Pimelodus

The spotted pim, Pimelodus maculatus, is a pimelodid catfish from the Rio Paraná and Rio São Francisco basins in Brazil and Argentina. Active and shoaling, it grows to 18 cm and is a predator that will eat smaller fish, so it suits only roomy tanks with tough, active tankmates. Like other pims it is scaleless and sensitive to many medications, and the mucus on its rigid fin spines can cause a painful sting.

The ornate pim, Pimelodus ornatus, is a pimelodid catfish recorded in major river systems from Colombia and Venezuela south to Paraguay and Argentina. One of the more sought-after pims imported with any regularity, it grows to 28 cm and is a predator that will eat smaller fish. It is scaleless, sensitive to many medications and often in poor shape when first imported, and its rigid fin spines can cause a painful sting.

The pictus cat, Pimelodus pictus, is a small pimelodid catfish from the Rio Orinoco and Amazon basins in Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Brazil. The most popular member of the genus in the hobby, it is often sold as a bottom dweller for communities of small fish, though it is a predator that will eat neons, guppies and similarly-sized species. Colombian fish are peppered with tiny dark spots, while the Peruvian form has much larger spots on the body.