Care
The Marbled Achara Catfish is a robust predator that inhabits rivers and lakes with seasonal connections to larger bodies of water. Here this long-whiskered predatory species lurks amongst submerged roots during daylight hours, and emerges in the evening to feed.
This is a very large growing catfish, in terms of both length and weight, and kept under the right conditions, one which can live for two decades or more. An adult is going to require a gargantuan aquarium, which should be both long and wide, along with powerful filtration to match, so really is quite the commitment. Substrate choice is important, as coarse gravel can cause irritation, with the fish spending a great deal of time on the bottom. Gravels can also be accidentally ingested when feeding, causing health complications for the fish. A sand substrate is better, but this will be rearranged somewhat as the fish wallows. Large round pebbles (too large to swallow) can also work as a substrate, as can a bare-bottomed arrangement which is easy to keep clean. There should be at least one large shelter for the fish to take refuge in during daylight hours, and this can be fashioned from sizeable pieces of bogwood, large slates, wide bore PVC tubing etc. Provision should also be made for a roomy swimming space along the front of the aquarium for the fish to use into the night. Lighting should be fairly dim. Some aquarists like to add a dim light timed to come on just before the main lights switch off. This way you can observe your catfish into the evening under its preferred subdued/moonlit conditions. These catfish are voracious eaters that produce a lot of waste, and require excellent water conditions at all times. To this end, filtration must be powerful and the water well-oxygenated. Frequent partial water changes are essential as this fish will not tolerate an elevated nitrate level. Canister filters can be employed, but sump filtration may be better as then equipment such as heaters can be kept in the sump and out of the main tank where they would be easily damaged.
Although sociable and shoaling as juveniles, adults tend to be aggressive towards their own kind and similar-looking bottom-dwellers, and as such should be kept singly in most home set ups. Tankmates, if desired, must be chosen with care as this fish has a capacious mouth and will predate on smaller species overnight. Shoals of large, adult, deep-bodied characins or cyprinids would work well.
May also be seen on sale as the False Perruno Catfish due to the similarity to Leiarius perruno (previously Perrunichthys) which differs in the number of dorsal fin rays - 8 in perruno compared to 10-12 in marmoratus. Both species are best avoided by all but the most dedicated keeper, but make excellent pets for those with zoo style facilities.
Feeding
Offer a varied selection of meaty foods. Smaller specimens will take bloodworm, Mysis shrimp, chopped seafood, small pieces of meat etc. Larger specimens will enjoy earthworms, prawns, crab, crayfish etc. To prevent dietary deficiencies it's important to offer dry foods such as specialist pellets, these should be introduced to the fish at a young age. Be sure not to overfeed as these fish can become real gluttons. Adults should only be fed two or three times per week.
Breeding
The practicalities of breeding this fish in aquaria make spawning unlikely in a home environment.
