Chrysichthys ornatus questions.

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Benjamin
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Chrysichthys ornatus questions.

Post by Benjamin »

For about 2 years now i have an Chrysichthys ornatus, great fish about 20cm long.

When i bought it, it was about the same size maybe a cm or 2 smaller but i think it hasn't grown since i bought it.
All still good it's a very nice size for a catfish, so i figured it was an adult and he would not grow annymore.
The fish is still very active and very very hungry when it comes to mussels (no other foods are excepted).

Last week, i was in germany with some friends looking for nice cichlids when i saw a huge catfish.
It appeared an Chrysichthys ornatus to but it was bigger then 30cm so i was a little confused.
Annyway since i can't control my self i bought the fish.

On the parking lot we met Sidguppy, a bether chance of luck i cound not have, so i ask him for a identification of my new fish, he also concluded it is an Chrysichthys ornatus with the remark that he had never seen them so big.

Driving home, very enhousiastic about my new fish, finally home i put the new fish in with the much smaller ornate.
Huge difference in size but remakly looking the same, the new cat was very active too, they swam around thogether.
That evening i feed my fish and even the new cat picked a mussel, so i was very happy.

The next day the big cat slowed down, normal i that, he's just setteling in.
But after three days he stopped moving at all!!
He layed under a piece of wood where i could see hem but did not move for another 3 days, not even with food against his face, not in the dark not during daytime,....

Today a was doing a waterchange and i was confident that the fish had died, so i gave it a little push with a net and moved it a bit more to the window.
I was supriced to see him breeding!
So i decided to let him rest, after a few minutes i looked again an saw he returned to his hiding spot.


Witch made me wonder,.....

-Are adults Chrysichthys ornatus so layed back that they don't even feed in 4 days?
-Is my biggest Chrysichthys ornatus sick?
-My smaller Chrysichthys ornatus is not yet at full size or has somthing slowed his growth down?

I'd like to here some exceperience from ppl who have kept adults Chrysichthys ornatus !!

Tnx in advance.
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Richard B
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Re: Chrysichthys ornatus questions.

Post by Richard B »

Mine were kept for a while, many years back & adopted a feeding regime similar to large pims in that they would stuff themselves & then not eat again for a week or so. They were very inactive - only really moving on the occasions when hungry & lights were out.

It's possible the size difference could be due to them being opposite sexes(?)

If the fish shows no external signs of anything wrong & behaves naturally - ie mostly hiding away - it is probably fine.

Any chance of pics - i'd love to see the biggie! The largest of mine wa 203mm
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Chrysichthys
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Re: Chrysichthys ornatus questions.

Post by Chrysichthys »

The biggest of my three (see my avatar pic) must be close to 30 cm. I don't see it very often, I put food in the tank at 4:00 AM in the dark, so I don't really know what goes on. I've had it for four years or so, so it must be eating something.

The two small ones are kept with synos and feed as they do, i.e. three times a day. I don't keep them with the big one, because it's big enough to eat them and I understand that this has been known to happen.
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Benjamin
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Re: Chrysichthys ornatus questions.

Post by Benjamin »

Sorry it took me some time,...

Well not me really, the fish, time to move :)

Can't do better so far:
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Richard B
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Re: Chrysichthys ornatus questions.

Post by Richard B »

It does look a fair ol' size :beardy:
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Re: Chrysichthys ornatus questions.

Post by sidguppy »

it's huge

i've never seen any Chrysichthys ornatus this size and especially not this bulky. it's at least 1 foot in length, and it wouldn't surprise me if it weight 2-3 pounds or so. a big fat blob of a fish :lol:

I saw it from above in the bucket and it was the presence of the nasals that gave it away; otherwise I'd thought it ould be some kind of big fat Pim, Goeldiella eques or something like it

luckily the only South American catfishes wichposess nasal barbels are the Trichomycterids.... wich it clearly isn't :beardy: :mrgreen:
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Re: Chrysichthys ornatus questions.

Post by Chrysichthys »

Given the size of it, I don't know if I would trust it with the albino bristlenose in the tank with it.
I once had an ornatus that tried to eat a juvenile. Clarias batrachus.

Note that I say tried to. I had to pull the Clarias (which was by then dead) out if its gullet. Of course, if the size ratio of the fish was reversed, things could have gone the opposite way. :)
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