in a large, flowing setup.
- Tankmates: If you must, only other robust coldwater river fish that like 6-12 C and strong flow. Nothing small enough to be a snack, and nothing aggressive.
- Temperament: Not bullies, but they will outcompete slower fish during feeding and can nip if cramped.
- Stressors: Sudden movement, bright lights, and temperature bumps. Give them line-of-sight breaks and keep the room calm.
Skip tropical community fish, shrimp, and small minnows. The temperature and current are wrong for them, and they will either get eaten or waste away.
Breeding tips
Home breeding is rare. In nature they run upstream in very cold spring water and broadcast into gravel beds with heavy flow. Getting that right indoors is tough.
- Cues: Winter chill (4-6 C), then a slow rise to 6-8 C with stronger flow and a longer photoperiod.
- Setup: A long raceway section with clean, rounded gravel and egg-safe grates so parents cannot dig it back up.
- Egg care: Strong, clean current across the gravel. Pull the adults after spawning. Fungus control comes from flow and cleanliness, not chemicals.
- Reality check: If you are serious, think outdoor ponds or specialized raceways. Most hobby tanks are not stable enough for it.
Common problems to watch for
- Heat stress: Over 15-16 C they get sluggish, infections take off, and deaths follow fast.
- Low oxygen: Gasping at the surface or piling in front of the strongest flow means your O2 is dipping.
- Ammonia spikes: They hate any ammonia or nitrite. Test often, especially after big feeds.
- Fungus on scrapes: Saprolegnia loves cold water and stressed salmonids. Keep them from bouncing off rocks and net gently.
- Parasites: Wild fish can bring flukes and worms. Do a proper quarantine at the same cold temps.
- Jumping: Spooks lead to carpet surfers. Keep that lid tight and the room calm.
Temperature spikes kill faster than anything else with this fish. If you cannot guarantee stable cold water with backup power and a reliable chiller, do not attempt this species.
A handheld dissolved oxygen meter and a simple temp alarm have saved me more than once. They are worth every cent for coldwater setups.
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