Massive Pimelodus blochii

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thebiggerthebetter said:
It is a great find indeed.

I don't think it is either of the proposed IDs - both the albo and the maculatus have larger spots than this fish does, age-independent. It may be a mature blochii - not many are seen around. It can be some other Pimelodid. Moreover, this genus is far from having been described entirely and a lot (possibly half) of the species in that genus are still unknown to taxonomy. As for the max sizes: this info evolves just like any other. More reliable reports come in - the size will be updated.

If you'd like experts/ichthyologists to try ID your fish, post on PCF.
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Hm, at first I did think it was a P. blochii, because I've seen several younger specimens that looked similar, but looking at pics of mature blochii, it looks like their patterns fade away by the time they are the size of mine.

I might try asking on planetcatfish, although the last time I tried to get an ID there, I ended up figuring it out on my own while they were still guessing (this was with my S. frontosa)...
 
Nice cat. I'd like to find something like that for my 75 gallon tank. I don't think even my Jaguar would attempt to eat that.
 
jclyde13 said:
Hm, at first I did think it was a P. blochii, because I've seen several younger specimens that looked similar, but looking at pics of mature blochii, it looks like their patterns fade away by the time they are the size of mine.

I might try asking on planetcatfish, although the last time I tried to get an ID there, I ended up figuring it out on my own while they were still guessing (this was with my S. frontosa)...
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Right. The fading away with age may or may not be agreeable. That's why I am intrigued by your fish. I am not sure either as my two big blochii-looking cats (13" TL, about 2-3 lbs each) were in my basement pond, so I've never seen them well and neither could photograph.

As for the PCF, no one is perfect and no single case is perfect (synos can be really tough) but in general, I don't know of a better place to ask.
 
thebiggerthebetter said:
Right. The fading away with age may or may not be agreeable. That's why I am intrigued by your fish. I am not sure either as my two big blochii-looking cats (13" TL, about 2-3 lbs each) were in my basement pond, so I've never seen them well and neither could photograph.

As for the PCF, no one is perfect and no single case is perfect (synos can be really tough) but in general, I don't know of a better place to ask.
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Yeah, I wasn't trying to criticize them or anything. I just thought it might be easier to just do my own research first and see what I could find.
 
Sounds like you, unlike me, are brimming with confidence :) As ichthyologists write elsewhere, half of the Pimelodus genus is likely not even described yet. Hence, our chances, as it stands, may be only 50% :) So until it is, we may never know...

Blochii is one of the most commonly imported smallish pims but it is almost always contaminated with look-alikes. They call blochii a four-line pim, you know, in every LFS while, clearly, only a P. tetramerus should be called that. I bought 5 babies a year ago all looking very close. Two look like a blochii now while other 3 are clearly tetramerus.

Whatever you do, please come back here. As I said, I am quite intrigued what your fish may be.
 
Sounds like you know a lot more about this than I do. I didn't know that P. tetramerus were ever referred to as 4-lines (although I have always wondered why P. blochii would be given that name). But yeah, I will go see what they think at planetcatfish (probably tomorrow), but I'm thinking that if it isn't P. maculatus, it probably isn't one of the described species.


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