Article © Chris Ralph, uploaded November 05, 2007.

The Ornate or Mottled Bagrid, Chrysichthys ornatus, belongs to the family Claroteidae from Africa; specifically the great Congo River. This catfish is documented as being from the Congo River system below Stanley Falls. It is also documented that this catfish can be found in Cameroon and the Congo Democratic Republic.

C. ornatus is a species that I have had the pleasure to keep. This is not a catfish which is commonly available although it is worth looking out for and is ideal for a medium to large sized aquarium. This catfish has evil written across its face, but is one which is full of character. The one I kept for many years would often try to eat pieces of trout, which were far too large for it to eat and resulted in this particular fish trying to ram the food into its mouth by crashing into the end of the aquarium! This catfish was, until around 1991, documented as belonging to the family Bagridae, following a revision of this family the majority of the so-called African Bagrids now belong to the family Claroteidae.

In terms of keeping this fish in an aquarium, I would suggest a minimum size of 36” x 18” X 18” for two or three of these catfish, with plenty of hiding places amongst bogwood and plants. The ideal aquarium substrate to use with these catfish is aquarium sand such as BD Aquarium Sand. As with all other species of fish, water quality and general husbandry is very important, and I would recommend that a minimum of 25% water is changed on a weekly basis.

This catfish has often been confused with Goeldiella eques, a South American catfish belonging to the family Pimelodidae despite being from two different continents, they are remarkably similar. The South American species lacks a pair of nasal barbels, has a longer adipose fin and noticeable different head and dorsal fin shape when compared to Chrysichthys ornatus.

Thanks to Chris Ralph for this month's featured species article.

Copyright information for the images used in this article can be found on the species' full Cat-eLog page.

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	Chrysichthys ornatus  Boulenger, 1902
Common Names	Ornate Bagrid Afrikanischer Marmor-Stachelwels (Germany), Broderimalle (Denmark), Mottled Catfish
Type Locality	Monsembé, Upper Congo and Ubangi R. at Banzyville.
Synonym(s)	Amarginops ornatus
Pronunciation	cry sick thiss - or nat uss
Etymology	Chrysichthys: From the Greek chrysos, meaning golden and ichthys, meaning fish; in reference to the golden-yellow color (of the type species, C. auratus). The specific epithet means ornate or decorated.
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Species Information
Size	252mm or 9.9" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	The body is described as being elongate and compressed. The dorsal fin is described as having a hard ray and six soft rays, the anal fin is described as having 11-13 soft rays, and both fins are described as being short. The dorsal and pectoral fins are described as not having stout spines. The ventral fins are described as being inserted behind the dorsal fin. The adipose fin is present and is relatively short. This catfish has 4 pairs of barbels; one pair nasal, one pair maxillary and two pairs mandibular. The jaws are described as having teeth arranged in bands. The teeth are described as being ‘palatine’. The base colour of the body and head is described as being pale yellow to brown with large dark brown to black coloured irregular blotches, and pale yellow to brown coloured blotches along the flanks of this catfish. These coloured blotches have dark coloured spots amongst them. The fins are described as being pale in colour with irregular dark spots. The caudal lobes are described as having a blurred dark longitudinal band. The ventral region is described as being dirty white in colour.
Sexing	Whilst there are not documented sexual differences, as with most other species of catfish, the males tend to be more slender than the females.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Africa: Congo River system below Stanley Falls. African Waters, Congo, Lower Congo (click on these areas to find other species found there) Log in to view data on a map.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2009.
pH	6.5 - 7.2
Temperature	20.0-25.0°C or 68-77°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	Hardness up to 17°dGH
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Readily accepts a mixed and varied diet which includes meatier foods such as pieces of fish, prawns, mussels, earthworms, sinking catfish pellets and tablet foods to name but a few. User data.
Compatibility	It is not recommended that the aquarist keep these catfish in a community aquarium due to their predatory nature. Whilst these catfish fare well when kept on their own they can be kept together.
Suggested Tankmates	These catfish should be kept with other medium to large species of fish which are peaceful, such as cichlids and some larger species of barbs. In their natural habitat Chrysichthys ornatus would be found in relatively large shoals.
Breeding	There are documented reports of aquarium spawnings.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Annales du Musee du Congo (Ser. Zoology) v. 2 (fasc. 2), pp 39, Pl. 11 (fig. 2).
Registered Keepers	There are 27 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There are 2 wishes to keep this species, see who wants what.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 10 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
Forum BBCode
	Search for C. ornatus
	Look up C. ornatus on AquaticRepublic.com
	Look up C. ornatus on Fishbase
	Look up C. ornatus on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up C. ornatus on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
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Last Update	2019 Sep 18 14:19 (species record created: 2007 Nov 05 09:11)

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