Pictus, Cory, or Pictus and Cory?

[Hookiethe1]

G'day folks, I'm looking for a good sifting cat for my deepish (3 inch) sand. I have a 125. So far, my research suggests that cories are the best crew for the job, and I'm fine with that.
My daughter however (and wife too, as of yesterday) are in love with pictus cats. Trouble is, half of the internet says they get to 10 inches, and the other half says 5, which is more than a little inconsistent, so I'd really appreciate some straight talk on that point. I like them, but I'm not sure if I want 5 10 inch cats in the bottom of my tank. The other thing is I can't seem to find much info regarding their sand sifting prowess. Can they replace cories, or are they just not as keen on digging as them? And if not, and if they don't really get to 10 inches, can I keep a group of cories and a group of pictus cats together?

Also, how are these fish in terms of being jerks to plants?

Thanks for any advice.

[Goes to 11!]

I have not kept pictus [& there's more than one kind btw] but my understanding is that the commonly available ones are about 5" adults.

IMO THE best source on info on the net for all things catfish is this --> http://www.planetcatfish.com/.

Type 'Pictus' into the search box in the upper RH corner and you will know for sure.

[ddavis1979]

Wikipedia - 4.3" Adult
That pet Place - 4.5"
Planet Catfish - 4.7" Adult
Pet Solutions - 5" Adult
Tropical tank - 5" Adult
Live Aquaria - 6" Adult
PetSmart - 10" Adult
AC - 12" Adult

I would say safe bet is 5".

Pictus are carnivors and will eventually eat smaller fish. They are active scanners of the substrate, but I dont know how much rooting around, sifting and digging they do compared to Cory Cats.

Most catfish get larger than the 2" to 3" that most Cory Cats max out at.

However. Synodontis catfish have a lot of different varieties including the Featherfin Catfish. But you are talking 8-10" minimum for most of these kinds of catfish.

They also have the emeral catfish, but it looks just like a Cory Cat. A little taller and larger.

Have fun with your choices :)

[Hookiethe1]

Thanks for the responses, I'm convinced now that pictus cats won't be as industrious in my sand as cories, but also that the ones I'm likely to find in the store won't get any bigger than 5 inches. That just leaves the final question, has anybody kept both in a single tank, with or without problems? Again, it's a 125, so my bottom is pretty big!

[gurglegurgle]

i have kept both pimelodus pictus and corydoras with little problems the pictus cats are a little aggressive/playful toward other bottom dwelling fish. i did not find them to be efficient scavenger fish, though. And mine did not sift sand at all. Mine were nearly 7 inches long when i gave them away. might i suggest hoplo cats? Very active sand sifter.

[Hookiethe1]

I do like the look of those hoplos, but I managed to stop by my one and only local fish store today and can't get them there. They do have some really nice pepper cories, so if they're similar in their use as sifters I'll just go with what I have access to.
Also spotted some lace catfish at walmart (if you count that, then I have 2 fish stores) that I really liked the look of, anybody know anything about those?