Pictus catfish

bbrianhaag

bbrianhaag

AC Members
Oct 20, 2009
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Fontana, California
Has anybody had experience with a pictus catfish? I read up on them but some people say they get up to 10 inches, some say 8 inches and I even read they only get to 5 inches. Now has anyone owned some or use to own some? I been wanted one. And I even read from different websites that they're schooling but they will do fine alone. Is that true? Thanks!
 
yes most catfish will be happy in groups or alone provided there is places to hide and food to eat. pictus normally get between 8-10 inches, but it does take a while.
 
I have never seen a pictus larger than 6 inches. They do grow larger in the wild. They are also a schooling fish and do very well in schools of 4 or more. Keep this in mind about the pictus. If at any time you allow your water to deteriate you must not do a large water change. Because it will kill them when there is a big jump in ph.
 
There are many different kinds of pictus.Spotted pictus are the ones most LFS stock.They grow to around 5 inches,and do better in schools IME with them.I kept 2 once,and they were absolutely frantic.If they are kept with more numbers,at least 5,they should feel more comfortable,and stay more calm.With that said,you will need a fairly large tank to keep the proper number of them.I ended up giving my 2 back to the LFS I got them from.Great fish though.I plan on getting more when I get my 180g set up.
 
i got 2 from a friend a while back. he had them 2 years they were 5 inches. never got any bigger than that.
they were spotted pic cats
 
About five - six inches is right, but there are other Pimelodid cats that are similar but get larger.

They prefer to be in schools when smaller, but as they mature they do get less hyper and can do well on their own. I once owned one and introduced another into the tank and they did not get along well at all, constantly fighting, and so I would recommend to introduce them all at the same time.
 
Pictus is a species. There's only one kind. The genus Pimelodus contains dozens of species of which pictus is only one. Not to mention that the closely related genus Pimelodella contains dozens of species as well and importers are notoriously unconcerned with actual IDs. True pictus max out around 6", but similar appearing species can reach twice that length.
 
I like the pictus cats too. Can I add them to my 55g? Do they get along with cories?
 
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