Sailfin pim

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a big, long-term commitment fish that reaches 60 cm and lives for decades, so it needs a tank of at least 1500 liters with strong filtration. It is fairly peaceful for its size and will not usually bully tankmates, but it is a predator and will eat anything it can fit in its mouth, so only house it with large, robust fish. It is territorial toward other big pimelodids and its own kind, so it is generally kept as a single specimen. Feed a meaty diet of prawns, earthworms, silversides, and sinking pellets.

In the wild

The sailfin pim is a large Amazonian predator that patrols deeper river channels and flooded margins, hunting mostly after dark. Juveniles are boldly spotted with a tall dorsal fin that gives the fish its name. It needs a big tank with open floor for night-time cruising and one large cave or shaded retreat, at 22 to 26 degrees C with soft to neutral water.

Good to know

Leiarius pictus grows to about 60 cm and is often confused with its larger relative Leiarius marmoratus, which passes a meter. It is a long-lived pimelodid that can survive well over 20 years in captivity. Its striking spotted juvenile pattern fades and marbles as it matures.

Did you know

The gorgeous polka-dot pattern that sells juvenile sailfin pims fades as they grow, and the fish you end up with is a plainer marbled giant that can outlive a dog several times over.

Related species

• 

  Marbled sailfin pim

  Leiarius marmoratus

  39.4 in (100 cm)528 gal (2,000 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Reticulated catfish

  Perrunichthys perruno

  23.6 in (60 cm)185 gal (700 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Duckbill Catfish

  Sorubim lima

  19.7 in (50 cm)190 gal (720 L)73–86°F (23–30°C)
• Zorro Catfish

  Platystomatichthys sturio

  15.7 in (40 cm)120 gal (455 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
• Zebra shovelnose

  Brachyplatystoma tigrinum

  23.6 in (60 cm)151 gal (570 L)72–90°F (22–32°C)

• 

  Ornate Pimelodus

  Pimelodus ornatus

  12.2 in (31 cm)65 gal (245 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)