Achara Catfish

[Loco Lucas]

I realize this is an old thread.... like years...
I have a 16" and is very nice. Will have to move up into a bigger tank at some point, but this one is growing slow. Nothing like a RTC or my tiger RTC hybrid.
I have had the same issue with cats, love glass tanks, hate big troughs.
I also have way to many fish and have noticed on more than one occasion a fish swimming to get out. Also... a fish just swimming to have fun. My Tiger RTC hybrid will "play" in the bubble wall for hours... he will also swim into the house when refilling the tank. Totally goofy. My smaller fish, like my Cookoo catfish start up racing each other about a 1/2 hour before lights are off, and do this ALL NIGHT LONG... high speed laps around the tank, taking turns chasing each other. I have oscars that will do somersaults in the bubbles too... fish are smarter than most people give credit to.
Anyway, just my input.
Oh, and all my cat fish will kill and eat what ever they think will fit... even if they have been tank mates for 2 plus years.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I realize this is an old thread.... like years...
I have a 16" and is very nice. Will have to move up into a bigger tank at some point, but this one is growing slow. Nothing like a RTC or my tiger RTC hybrid.
I have had the same issue with cats, love glass tanks, hate big troughs.
I also have way to many fish and have noticed on more than one occasion a fish swimming to get out. Also... a fish just swimming to have fun. My Tiger RTC hybrid will "play" in the bubble wall for hours... he will also swim into the house when refilling the tank. Totally goofy. My smaller fish, like my Cookoo catfish start up racing each other about a 1/2 hour before lights are off, and do this ALL NIGHT LONG... high speed laps around the tank, taking turns chasing each other. I have oscars that will do somersaults in the bubbles too... fish are smarter than most people give credit to.
Anyway, just my input.
Oh, and all my cat fish will kill and eat what ever they think will fit... even if they have been tank mates for 2 plus years.

Why not start your own thread and dedicate it to your achara catfish and come back with updates for as long as you have it?

A fish that seems to try to get out of the tank is a worrisome symptom. I'd check my water immediately for ammonia and nitrite and pH and make sure there is more than enough aeration.

 

[Matteus]

Funny, this post is what I read literally moments before I bought 2 Achara cats at an auction for $5.

They definitely seem to have neat, but sometimes surprising behaviour. Such as an angel fish eaten but the second one left alone even at the same size. Both seemed to be too big for the mouth but somehow it happened. Also I put a large slice of cucumber in the tank for the pacu. Initially the Oscar doesn’t eat veg but is a hog of anything that moves, so he grabbed the cucumber and swam off like a dog with a bone in its mouth, only to drop it right in front of the achara and chomp. Swallowed the whole piece like it was nothing. Couldn’t believe my eyes.

This reminds me I should update my thread on them. Lol

 

[Bassjedi]

I had one years ago; got it around 6" and grew it to about 15" before it died of disease that I assume came from feeders. Those lengths do not include barbels, which get extremely long and should be factored in.

It wasn't super active, but it wasn't shy and was happy to hang out in the open. It ate a ton.

I caught this one several years ago in Brazil on some cut Piranha. It is the biggest one I've seen, although I'm sure many bigger ones exist. Not sure if it is the exact same species but a close relative if not. There are over 3,000 catfish species in the Amazon and I'm certainly not familiar with most of them.