Pictus Cat

[gears1008]

So i recently bought a pictus catfish and introduced him to my tank. He seems to be swimming really fast all over the place. Is he just checking out his new home or something else?

[Red]

Yeah, but they like to be in groups and get around 5". What size tank do you have?

[gears1008]

i have a 29g with not much else in it. 3 other black mollys and thats it. i am planning on getting another pictus but didnt want to add them both at the same time.

[Lab_Rat]

He's really going to need an upgrade to a 4' tank, do you have plans for that in the future? I've got 4 in my 55g which will be moved to the 75g whenever I set it up. The first night I added them they were swimming all over like you described. After that night they settled in. I've got enough hiding spots/caves for each of them so there aren't many squabbles, we'll see what happens as they age. Make sure you provide him/them with plenty of secure hiding areas.

[HomaridNoob6]

I agree with Lab_Rat, pictus are cool cats, but they do need some swimming room, and also prefer schools of 4+. I think a fun option for you would be some corys in your 29. You can get a decent school, and theyll have enough room. I'm not saying you CAN'T do a pictus or two, but they do get decent sized, and I wouldn't recommend it for that tank. Unfortunately so many of the real cool fish get way bigger than is easy to accomodate. Its a shame with pictus,(and most catfish actually) but pictus are one of the really active visible fun to have catfish, but I won't even keep a few in my 60 really, they're spazzy too, and SA cichlids seem to pick on em IME. I did have 6 in my 125 up until recently, but im redoing the stocking on that tank.

[jscurrier]

I have 2 pictus now in my 29g. But I got them knowing I'm getting a 150g in a couple weeks. They are agressive and territorial. They really do need their own "personal" hideout, and tend to headbutt other fish when they get too close. The two I have cant get near each other or the bigger dominant one chases the other. They try to act tough with my bichirs, but they just ignore them. They can get up to 9 inches, which is one reason I chose Pictus (plus they are insanely cute:1luvu: )