Pimelodella Catfish?

[baby~doll]

any information on them? i owned a pair before but they became dinner for my redtail catfish... oops... but i was just wondering how big do they get because some people say 6 inches but some say 10... not really sure? thanks!

[Larry-T]

Pimadelloid catfish are characterized by long whiskers, large mouths, and appetites to match. They will eat any fish they can swallow, and they can swallow surprisingly large mouthfulls. The largest of these catfish are the various shovelnose catfish from the Amazon basin, including fish that exceed a meter in length.

[Baby_Baby]

Hey, hope this helps! I found it on this site somewhere!

--PICTUS CATFISH/PIMELODELLA CATFISH (Pimelodella picta)
Hardiness: Very Good
Care Level: Beginner
Temperament: Community; do not keep with small fish
Number to Keep: 1 or more
Diet: Omnivorous (Living Vacuum-Cleaner)
Size: 10" long
Min. Tank Size: 70 gal (greater room requirement due to hyperactive behavior)
pH: 6.0-7.5
Temperature: 70-82 F
*Scaleless fish; treat with half-strength or scaleless fish medications
**This fish does have spines--painful ones--so handle with care and use a cup or bowl when catching it; avoid nets.

[baby~doll]

thank yall!... I've decided not to get one... thinking of going with an all oscar set up instead

[Baby_Baby]

really? that would be really nice. i'll try to find you some information on them if you need some.

[Scuba Kid]

what size tank is your red tail cat in?

[Scuba Kid]

they need a 300 gallon tank minimum...they get over 4 feet long!

[baby~doll]

Originally Posted by Scuba Kid

they need a 300 gallon tank minimum...they get over 4 feet long!

yes i know... he was just a baby and we were gonna get a big one for him when he got to be bigger, he was about 3 inches or so
but we sadly lost him to ich
i might try to get one again later in my life though, they are beautiful fish

[baby~doll]

Originally Posted by Baby_Baby

really? that would be really nice. i'll try to find you some information on them if you need some.

that'd be great! thank you
i was trying to figure out how many different kinds of oscars there are... i guess thatd be something for the cichlid forums though but I've already got two threads going in there so I'll wait a while. hehe

[Baby_Baby]

SCIENTIFIC NAME/COMMON NAME: Astronotus ocellatus (os'-sel-lay'-tus: ocellatus=spotted as with little eyes; Astronotus=Marked with star on back.)/ Red Oscar, Velvet Cichlid, Tiger Oscar, Albino Oscar, Fantail Oscar, Ruby Oscar, Blueberry Oscar(fake), Marbled cichlid, Black Oscar, Oscar's cichlid, Pea**************** cichlid (don't confuse with African Malawi Pea**************** cichlid or Pea**************** bass)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION/INFO: Very popular. Very smart. Fun fish!
HABITAT: Neotropical. Amazon River basin.
ADULT SIZE: In the wild upto 16". In aquarium ~12"
TANK ENVIRONMENT: Rocks, destroys plants. Likes to dig.
STRATA: All over the place. (bottom and middle)
DIET: Other fish that fit in its mouth. They like cichlid pellets also but prefer feeder fish and other live food like bloodworms.
WATER QUALITY: They're not very picky. Resistant fish. Just treat for chlorine, chloramines etc.
PH and TEMPERATURE: PH little under neutral(acidic side) 6.5. Keep temperature at around 79F.
TEMPERAMENT: Aggressive, but generally a calm fish compared to jaguars, terrors etc.
GOOD TANKMATES: Convicts that can't fit in their mouth, jaguars, others of similar size
PREFERENCES: They prefer live foods and no bright lights.
SEXING: More and more everyone is posting everywhere with godlike authority that it is impossible to sex oscars short of seeing them spawn. That is NOT true! One sure way is through venting, where you analyze size and characteristics of their vents. Although hard to tell unless raised up together in same environment, females will have a more round head, also be more compressed and shorter. Males will have larger/longer fins. Males will generally have a more pointed 2nd dorsal fin(top fin next to tail). Females will have more of a rounded dorsal fin. Males are also more brightly colored. This is best noticed with cricles that surround eyespots or other areas that don't change with mood. And yes, the male will usually be more aggressive than the female. Another hint as to gender is the presence of DARK SPOTS at the base of the dorsal fin. Some males have 3 dark spots at the bottom of the dorsal fin. You may see that some of the dark spots may become "eye" spots like the one on the tail, encircled by red color. If your Oscar has 2 or 3 dark spots you should start looking for an Oscar who's laid eggs. Beware, that many male oscars do NOT have these 3 dark spots at base of dorsal fin. Males will generally have more red dots on fins, some say around gill area also. Soon I will add the SECRET method used by breeders to sex oscars at a very young age.
BREEDING: (PICTUREofSPAWN)

Not hard if you have a pair. Lots info to come. So main plan is to get both sexes. Then the trick is to get them in the "mood" to tango. Usually it's recommended that you separate them and fatten them up. Feed with a lot of live foods like bloodworms, shrimp, crayfish, live fish. After about 2 weeks of royal treatment(feeding), put them together in optimum water quality. Water should be as clean as possible. Some peat moss may help induce spawning as well as raising the temperature gradually from 79F to around 84F (even 86F). You may notice them lip-locking, quivering(head to tail), and tail-slapping. Might yawn at the same time also. If one is clearly giving the other one a "good" beating, separate them and try again. Otherwise, let them have their lip-locking as long as they don't get serious damage. The female has to test the strenght of the male. When they do the lip-lock tug-war it is a test. If they both pass the test, they may do a slap-five(tails) and start cleaning rocks off vigorously. You should have some slabs of slate rock for them to lay eggs on. Place towards back corner of aquarium, more of a secluded place. Some breeders cover their aquariums with paper and cut a hole to look through since you don't want to spook them or they might eat the eggs or not feel comfortable enough to lay the eggs. More to come on how to induce spawning, different methods, water treatments etc....for now let's just say that a high percentage water change will many times induce spawning. Ever noticed your guppies give birth right after a water change? Heard that full moon helps also, funny but yep some people will align the stars to get their oscars to breed Lots more info coming, if you've got a male and female, we're going to get you some fry!
RAISING FRY: Good size to begin with, not hard to care for. There could be upto 2000 eggs laid in one spawning! (If it's a big mature oscar) Feed fry baby brine shrimp, flakefood, etc.
INTELLIGENCE: Very Intelligent Fish, Some say the smartest of the Cichlids.
LIFESPAN: Up to 13years
POPULARITY: VERY popular fish
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this is just a little something i pulled off the net. hope it helps!!!!!!

[baby~doll]

what about zebra oscar?.... heres a link... is there really one of those I've never seen one

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...fm?pCatId=1088

[Baby_Baby]

Quick stats:

size: 13+ inches (30+ cm), Same for both sexes
tank: 55 gallons
strata: Mostly Middle, will visit all levels
pH: 6.5 to 7.5 (neutral)
Hardness: Soft to hard (dH: 5.0 - 19.0)
temperature: 75°- 86°F (24° to 30° C)

Classification

Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Percidae
Family: Cichlidae
Genera: Astronotus



Common name

Oscar, Tiger Oscar, Velvet Cichlid


Distribution
Amazon river and its' tributaries also Paraguay.


General Body Form
Oval and elongated when viewed from the side. Very robust body. Dorsal fin starts above the gill slits, Caudal Peduncle taller than long, Pectorals and unpaired fins rounded and Ventral fins are pointed. They can reach a size of up to 14 inches and are sexually mature at around 4 inches.


Coloration
Varies greatly, very pretty and is different between individuals and age. Background color of mature specimens is dark Olive Green, Brownish Black or Blue Black. This pattern is broken up into large random spots and black band edged with pale White or Yellow. The Dorsal fin can have a few eye spots and males may also have three small Basal spots in the spiny portion. The Caudal fin can have Red-Golden spots and a very jet Black spot edged with Red at its base. The wild form of Oscars have been selectively bred to include many beautiful varieties including the Tiger, Albino, Red Tiger and more.


Maintenance
The Oscar is one of the Easiest fish to care for and for its size one of the most peaceful. The tank should be large-at least a 55 gal with a medium textured substrate. Keep plants to a minimum and provide flat rocks and pieces of driftwood for cover. If you want to use plants I suggest large leaf varieties of lilies or some floating plants, Oscars like most Cichlids can and will dig the substrate. Water conditions for Oscars are not critical but they do like medium hard, Acidic to slightly Alkaline ( pH 6.5 to 7.5 )water. Feeding as you would expect is no problem as oscars will take all types of food including flake frozen, pellets, kitchen scrapes and of course live. Do not restrict your Oscars diet to feeder goldfish as these do not provide all the needed nutrients, in nature they are an opportunistic fish and will eat anything that happens by. I even dig Earthworms from my yard for them. Oscars are a very long-lived fish and quickly develop their own personality, probably one of the reasons they are so popular today.


Breeding
Oscars will form true pairs and stay together for the duration of their life, each take part in the laying of the eggs and caring of the young. The Oscar is a typical open brooder. The eggs are colored to match their environment and adhesive and are laid in the open, on a rock or a large leaf. They can lay a large number of eggs. The Hatched fry are looked after and fiercely guarded until the egg sac is absorbed and the young are free swimming. Parental care extends even beyond this point in the form of protection from predators. This phase is very dangerous for other fish in the aquarium as the parents can extend their brooding territory and increase their aggressiveness.
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Hope this helps! It can give you a guesstimate of what tank size you need (i think this may be for only one oscar, though) but i hope it helps! by the way, nice username reminds me of mine.....hee hee. I'll try looking up more info on zebra oscars!

[baby~doll]

thanks... this is helping alot

[Baby_Baby]

no problem at all =)

[Cichlid Man]

Originally Posted by baby~doll

we sadly lost him to ich

I doubt it, fish, especiely a strong catfish like that won't die of ich. Ich is usually the syptoms of a water quality problem or something.
What size tank are you going to put the oscars in? They're not difficult to look after, but if stocked incorrectly it can have disasterous effects.
If you need to know anything else about oscars then just give me a shout. I know them like the back of my hand.........oh, what's that?

[Baby_Baby]

LOOKIE LOOKIE!!!!!!! more info!!!!!!! hope this helps!!!!
************************************************** **************
Scientific name(s): Astronotus ocellatus

Max size: 40 cm

Temperament: Predatory and sometimes aggressive fish
Suggested for: Tanks with robust fish of similar size (other predatory/aggressive fish), cichlid tanks

Water quality: pH around neutral, soft to quite hard water, good oxygenation.
Temperature: 24 to 28°C

Origin: Central America (other fish from Central & South America)

Comments: Despite their size, Oscars are a relatively placid fish. However, they have large mouths and will prey on any fish small enough to be swallowed. Males will often fight by locking jaws and pushing, with the weaker fish giving in. They have large appetites and produce copious waste, so good filtration is essential. They also dig, so rocks and ornaments should be well secured. They do not eat plants, but will usually destroy or uproot them due to their boisterous swimming and digging. Give them plenty of swimming room. A number of colour varieties are available, including pseudo-albino strains.

Suggested foods: A good quality tropical granule or pellet supplemented with frozen shrimp & worm foods, beefheart.

Breeding: Oscars spawn on flat stones and both parents defend the eggs and guard the young. The fry are guarded in pits dug in the gravel

Sexing: males dorsal fin is longer, often overlapping with the tail fin.

Expect to pay: around $5.00 for juveniles, from around $15.00 for sub-adults
Availability: fairly good, juveniles are seasonal but sub-adult fish are usually available.

[baby~doll]

thank you so much baby_baby! i wish i could jus find some more information about the zebra oscar... but liveaquaria seems to be the only place to have em i guess i could order one from them

oh and yes also... i have an oscar as of right now and i do know a bit about them... but i love to learn more! he is kept ina 100g ... i feel like i should move this thread to the cichlid forums... teehee but i dunno if i can, oh well... sorry to the catfish people here

[baby~doll]

thanks again!

[Baby_Baby]

not a lot of postings going on for bottom dwellers lately. they shouldn't get too ticked. but ya, happy i could help =)

[baby~doll]

Originally Posted by Cichlid Man

I doubt it, fish, especiely a strong catfish like that won't die of ich. Ich is usually the syptoms of a water quality problem or something.
What size tank are you going to put the oscars in? They're not difficult to look after, but if stocked incorrectly it can have disasterous effects.
If you need to know anything else about oscars then just give me a shout. I know them like the back of my hand.........oh, what's that?

i didint see any point in you basically calling me a liar... which i am most certainly not! we DID in fact loose him to ich... and if you are going to quote someone at least have the decency not to change what they had already, otherwise its not a quote... thank you though