At the moment I have two 2ft tanks. (60L)

In one of these I have a Pictus catfish who at 5in long is rapidly outgrowing his tank with an Angel who is now 6 plus inches high.

My plan is to merge two tanks into one much bigger tank (240+ L) but I was wondering if the Pictus would annoy the Pepper corys who are in the other tank as when he leaves his cave he rushes around the bottom of the tank at such a pace he knocks the gravel flying. Would the Pictus (and possibly one or two new mates) either knock the peacfull corys all over the place or worse still try and eat them!

Also would the Pictus try to eat the Zebra Danios or are Danios to fast, I was sold the pictus under the impression it was a normal catfish and not a large(ish) growling razor spined high speed pedator. If he is not compatible with the corys then I am not sure what the solution will be as I dont really have room for two tanks when I get the bigger tank, but this wonderful fish and his large Angelfish tankmate do need to move home soonish.

Any coments or suggestions would be welcome,
Thanks

when he was a baby

Pictus cats will eat anything that can fit in their mouth, so I doubt the cories and danios would last forever in your tank once your pictus grows bigger. Also, they should be in groups, so keeping just one will make it nervous and rush around the tank like you described.

I think the dillema here is what you want in your tank: a smaller community setting or a larger more predatory setting. I prefer the latter and think that a 240l tank would look great with a school of these bright cats, but if you are looking for something that is more peaceful, with the cories and danios, than you should get rid of your pictus.

This post has been edited by invaderwithkey: Apr 12 2008, 01:37 PM

i have 2 pictus and 4 corys and my pictus have never bothered my corys at all. i even have small fish like dwarf rainbowfish, serpae tetra and my pictus have never tried to eat them either. either i have 2 veggie pictus or theyre not as predatory as people think!!!

Interesting, but it's not something I would risk longterm.

+1 invader

Emma

I had two adult pictus with cories and danios, rummy nose tetras, etc. etc. - no problem. Pictus and neons = big problem!
That said, I'm very sure the cories would have preferred some more peace and didn't appreciate the manic pictus whizzing around the tank all the time.

Thanks for your replies.

As I thought the corys were probably to big to eat but who know what will happen becaus if I move the Pictus I would get two or three more.

Then would I have a problem of a bigger 5 inch Pictus with the new smaller ones?

"but if you are looking for something that is more peaceful, with the cories and danios, than you should get rid of your pictus"
How would I do that, Does anybody want a Pictus.

I really like the Pictus but he is the odd one out as all my other fish (Danios, Platys, Angels, corys, albino shark) would be fully compatable together in a bigger tank and the Pictus is the only one I have concerns about.

I dont really have the time or space for two tanks but unless I find a GOOD home for him I will have to keep the Pictus with larger feature fish in the new big tank and still keep a 60L tank for the smaller fish.

Thanks again for your replies

I've had a pair of these in my 120L tank for about a year now along with silverfin tetras and gourami, no trouble at all so far (and they're definitely big enough to be eating the tetras by now). The chap in the lfs said when I bought them that I should be prepared for them to be eaten if I wasn't careful but said it's much less if they've been together from small, could be trouble if you're merging tanks I guess

Shouldn't be a problem in that size tank. They're peaceful fish and your other fish are peaceful too.

Put it in your bigger tank - make sure it has enough open swimming space along the substrate yet enough hiding spots for the cories to feel safe too.

Just see how it goes. Might very well be fine.

I think we should clarify exactly which pictus you mean, as pims pictus dont grow that big and i couldnt see much of a problem (apart from maybe as said, neons etc which are small and like to sleep near the substrate).

The common name "Pictus" usually only ever refers to Pimelodus pictus and any other "Pictus" is unlikely to be commonly sold anyway.

This post has been edited by Bloo: Apr 22 2008, 11:38 AM