Pictus Cats

[aknif]

We were at the LFS this morning and hubby saw some really nice looking 2.5" to 3" pictus cats. He's in love....

Can I put 1 or 2 of them in my 125 with the fish I have in there? (see sig below) LFS employee said it would be fine, but I don't trust their opinions anymore.

I am mainly concerned with my Kribs harassing the pictus or the pictus harassing the corys.

Thank you for your advice! :bowing:

 

[Maj0rFiSh]

Should be ok, pictus cats are peaceful, but if not fed anough will eat small fish like neons during the night. hey i get my pictus cats saturday

 

[aknif]

Ok, thank you... is there anything special I should know about them? Should I get just 1 or would 2 or 3 be better? I feed lots of different flake and freeze dried foods as well as frozen blood worms, brine shrimp and emerald entree. Would that take care of them?

 

[Maj0rFiSh]

They are like scavengers, they wll eat anything that falls to the bottom, but you should feed sinking pellets like Tabimin

 

[Raskolnikov]

I'd be a bit concerned w/ fish that tend to bully others, such as gouramis and angels, as the pictus cats have very long flowing barbels.

I picked up three of the spotted pictus catfish today which will eventually go in my 210g tank. Right now they're in a 30g observation tank, and these fish are the most frantic animals I have ever observed. They're like watching spotted crackheads.

 

[StreetCypher]

I'd say they'd be ok with your fish, but may run into problems with the corys.
Full grown pictus ~6-7" will probably eat a small cory, and it may cause problems because the corys have spines it can lodge in the pictus's throat, making both die.

As for diet, when i had pictus i fed them shrimp chunks, fish chunks, earthworms and sinking carnivore pellets.

 

[Seaman]

Nah even a full grown pictus would have a hard time fitting a full grown cory in its mouth, maybe a pygmy cory. Anything larger than 2" shouldnt be bothered.

 

[Kabong]

They could end up like my pictus who trys to eat the corys one bite at a time. He just chomps then runs leaving the cory finless. I think hes waiting until there are no fins left so the cory cant swim away. They may be classified as peaceful but they also have huge attitudes and territory issues.

 

[daveedka]

Some thoughts for everyone:

I picked up three of the spotted pictus catfish today which will eventually go in my 210g tank. Right now they're in a 30g observation tank, and these fish are the most frantic animals I have ever observed. They're like watching spotted crackheads.

Do they have anywhere to hide? Typically Pictus cats are fairly noctournal and do not like to be out in the light with no-where to take refuge. In Q-tanks they tend to be really nuts unless you stick some PVC or something similar in for them to hide in.

Nah even a full grown pictus would have a hard time fitting a full grown cory in its mouth, maybe a pygmy cory. Anything larger than 2" shouldnt be bothered.

I would tend to agree with this, Pictus as a rule are opportunistic predators, not hunters. if they are well fed, and you cories are full grown, I don't think you'll have issues in a tank as large as yours. In a smaller tank, territory disputes and lack of bottm space could cause issues.

I'd be a bit concerned w/ fish that tend to bully others, such as gouramis and angels, as the pictus cats have very long flowing barbels.

This would be something to watch for, Pictus are tough fish, but they will need somewhere to escape if something else in the tank decides the barbels look like food. It takes a pretty fast fish to really do any harm to a pictus. my Firemouth and Dempsey never touch my cats.

is there anything special I should know about them?

They are extremely prone to ich, and really hard to diagnose. Virtually every pictus I've owned came home with ich, and the stress of the move caused an outbreak. They do not at all like meds for treatment, stick to heat and salt if ICH is detected, and definately give them a good solid 4 weeks of quarantine.
dave

 

[Raskolnikov]

Do they have anywhere to hide? Typically Pictus cats are fairly noctournal and do not like to be out in the light with no-where to take refuge. In Q-tanks they tend to be really nuts unless you stick some PVC or something similar in for them to hide in.

This is a good point, and I glad that you brought it up.

My quarantine tank is a bit unconventional by some standards. It contains a mat of floating artificial plants as well as several PVC and molded plastic caves, along w/ sand substrate and plastic broad-leaved plants. I figure since the fish will be in here for a few weeks I'll do everything I can to make them feel "at home" until they get to one of the main tanks. They have places to take refuge but have chosen not to do so so far.