Ornate pimelodus

Care at a glance

Overview

The ornate pimelodus is an active, restless catfish that swims through the day and night rather than hiding away. It is a difficult fish, best left to experienced keepers.

Caring for the ornate pimelodus

Give the ornate pimelodus a long tank of at least 143 gal (540 L) with open swimming space and a few caves. More room suits its constant motion. Use a sand or fine gravel bed with sturdy driftwood and open lanes for swimming. Dim lighting helps it feel at ease and stay out in the open.

It prefers warm, soft water, at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5, with steady flow. Feed meaty sinking foods such as bloodworms, prawn, chopped fish and sinking pellets. Do not overfeed it, and watch the portions.

It is an opportunistic predator of small fish and invertebrates. It is peaceful toward fish it cannot eat but will swallow smaller tank mates, so keep it only with sturdy, medium to large companions. It can be kept singly or in a group, and it often settles better with a few of its own kind. Like most river pimelodids, it is not known to breed in home aquariums.

Good to know

The ornate pimelodus is a long-whiskered catfish of the family Pimelodidae, and wild fish grow a little larger than aquarium ones. It is one of the most handsomely marked of its genus, with bold black blotches and bands on a pale silver body. It trails long, flowing barbels and fin filaments.

In the wild

The ornate pimelodus is widespread in the large rivers of tropical South America, including the Amazon and Orinoco basins. There it roams the channels between sunken wood.

Common questions

Related species

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