Pimelodella gracilis = shoaling fish?

Chrysichthys · Post by **Chrysichthys** » 13 Aug 2003, 16:50

LFS has ordered one of these for me. Are they a shoaling fish? If so I'll try it with my pictus cats or else get some more.

Is the name up to date? It's not in the Cat-eLog.

Post by **Silurus** » 13 Aug 2003, 16:54

They do prefer company of their own kind, although they do not seem to aggregate closely. And yes, it is a valid name...the Cat-eLog just doesn't have an entry for it.

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 14 Aug 2003, 23:14

I had those about 20 years ago; they do really fine in big groups (7 and up). With less, the males can get territorial, once maturing (they loose the black stripe overnight, and get a metallic hue once maturing).

They pine when kept single IME.....get a group.

btw they can really fight with a pictus, believe me!

Chrysichthys · Post by **Chrysichthys** » 18 Aug 2003, 18:21

As it turns out they're actually Brachyrhamdia meesi. Which cory(s) does it mimic? I put mine in with a group of C. metae and trilineatus. It found them right away and started hanging out with them.

Any idea how much they would be worth if they were correctly identified?

Post by **Silurus** » 18 Aug 2003, 18:50

They are not known to mimic any particular Corydoras species. Brachyrhamdia imitator has that distinction, as does B. rambarrani.
As for price, they are fairly common in the US, and don't go for very much (something like the $4-5 range).

Chrysichthys · Post by **Chrysichthys** » 10 Sep 2003, 15:41

Damn. I was hoping I had something rare and expensive. Any idea what the purpose of the mimicry is? To infiltrate the corys and eat eggs and fry?

Post by **Silurus** » 10 Sep 2003, 15:43

Probably more for protection in numbers and in the schooling system than anything else.

Sid Guppy · Post by **Sid Guppy** » 10 Sep 2003, 18:29

From what I know; if you keep them without Cory's they tend to get quite nasty to other fish and to each other. But add enough Cory's (twice their own number) and they're actually quite docile.

Except from eating small fish of course, like neon-sized fish.

That might be another reason to evolve mimicry: hide among, and look like a peaceful fish, so they can get closer to prey!

There ARE fish that use this technique; like the scale-eating Plecodus straeleni that hides among Cyphotilapia frontosa (it looks exactly like a miniature Frontosa), so it can attack unwary victims that tolerate slow, easygoing Frontosa's up close.