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Achara Catfish

C

ColeFishing

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
i can't find that many good sources on any reliable fish databases. so i have some questions about acharas. just to clarify, I'm not going to get one, now, because my tank doesn't allow for it as it is only 75 gallons. but they are one of my favorite catfish that spike interest in me.

1: max size? I've heard 30" but i see a lot around the 20"-24" range.
2: growth rate?
3: tank mates? i know its usually the "nothing that can fit in its mouth" thing but are they also territorial?
4: wet pet quality? when they get big will they greet you at the top of the tank to take food, be pet, etc.
5: tank size? i know this will depend on the max size but would a 220 (6' x 2.5' x 2') suffice.
6: availability? how hard are they to find/obtain. are they expensive
7: hardiness? How hardy/sensitive are they?
8: Activity? how much do they swim around the tank?

thanks for any info. here is some additional semi non relevant info.

thats really all i have. one of the LFS' has a 22" perruno catfish(its true, I've verified this by the dorsal fins) its a 15 year old beast thats super fun to watch in its tank. i know there pretty much identical(just whats on the outside) to acharas but i know perrunos are hard to get now-a-days. sense i really like the look plus how they have that big cat style mouth/head to inhale all sorts of food is why I'm interest in achara.
 
Mine is around 22". I got him at an inch or so long and I've had him 2 years or so I think. He's not done growing, they just slow at around 20". He reached a foot in less than two months then slowed down a fair bit, now his growth is relatively slow. I wouldn't doubt 30" max size, but it would take awhile.
The initial growth is very fast, and I've seen a lot of them malformed from not being raised in large enough tanks. You need to have a large tank available pretty much immediately.

Mine isn't territorial and he's also not ravenous with most fish. He lives with a few fish that he could eat and ignores them. Most sunfish he kills but doesn't eat them, not sure why. He ignores the baby lmb for some reason though. And he's eaten a few flashy schooling fish like tinfoil barbs.
Mine may just be odd though. I wouldn't trust any catfish with something they can swallow. Always expect it might happen some day.

They are personable as a pet. They're not very nocturnal like some catfish and mine is out and about all day. I'd compare him to a big pictus cat a some of the time, very active, especially a few hrs after eating, but he does sit a lot too, generally out in the open. He comes to the top to hand feed, but he doesn't like to be touched, and he also spooks fairly easily, sometimes for no reason.

A 220g would probably be fine for a long time, but you want to plan for a tank their length front to back for if they grow larger than 24". Like I said, mine is active, but he still doesn't use the whole tank. He'll swim back and forth in one little area despite having much more room. As long as the tank isn't packed with decor, as they need open areas. They also have VERY long whiskers (one is about the length of the body) and can get them caught on stuff if you're not careful with what you put in.

Not hard to find. Expense depends on what you consider expensive and price in your region. We paid $30 for ours at 1in which is high compared to a lot of ppl, but we live in a small town with poor fish selection and they just happened to order one.
Very hardy.
Activity - see above - VERY active at times.
 
1: max size? I've heard 30" but i see a lot around the 20"-24" range.
*****I can't say much beyond what's been said between you and I and others: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?494378-achara-catfish-help&highlight=achara

2: growth rate?
*****1' in 6-8 months. 2' in 2 years. Much RTC-like.

3: tank mates? i know its usually the "nothing that can fit in its mouth" thing but are they also territorial?
*****they are not even close to as predatory as TSN or even RTC, much more of a scavenger. Mine 7 were territorial to each other to some degree in a 4000 gal 40'x6' pond.

4: wet pet quality? when they get big will they greet you at the top of the tank to take food, be pet, etc.
*****good but far from Leiarius pictus, their brother.

5: tank size? i know this will depend on the max size but would a 220 (6' x 2.5' x 2') suffice.
*****4xL by 2xL footprint. 2xL tank width (at a minimum) is a must for this cat for one simple reason: their maxillary barbels span 2 times their body length; it is well established that when their barbels can touch both front and back glass simultaneously, this makes them nervous, skittish, flighty, stressed from feeling no escape, cornered. Not obviously constantly, but at least often evident. Can see some of that in the Shadowbass's post above. Irratic swimming in one spot is another consequence of the same problem, IMO - a desire to escape.

6: availability? how hard are they to find/obtain. are they expensive
*****widely sold, $25-$35 for 3".

7: hardiness? How hardy/sensitive are they?
*****as hardy as TSN, RTC and any other large pim.

8: Activity? how much do they swim around the tank?
*****highly subjective and depends on many things. IME, not much. Mine hid a lot at all ages but I always had plenty of half-clay pots available.
 
ShadowBass said:
Mine is around 22". I got him at an inch or so long and I've had him 2 years or so I think. He's not done growing, they just slow at around 20". He reached a foot in less than two months then slowed down a fair bit, now his growth is relatively slow. I wouldn't doubt 30" max size, but it would take awhile.
The initial growth is very fast, and I've seen a lot of them malformed from not being raised in large enough tanks. You need to have a large tank available pretty much immediately.

Mine isn't territorial and he's also not ravenous with most fish. He lives with a few fish that he could eat and ignores them. Most sunfish he kills but doesn't eat them, not sure why. He ignores the baby lmb for some reason though. And he's eaten a few flashy schooling fish like tinfoil barbs.
Mine may just be odd though. I wouldn't trust any catfish with something they can swallow. Always expect it might happen some day.

They are personable as a pet. They're not very nocturnal like some catfish and mine is out and about all day. I'd compare him to a big pictus cat a some of the time, very active, especially a few hrs after eating, but he does sit a lot too, generally out in the open. He comes to the top to hand feed, but he doesn't like to be touched, and he also spooks fairly easily, sometimes for no reason.

A 220g would probably be fine for a long time, but you want to plan for a tank their length front to back for if they grow larger than 24". Like I said, mine is active, but he still doesn't use the whole tank. He'll swim back and forth in one little area despite having much more room. As long as the tank isn't packed with decor, as they need open areas. They also have VERY long whiskers (one is about the length of the body) and can get them caught on stuff if you're not careful with what you put in.

Not hard to find. Expense depends on what you consider expensive and price in your region. We paid $30 for ours at 1in which is high compared to a lot of ppl, but we live in a small town with poor fish selection and they just happened to order one.
Very hardy.
Activity - see above - VERY active at times.
Click to expand...

Thanks dude for this write up. Btw. The 220 I'm talking about isn't 24" wide it is 30" wide. Thanks again.


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Irratic swimming in one spot is another consequence of the same problem, IMO - a desire to escape.
Click to expand...

Most of your post makes sense, but this has absolutely nothing to do with that IMO. He's been doing that same thing since he was a little guy, and he's never been in under 125g, which was only until he was about 8in long. He has never utilized the whole tank at once.

Trying to escape or not, I dunno, fish may do that in a much larger tank, but it's not a barbel issue with him.

Not saying he doesn't need moved to a bigger tank, he does and he will. And I think you're right that the spooking is probably related to such.
Also gotta watch for these guys' whiskers with lids. I've never shut it on him, but he sticks them all the way out of the water during feeding him, and I could see someone accidentally doing so. He feels my hands without them in the tank. :-p

He sits in the open most of the time, or in the shade of the driftwood but visible. Also good demonstration of whiskers size.
Garpics008.jpg
 
SB: Most of your post makes sense, but this has absolutely nothing to do with that IMO. He's been doing that same thing since he was a little guy, and he's never been in under 125g, which was only until he was about 8in long. He has never utilized the whole tank at once.
TBTB: Yes. I agree. I never was entirely sure why some fish would do that. Some of mine did that. It's just that coupled with the barbel issue, I thought it is more likely to be related to not enough space. But you are right. It may have nothing to do with it. Fish behavior is far from easily decypherable.

SB: Trying to escape or not, I dunno, fish may do that in a much larger tank, but it's not a barbel issue with him.
TBTB: They never do it in a pond, I noticed. Never in my rubber-liner pond. I think it may have to do with the reflection and/or the transparency of the glass. Still, in general, when fish is swimming nerviously all over the place, stopping and irratically swimming in one place and then moving on, etc. - this can be a sign that it is looking for a way out (regardless of the tank size). Inadequate water or the adaptation period is often one cause. Like a puppy running around the yard and digging here and there, trying to escape.

SB: Also gotta watch for these guys' whiskers with lids. I've never shut it on him, but he sticks them all the way out of the water during feeding him, and I could see someone accidentally doing so. He feels my hands without them in the tank. :-p
TBTB: My L. pictus did that all the time. Is that not the most adorable, funny thing? Glad to see yours do it :)
 
They never do it in a pond, I noticed. Never in my rubber-liner pond. I think it may have to do with the reflection and/or the transparency of the glass. Still, in general, when fish is swimming nerviously all over the place, stopping and irratically swimming in one place and then moving on, etc. - this can be a sign that it is looking for a way out (regardless of the tank size). Inadequate water or the adaptation period is often one cause. Like a puppy running around the yard and digging here and there, trying to escape.
Click to expand...

Oh I agree, it could definitely be a cause in general. I just know it's not with my fish because I know him and I know my water parameters. If you watched him you'd probably agree. It's more of an exercise thing, swimming in figure 8s and stuff, like my minnows do in the bubble wand (and he also uses the bubble wand sometimes, which is funny), than pacing at the glass like you see with fish that are truly unhappy/stressed.

As far as ponds, that's *generally* the case, but I had an arowana jump from a pond and kill himself. And I've known other people to have that happen with fish, including catfish. So it just depends. Usually with ponds it's a case of getting spooked from something and attempting to leave.
But in general, no, I don't see pacing behavior like I see with some fish in tanks. I think they usually are more comfortable somewhere that seems more natural like a pond. Of course there are exceptions. I've had some fish that I put in big troughs because I thought they'd like the room but they were miserable not being able to see out and interact, to the point where they'd even stop eating and just sulk. As soon as I put them back in an aquarium, even though it was smaller they perked up and became active and hungry again. My bullhead was one of those. HATED the trough, stopped eating, just sat there, spooked easier too, and when we put him back in a tank he acted normal again.

My L. pictus did that all the time. Is that not the most adorable, funny thing? Glad to see yours do it
Click to expand...

It's pretty funny. :)
I always mean to get pics, but forget.
 
My Achara just chills, he is in a tank with three oscars, a niger catfish, bullhead catfish, lima cat, and koi and everyone gets along great, bought him in february/march as a baby and he is now about 16 inches, pretty amazing fish, love em to death.
 
I just picked up a 16" achara. Very cool catfish, my first one and it was free. Sorry I can't answer your questions but looks like they were answered above.
 
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