Absolutely Amazing Acharas
Why is a Catfish called a Catfish? The cat is the epitome of agility and speed, an animal that sees well in the dark and is a wanton killing machine. On the other hand, catfish are generally slow swimming, nearly blind, insane brute power ambush hunters. So, is it the whiskers? I mean, there are lots of things with whiskers, but if you ask Google, this seems to be everyone's best guess.
Even though the general classification seems silly, there are a lot of amazing catfish for the home aquarium, and a common favorite around here is the Achara Catfish (Leiarius marmoratus), which is also sometimes called the Sailfin Pim (though this is a name shared with multiple fish). Through some of its native range, it is sometimes called Ashara, which may be the genesis of that common name. The referenced native range includes nearly all of the Amazon and Orinoco River basins; there these fish live in lakes, ponds and slower moving portions of river.
Among the Monster Fish Keepers of the world, Leiarius marmoratus is a highly sought after species. They can regularly get to two feet long, and while we have not seen one this large, there are references to them getting up to 40 inches long all over the internet. The International Game Fish Association says the world record specimen for this species was caught by Russel Jensen in 2009. It weighed 28 pounds 11 ounces (nice fish Russell!!!) They don't list a length for this momentous catch, though interestingly they reference it by a common name we don't see in the aquarium world: “Jundia.” Point being, these fish are going to get awesomely big, and in the end, you're going to need a huge tank (in the hundreds of gallons,) or even a pond to keep them long term. Luckily, they are a very sedentary fish once mature.
When decorating these tanks, the fish will do best in a home with both cover and some open space. In the wild they would choose cover like logs and driftwood and deep depressions out of current in a river. In the home aquarium, large pieces of driftwood are a great choice. They aren't going to bother any plants (on purpose) but may inadvertently uproot plants as they move around. Floating plants are a great choice to help keep the lighting dim, encouraging these normally twilight active fish to be more active during daylight hours. Filtration should be strong, but flow should be diffuse and gentle. You won't need substrate, but if you choose to use it in your display, choose a small grain, soft sand, or a large, rounded pebble that will be gentle on your fish's belly.
These catfish are sustainably wild collected, which is an important economic driver for the communities they come from. The impacts derived from ornamental fish harvest result in bigger gains for the local communities with less environmental impacts and are much more easily tracked and quantified than those from sustenance fisheries. Leiarius marmoratus is a quite adaptable species in regards to water quality. That being said, as a result of their wild origins, the water chemistry you initially establish in your display should be slightly acidic, in the 5.5-6.5 range. They will adapt to a more neutral profile over time. Acharas do best in temperatures between 72 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit and aren't overly sensitive to water hardness.
One of the primary reasons that Achara Catfish are so popular is their very peaceful nature. They aren't going to bother anything, with one caveat. If they can catch it, and fit it in their mouths, they will eat it, fish or invertebrate. So when choosing tankmates for your Achara, keep two things in mind. One, pick fish that won't pick on your prize Catfish. Two, pick fish that are big enough, or fast enough (or both) not to get eaten. Good choices for tankmates will change over time as your fish gets bigger and more able to eat more things. Leiarius marmoratus juveniles are almost always found in groups, and they can be kept this way in the home aquarium, but keep in mind their full adult size when making the choice to keep more than one. As adults they will be peaceful with each other as long as there is enough space for all of them.
Feeding your Leiarius marmoratus is really easy, in fact it might be too easy if you make bad tank mate choices! They take all kinds of foods, and when small, things like Gamma Bloodworms, Mysis and even Chopped Mussel are great foods. They are easy to segue onto more processed foods like Nutramar Freshwater Complete Pellets, and these are a great food for them as get larger too as bigger pellet sizes are available. Obviously as your Catfish gets into adulthood, they will need larger format foods, earthworms are popular and natural food for them, as well as clean feeder fish, market fish and prawns. Some people even feed them live crayfish. Small fish can be fed every day, but once they get longer than six or eight inches, these meals should decrease in frequency. By the time this fish is over a foot long, they'll do best on single large meals every few days. This will make them healthier and more active.
There is another Cat that comes from the same range, gets the same size, and generally looks the same (Leiarus perruno). The only real visual difference is that L. perruno has less rays (bony looking bits) in their dorsal fin. Care wise they are the same, so if you find yourself with the wrong species, it's not a big deal unless you're trying to breed them, a feat which has had limited success on a commercial scale thus far. Which may offer a great challenge to the advanced aquarist trying to break new ground!
The Achara Catfish are popular fish for their peaceful nature, robust size and their jungle cat, black and orange patterns (hmm, another reason to call this one a catfish?) They are easy to keep and make for a stunning centerpiece in a huge aquarium or pond. If you're the type of aquarist who has the space, Leiarius marmoratus would be an amazing option for your display. Head over to your LFS and ask them about getting you a sustainably harvested Achara Catfish from Aquatropic today!