Ornate pim, Pimelodus ornatus, two in 240 gal

[thebiggerthebetter]

I got two of ornate pims, aka Pimelodus ornatus, from Rapps last Aug-Sept at ~2"-3". Nice little guys. Rather timid though, even skittish at times, unlike their far more common 4-line pims, aka Pimelodus blochii and Co. They are about 5"-6" today.

I see what moe214 was saying before about them being more slender-built than the blochii too. At least at this age and size, they are indeed more slender.

They may or may not hide, kind of on a whim. The bigger doesn't appear to harass the smaller and they are most usually found together. Easy to feed. They were outgrown in their original 240 gal by their tank mates and now have gone into a 240 gal with pictus, Trachydoras, dorado, small Peru piraibas, and jaguar wood catfish.

I've always wanted a nice school of them, 6-12, but the $$ was tight. Maybe in the future.

 

[888fish]

Nice. Have considered picking some up myself.

 

[moe214]

Sound so like an interesting tank! A gorgeous cat for sure imo.

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

I believe that they get more social in a larger group of their own kind. That's what I remember when I researched this species as a possibility for my tank. If you get another 4-6 I think you will probably see thema bit less skittish and more outgoing.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

June 14, 2017 update. They grew to about 6".

Them and their tank mates:

 

[Experiment397]

gahh i miss mine! he was so cool! id love to snag 3 or 4 of these if i ever find them at a reasonable price again

 

[DB junkie]

3:15 to 3:29 What catfish is this???????

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

3:15 to 3:29 What catfish is this???????

https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...-pinirampus-pirinampu-from-jeff-rapps.689010/

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I was lucky last Nov-Dec 2017 to have snagged 10 more from snookn21 here in Ft. Myers at $23 each. Four bigger ones (5"-6") went into one tank to join the original duo while 6 smaller ones (3"-4") went into the tank with all the babies.

They stay together a lot tighter than P. pictus but other than that they behave close to pictus in all other respects and less so as P. blochii.

Grow pretty slow too, while eating quite well.

Video update on the now twelve:

 

[spotfin]

Nice cats. I added my 3 ornates to the ray tank a couple months ago. Two are 4" and the third is now pushing 6". Purchased them last summer from the Divers Den at Live Aquaria. Free shipping, so they were $33 each.
I have 4 pictus in the same tank that have been there for a few years. They used to squabble a bit amongst themselves, and each one had its own area in the tank. Now that the ornates are in the tank, all 7 cats seem to hang out together under the one piece of drift wood (which they share with the rays). The three ornates are always together, and the pictus now hang close by with them. I find the ornates are a bit more skittish than the pictus.