Leiarius pictus info wanted

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Quo Vadis

Gambusia
MFK Member
Apr 12, 2014
912
21
18
Wisconsin
Can't find a whole lot of info on these guys online. I'd love to see your pictures! Also if you could describe their personality and living situation (tankmates, aquarium, etc.) as well as where you bought yours and under what common name.
Thanks!
 
Hi
I got one 2 days ago, but it´s my first so I don´t have (yet) relevant info as regards personality.

As regards tankmates he is with a RTG arowana, a leporinus and a panaque in a 250g.

Can´t help as regards the common name because I´m not in the US (and in my country most fish - at least at the good lfs- are identified by their latin name)

pic taken at the lfs just before getting it:

z3pea33ecxcun4618nbc.jpg
 
Can't find a whole lot of info on these guys online. I'd love to see your pictures! Also if you could describe their personality and living situation (tankmates, aquarium, etc.) as well as where you bought yours and under what common name.
Thanks!

Great, friendly, inquisitive, interactive quirky personality (for a catfish) toward keeper, tank mates. They do fight with each other though but to death is rare unless the tank's too small. When bigger, they learn to coexist better but still there is a clear and enforced pecking order. Sex may matter. May pick on cousins L. marmoratus too.

As marmoratus, they are utter scavengers, won't eat even the easiest of feeders unless starved pretty good and given no other option. Feed on any prepped foods, even preferring good quality pellet to fleshy frozen-thawed.

Will grow fast to 1.5' (~1 year or rather under), will be stuck at 2' for a long-long time. Need tank width exceeding their maxillary barbel span, which is ~2x the body length. Means for a 2'-er I'd go with 5' at a bare min of width.

When stress-free, they won't hide after ~1'.

Will lose their gorgeous juvi coloration.

Marble sailfin pim. Unique feature - the white saddle stripe.

Available certain times of year (summer) and in 99"%+ cases at ~1' sizes.

I bought 4 from Snookn21 last summer at ~10". They are 1.5' now (in a pond). Not cheap, not too expensive, IIRC ~$50-$70.

Pictus 3.JPG

Pictus 2.JPG

Pictus 1.JPG

Mr Pictus Jr.jpg

Mr Marbles 9 pattern.JPG

Mr Marbles 7.JPG

Mr Marbles 6.JPG

Mr Marbles 5.JPG

Mr Marbles 4.JPG

Mr Marbles 1.JPG
 
Great info ao usual TBTB!

Just a question: you say they "should be stuck at 2´for a long time".
I had the impression L. pictus maxed out at 2´ and only L. longibarbus/marmoratus would exceed that size (to 2´1/2 plus). Am I mistaken?


on a side note, I wish I could find them in my country for usd 50-70....
 
I agree with your sentiment (plus I have never seen a pictus exceeding 2' significantly) but even the conservative Planet Catfish lists them at 24" SL (not counting the caudal fin), which is ~30" TL. http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=290

FishBase lists 60 cm = 2' too but IDK what their "TL" means. Their size notation is complicated and IDK/been too lazy to look it up. http://www.fishbase.org/summary/leiarius-pictus.html

I see.
Since these are "non-native" terms for me, I looked them up and got this

Total length (TL) refers to the length of a fish measured from the tip of the snout to the tip of the longer lobe of the caudal fin, usually measured with the lobes compressed along the midline. It is a straight-line measure, not measured over the curve of the body

And
Standard length (SL) refers to the length of a fish measured from the tip of the snout to the posterior end of the last vertebra or to the posterior end of the midlateral portion of the hypural plate. Simply put, this measurement excludes the length of the caudal fin."

So if fishbase is using "TL" under this broad term, their info is contradictory to Planetcatfish

Anyway,I´ll wait and to see how - and how long - mine grows
 
FishBase uses like half a dozen of length terms, hence, my hesitation. What you cited is the system that PCF uses. I suspect FB TL is not PCF TL.
 
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