Leiarius longibarbis · Marbled Pim

Overview

Leiarius longibarbis is a massive, long-whiskered catfish requiring accommodation closer to a public exhibit than an ordinary home aquarium. Growth can be rapid, and a small tank will not safely keep it small. Permanent facilities should exist before a juvenile is acquired.

Distribution & habitat

It occurs in the Orinoco of Colombia and Venezuela, Guyana's Essequibo, and Amazonian waters in Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia. Large rivers and lakes provide submerged roots and other daytime retreats. Feeding takes place after dark.

Aquarium setup

An adult needs approximately 300 × 90 × 120 cm of space. Keep lighting subdued and leave generous swimming room, including enough width for the long barbels to spread. Heavy or secured wood and smooth rocks are optional; juveniles benefit from root tangles, rock refuges, and suitably sized tubes.

Ordinary gravel can be swallowed or caught in the gills. Sand will be displaced, while large smooth pebbles or a bare floor are alternatives. Substantial biological filtration is essential. A sump helps place equipment outside the main aquarium, where a large fish could otherwise break glass heaters or thermometers.

Diet & feeding

A natural fish predator, it usually adjusts to nonliving foods. Rotate shrimp, shellfish, earthworms, and white fish rather than encouraging dependence on one item. Feed juveniles on alternate days and reduce frequency as they grow; adults require at most one weekly meal. Excess feeding can lead to obesity.

Avoid mammalian and poultry meat. Routine feeder fish are unnecessary and can introduce infectious disease.

Behaviour & compatibility

Small companions will be eaten, although similarly sized fishes are usually treated peacefully. Mixed housing requires exceptional space. Large doradid catfish are suitable candidates, with large characins, cyprinids, South American arowanas, or cichlids possible where depth also permits. Territorial behavior toward conspecifics and other large pimelodids means that only one fish of this type should normally be included.

Sexual dimorphism

External sexing is highly unreliable. Adult females may have a heavier build, but this should not be treated as a definitive test.

Breeding

Aquarium reproduction has not been reported.

Notes

Older literature commonly uses Leiarius marmoratus. A separate look-alike, Perrunichthys perruno, has eight dorsal-fin rays compared with ten or eleven in this species. Planning must allow for a lengthy commitment: large catfish of this kind can live beyond two decades.