Common name/s: Shovelnose catfish, hockey stick catfish, duck bill catfish
Scientific name: Sorubim lima
Family: Pimelodidae
Origin: Found in north western and south western parts of the Amazon and its tributaries, Venezeula to Paraguay
Maximum size: 12" is common in aquaria but some fish can grow to 20"
Care: Due to the fishes large adult size the minimum sized tank for a single specimin would be a 75g (48x18x18"), for groups of this fish allow a additional 20 gallons per fish. Can be kept in a wide range of water parameters providing you avoid the extremes of hardness and pH, temperatures can be between 23 and 30 centigrade (74-86f). Regular large water changes (30 to 40% weekly) are recomended to keep this fish in good condition. This fish is a predator and so tankmates should be at least 4" to avoid being eaten.
Feeding: The fish is a predator and so should be fed a diet of meaty foods, mussels, cockles, fish, earthworms and pellets for carnivorous fish should all be accepted, smaller specimins can be fed bloodworms until they are big enough to take larger food.
Breeding: Unknown
Sexing: Unknown
Comments: The fish has a couple of peculiar habbits which may alarm those new to keeping this fish. The first is its preffered hunting position of lining its self up vertical to tall structures within the tank while it waits for prey, this behaviour only seems to last a short while in captivity and once it adapts the fish takes on a more natural at rest position. The second is that this catfish will periodicly shed the mucus coat from its body, there are several theories as to why the fish does this ranging from poor water quallity to being connected with the fishes growth and even that the fish uses this as a defence mechanism when startled, i personally go with the second theory as my S.limas always seem to do this shortly before a growth spurt, it is none the less nothing to worry about and the mucus will quickly be eaten either by the fish its self or by hungry tankmates.
Scientific name: Sorubim lima
Family: Pimelodidae
Origin: Found in north western and south western parts of the Amazon and its tributaries, Venezeula to Paraguay
Maximum size: 12" is common in aquaria but some fish can grow to 20"
Care: Due to the fishes large adult size the minimum sized tank for a single specimin would be a 75g (48x18x18"), for groups of this fish allow a additional 20 gallons per fish. Can be kept in a wide range of water parameters providing you avoid the extremes of hardness and pH, temperatures can be between 23 and 30 centigrade (74-86f). Regular large water changes (30 to 40% weekly) are recomended to keep this fish in good condition. This fish is a predator and so tankmates should be at least 4" to avoid being eaten.
Feeding: The fish is a predator and so should be fed a diet of meaty foods, mussels, cockles, fish, earthworms and pellets for carnivorous fish should all be accepted, smaller specimins can be fed bloodworms until they are big enough to take larger food.
Breeding: Unknown
Sexing: Unknown
Comments: The fish has a couple of peculiar habbits which may alarm those new to keeping this fish. The first is its preffered hunting position of lining its self up vertical to tall structures within the tank while it waits for prey, this behaviour only seems to last a short while in captivity and once it adapts the fish takes on a more natural at rest position. The second is that this catfish will periodicly shed the mucus coat from its body, there are several theories as to why the fish does this ranging from poor water quallity to being connected with the fishes growth and even that the fish uses this as a defence mechanism when startled, i personally go with the second theory as my S.limas always seem to do this shortly before a growth spurt, it is none the less nothing to worry about and the mucus will quickly be eaten either by the fish its self or by hungry tankmates.
