Ageneiosus marmoratus

KenMan · Post by **KenMan** » 22 Sep 2007, 17:32

Anyone have any info on Ageneiosus marmoratus? Ive seen the PlanetCatfish enrty on them, is 11" likly to be how big they get? Are they active? What sort of a tanksize would be best for them?
Thanks

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 22 Sep 2007, 18:49

11"? that would be a bit on the careful side....I've only seen this fish on several pictures and stockjlists; but it wouldn't surprise me if it grew to a foot and a half, or at least 40 cm (16")

active; yes. it looks like a dolphin (or a shark), and even if it'll lay on the substrate by day, you can safely assume it'll get very lively at night when kept properly. this fish is build to cruise against the current, it's a swimmer.

tanksize: the bigger the better, lots of open water and a HUUUUUGe pump to keep a strong current would be a great idea. seen little films on the internet with one of these swimming headlong into the current of a powerhead that's full throttled.

maybe I'm mixing it up with A polystictus now; but it really looks like a fast swimmer.......

KenMan · Post by **KenMan** » 22 Sep 2007, 20:36

What I dont understand is if on PC it says the size to be 11.8", then why would that be so underestimated? It doesnt make sense to me...
If it got to a foot and a half then it would be far to big for me to house currently, unless its a slow grower?

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 22 Sep 2007, 20:46

According to the information I have A. marmoratus is one of the smallest Ageneiosids. FB lists 18,5 cms (7.5"). Given the fact that FB is usually a bit careful and the Cat-eLog lists 30 cms, I think it's safe to suppose its total length is somewhere in between.
A. polystictus is indeed growing towards two feet.

KenMan · Post by **KenMan** » 22 Sep 2007, 20:50

I see. I dont know whether it would be worth the risk...Are they desirable at a larger size? (I would assume they are because of the price tag and rarity). Theres on on PC that has a lenght of 1.7"...That would be cool, allthough I imagine its hardly ever found in the hobby.

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 22 Sep 2007, 20:58

If I could lay my hands on them, I would do it instantly. Tankmates would be A. coracoideus for instance, which are much smaller. Yet I'm convinced that they would be safe with A. marmoratus, as they are with A. vittatus which I do currently have.
However, I wasn't so sure about A. polystictus and that was exactly the reason I didn't buy it when I had the opportunity.
In short: I think there's little risk involved.

CFC · Post by **CFC** » 23 Sep 2007, 09:56

A.Polysticus is indeed an out and out predator, anything as small as banjo cats would be gulped up as soon as they fit into its mouth, when im not so busy with the fish house i'll try and get a feeding video of the polysticus taking whitebait on the drop.

The marmoratus i had were more reserved, although they still took fairly large food items they would mouth each piece several times before eating it, maybe this would have changed as they grew? The largest A.marmoratus ive seen was around 10 inches long and with a price tag to make your wallet scream.

For a small Ageniosus species i'd suggest A.magoi if you can get them, i had a pair a few years ago and they didnt grow to more than 7" each, beautifull fish and i was greatly saddened when i lost them after a couple of years of buying them.

KenMan · Post by **KenMan** » 23 Sep 2007, 11:16

The problem is that the fish store that has it in is quite far from me so I would only be able to get it delivered as I cant get down there for a while now. Im going to check a couple of stores which are nearer to me and see what they have in.

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 23 Sep 2007, 17:50

CFC wrote:The largest A.marmoratus ive seen was around 10 inches long and with a price tag to make your wallet scream.

Well, as long as they have 3" specimen for 25 GBP, I wouldn't even think of buying a 10". But how much did they charge?

CFC wrote: For a small Ageniosus species i'd suggest A.magoi if you can get them, i had a pair a few years ago and they didnt grow to more than 7" each, beautifull fish and i was greatly saddened when i lost them after a couple of years of buying them.

Indeed a great fish. Mine got a little larger (about 9") and were voracious eaters. Not only disappeared my
entire group of Glossolepis overnight, but one also managed to eat a Tatia intermedia, which didn't really amuse me....

KenMan, I'll get back to you about the Entomocorus. Mind you, it's been some time since I've had them.

KenMan · Post by **KenMan** » 23 Sep 2007, 18:09

Ok cheers Marc

I might try and have a word with some of the UK importers, one I know could probably get me a A.magoi but I dont know if he does private "sales" anymore.

CFC · Post by **CFC** » 23 Sep 2007, 19:58

Marc van Arc wrote:
CFC wrote:The largest A.marmoratus ive seen was around 10 inches long and with a price tag to make your wallet scream.
Well, as long as they have 3" specimen for 25 GBP, I wouldn't even think of buying a 10". But how much did they charge?

CFC wrote: For a small Ageniosus species i'd suggest A.magoi if you can get them, i had a pair a few years ago and they didnt grow to more than 7" each, beautifull fish and i was greatly saddened when i lost them after a couple of years of buying them.
Indeed a great fish. Mine got a little larger (about 9") and were voracious eaters. Not only disappeared my
entire group of Glossolepis overnight, but one also managed to eat a Tatia intermedia, which didn't really amuse me....

KenMan, I'll get back to you about the Entomocorus. Mind you, it's been some time since I've had them.

The big marmoratus was in a Maidenhead Aquatics branch and they had it priced at £200, MA are well known for being a bit over priced but that one nearly made me faint lol

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 23 Sep 2007, 20:32

KenMan wrote: one I know could probably get me a A.magoi but I dont know if he does private "sales" anymore.

If you're going for any Ageneiosus, you must refrain from Entomocorus - at least in the same tank. Entomocorus is too small and if it's not being eaten, then it won't have a very happy life being snapped at constantly.

KenMan · Post by **KenMan** » 23 Sep 2007, 22:16

No I definately wouldnt keep them in the same tank, I was thinking a 20g tank would be enough for a small group, ceasing as they shouldnt grow past 2.5". There are some other small cats in that tank too.
CFC: These arent nearly that price, £40 but they arent too big though.

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 24 Sep 2007, 10:43

short summary:
Quiet, nocturnal species. During the day it rests near the surface in plants or other objects. I never saw it hide into pieces of wood.
Besides the modified anal fin, males are easily recognizable by their elongated dorsal and ventral spines. Like many Auchenipterids this species is a surface feeder, hence the way the barbels are shaped.
Likes flakes; very keen on mosquito larvae.
If I missed something of importance to you, let me know.

KenMan · Post by **KenMan** » 24 Sep 2007, 16:12

Hi Marc, thanks for the info, what sort of size tank would you recconmend for a group of about 4? Would their max size in aquaria be about 3"?
Cheers
EDIT: What would a min tank size be for A.marmoratus then if it got to about 10"? As I have no experiance with Ageneiosus I dont really know if theyre particularly active so I dont really know where to begin with tanksize. Im getting a tank which is 36x18x24h" (I know, I wish it had more width but its seccond hand so beggers cant be choosers, esp at this price) so what size do you think this would be suitable for a single marmoratus with some other tankmates?

CFC · Post by **CFC** » 24 Sep 2007, 18:32

Ageneiosus are nocturnally active, as soon as the lights go out they start cruising the tank looking for food, imagine a miniture basking or whale shark but without the filter feeding.

For a 10" fish i wouldnt go less than 6x2x2', i dont think there are any Ageneiosus that would be happy for life in a 3 foot long tank

KenMan · Post by **KenMan** » 24 Sep 2007, 20:44

Yeah I know it wouldnt be ok for it for life, hence the "what size do you think this would be suitable" phrase. I might just go with a few species of smaller cats and then something that shoals. We'll wait and see. The tank coming tonight so I can have a good look at it

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 24 Sep 2007, 21:58

KenMan wrote:Hi Marc, thanks for the info, what sort of size tank would you recconmend for a group of about 4? Would their max size in aquaria be about 3"?

The 20 gallon you suggested would be okay imo.
3" max, probably even a bit smaller.

CFC already answered the Q on A. marmoratus.

If you fancy something smaller I would recommend . Behaves alike (night cruiser), but has advantages like less length, more compatible with other tankmates and easier fed. And price

KenMan · Post by **KenMan** » 25 Sep 2007, 08:10

Ok thanks, if I could get my hands on some then I would go for a trio of them in my tank so ill leave enough room for some, its just I fear they wont turn up too often...
So are Entomocorus benjamini allways surrface dwelling? I didnt realise that they did that. Any other behavior I would need to know about? Are they jumpers?

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 25 Sep 2007, 18:42

KenMan wrote:So are Entomocorus benjamini allways surrface dwelling? I didnt realise that they did that. Any other behavior I would need to know about? Are they jumpers?

I wouldn't call it surface dwelling, but rather surface orientated. They're also found in the middle water layer. But contrary to most Auchenipterids, they're not very keen of sand and pieces of wood ime.
The large spines could easily be in the way when trying to enter a small crack in a piece of wood, so they sort of developed another way of how not to be seen: pretending to be a leaf which is hanging from a plant or something. They don't jump (again ime).