he month of July 2012 brings us back to one of the prettiest member of the Pimeloidae family, namely the 'Ornate pim' Pimelodus ornatus.

As you can see from the image above this is indeed a smart looking catfish which has been imported into the U. K. and Europe on and off since 1979, initially from Paraguay, and has proved a favourite amongst dedicated predatory catfish enthusiasts.

Keeping the 'Ornate pim' is not too difficult as long as you stick to a few golden rules such as the size of tank which should be around 100 gall. (500 litres) mark due to its eventual size and the fish constantly on the move as a group, as single specimens are never happy alone and will spend a good amount of time hiding away and sulking in the aquarium.

Since the species originates from flowing waters, the water should be clear and with a high oxygen content, good filtration and a substrate of a rounded gravel or sand with plenty of hiding places with pipes or rockwork/stones. If there are plenty of places to hide they will lose their initial shyness and come out more often.

Since they roam the aquarium at night with their long feeling barbels they can upset other tank inhabitants so other inmates would have to be chosen carefully. South American Cichlids, L-number cats and other catfish from the Doradidae family are good choices.

P. ornatus can devour quite large pieces of fish

The above image shows the mouth of Pimelodus ornatus and the gape which can take small fish if it needed to so once again careful consideration of tankmates are a must.

If at all handled they secrete a toxic mucus and the wounds caused by its pectoral spines are very painful. There spines can also be tangled up in a net if catching so best to do it with an open ended container.

Upper part of head and body dark blue/grey, the belly region is whitish. A light horizontal band above the lateral line from below the dorsal fin to the caudal peduncle. Two light vertical bands, one behind the operculum (slightly darker), the second below the dorsal fin spine. The dark horizontal band in the ventral region from the ventral fin to the caudal fin disappears in the adult fish. Dorsal fin with a large black blotch. Caudal fin with a black band in each lobe. Pectoral, ventral and anal fins with dark pigment in the rays (more so on the pectoral fins), whitish on the tips. Adipose fin with light pigment. Maxillary barbels with darker pigment on the top edge, lower half white, mandibular barbels white.

Gregarious feeders in the aquarium and are not fussy eaters. Earthworms, white and black worms, Tilapia filets, or trout pieces, tablet and pellet foods and frozen foods such as bloodworm. When adult you do not need to feed this fish every day, every second day would suffice on the diet of the above foods.

© Wolfgang Ros @