Tag Archives: ornatus

Pimelodus ornatus

17. September 2021

One of the most attractive large catfishes is Pimelodus ornatus, which is common in large parts of tropical South America. It is reported from the big rivers Amazonas, Orinoco and Parnaná, in addition the Guyana states. Maximum size reported is 38.5 cm (excluding caudal fin).

The beautiful and lively fish is notorious for its venomous fin spines. Stings are considered extremely painful and are also prone to infection. Therefore, some caution should be exercised when catching it and fine-meshed nets should be used if possible, otherwise the fish can easily become entangled in the meshes with their serrated fin spines. When freed, stings can then easily occur.

Interestingly, females of this species have been found to have the ability to store sperm. Thus, once fertilized, they can lay viable fertilized eggs without a male. Since this requires internal fertilization, it would be very interesting to know how this occurs. Any externally recognizable sex differences or mating organs do not exist in P. ornatus.

Unfortunately Pimelodus ornatus is imported only rarely, so that breeding reports in the aquarium – one needs for it undoubtedly larger aquariums starting from 200 cm edge length and several specimens of both sexes – are still pending. The care itself is simple, there are no special demands on food and water. A strong current, soft bottom and dim light meet the requirements of the species perfectly. P. ornatus is peaceful among each other and towards other fish, as long as they are not considered as food.

The animals we can currently offer come from Peru.

For our customers: the fish have code 279604 (9-12 cm) and 279605 (12-15 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Stiphodon ornatus

28. August 2020

This beautiful freshwater goby was originally described as a subspecies of Stiphodon elegans. It originates from West Sumatra (Indonesia), where it lives in clear streams. Stiphodon ornatus feeds on an Aufwuchs, i.e. it feeds on algae and the small creatures that live in them. In the aquarium any form of dry, frost and live food is gladly accepted. Unfortunately, breeding in an aquarium is hardly possible, because the tiny juveniles develop in the sea and, as is well known, the rearing of marine fish is very demanding due to the difficulty of obtaining the correct food. But even without the possibility to reproduce them, Stiphodon offer many, exciting observation possibilities. 

Males and females look so different in Stiphodon ornatus (and most other Stiphodon species) that one could think they are different species and in fact they are often offered as different species by the suppliers. The females of all Stiphodon species are white with black longitudinal stripes. One can hardly distinguish the females of the different (there are 37) Stiphodon species. Males grow about 6 cm long, females stay a little smaller. Stiphodon live in a flock, only to spawn single males settle down and establish a territory. They spawn in caves, mostly under stones. The male guards the spawn until the tiny larvae hatch. The water current drifts them into the sea where the larvae spend the first weeks of their life. Then they migrate into fresh water, which they do not leave anymore for the rest of their lives.

For our customers: the animals have code 456072 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Hyphessobrycon “ornatus White Fin”

1. March 2019

Among he longest-serving rosy tetras in the hobby is Hyphessobrycon ornatus, even if the species has a true odyssey concerning the naming behind it and is called Hyphessobrycon rosaceus according to the latest state of affairs; before it was equated with H. bentosi. The first specimens arrived already in 1933 from Guyana. Breeding was not easy because not every male fertilized. With the beautiful breeding form “White Fin” the otherwise black parts in the fin coloring are replaced by white. The original breeder, the ornamental fish breeder Günnel, won the first prize for new breeding forms with these animals at the Aquarama in Singapore in 1997.

For our customers: the animals have code 262012 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Corydoras sp. C141 (2)

28. March 2018

We have the beautiful Corydoras sp. C141 – this species is obviously not described scientifically yet – in stock on a regular basis. The exact place of origin is still unknown, we obtain the fish under the wrong name of „Corydoras ornatus“ from Brazil. However, Corydoras ornatus is a different species.

Currently we have some tanks of C141 in show size (6-7 cm) in stock. In one of them the animals came in breeding condition. Wow! the usually creme-coloured dorsal spine got an orange tinge and the membrane behind the dorsal spine extended to a pennant in both sexes. 

The basic pattern is extremely variable in that species. Most specimens have three parallel horizontal stripes on the flanks, but the number of stripes can differ between two and six, quite often the stripes are dissolved in spots. All these varieties occur together.

For our customers: the fish have code 241725 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer