55 Gallon Catfish Tank

[Freedom18]

I want to do a 55 gallon catfish tank, centered around pictus cats, how many should/could I get, and what else could go in there (preferably only other cats).

 

[FiSh123FiSh]

well u r gonna have to do the 1 inch per gallon measuring so u can get 55 inches of fish in there.

tom

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

^Hmmmm real helpful.
They are an active catfish and in a 55g you could accomodate (depending on shape/parameters) 11 in theory. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it tho. They like a good long tank if they can have it, just for swimming purposes. They are truly very active. I'd aim for 6 and have a couple of good sized other fish in there with them. If all you have are catfish then the bottom of the tank will get crowded and the rest will seem pretty empty. Since they are South American you could find a pair of S.A Cichlids to accomodate the middle/upper tank area. But they out to be a decent size and of a robust nature to put up with the highly active pictus cats.
P.

 

[stang1]

I think 3 would be fine in that size tank although it should be ok to have 6 providing there are plenty of hiding spaces. We kept Pearl Catfish (Mystus Castaneus) with ours but they were nocturnal and we hardly ever saw them.
Pictus can grow up to 7" so you don't want to overcrowd the bottom of the tank as Miss Dib Dabs suggested. Tankmates should be able to cope with the constant activity so anything too peaceful is pretty much ruled out. Pictus are also predatory and will eat anything that fits in their mouth so make sure tankmates are a good size.

 

[Fishy412]

I would say maybe 5 pictus, and maybe a small shoal of 4 Doradids (striped or spotted are most common). I dont think you'll find a top dwelling cat for a 55 but if you plan on upgrading anytime soon a Lima might fit in there for a while.

EDIT- I dont think i've ever seen a 7 inch pictus. Just wanted to throw that out there. I think 5" is a little more common.

 

[Ripley]

Pictus cats can get up to 7", easy. Really 3-4 pictus cats for a 55 gallon, maximum. B/c they are a very aggressive feeder most catfish other then them in the tank might not be able to get much food.

 

[darknirvana217]

four sound good, but they wille at what they can get in their mouth and are very active. A well armoured pleco should be fine with them.

 

[CAC]

Go for 4. With 3 there isnt enough of a group and aggression/exclusion could occur, 5 and you may be pushing the limits of floor space. Like Miss Dib Dabs said, go with a pair of SA cichlids and you should have a nice tank. You could also go for some things like rainbows, another active fish, allthough not SA and an ABF for the top.
I really doubt a lenght of 7" in captivity. In the wild, yes, most, if not all reach 10" out there but in aquaria it wont get any bigger than 6" I would say, with an average size of 5" or so.
In a 55g you could also go for white linded pims if you could find them, check the fish index out.