Pictus Catfish Help

[JoeyWoodall]

My pictus catfish has been in my aquarium around 10 hours now, he hid for the whole time that the light was on, I fed some live blood worm but my gouramis, Congo tetras and blue ram polished them off before the catfish had even seen them. Now the light has gone out and he has appeared from his hideout to go around the tank, i have also put some frozen block bloodworm in my tank but even with the light out it seems the other fish have eaten it without giving him a chance to get it. What can I do in order to make sure my catfish gets a good feed before the others eat it all? Are there any foods I can get that the others don't eat? Are they always nocturnal? Help needed

 

[waggy1]

try puttin some cucumber skin in but weigh it down coz it will float to top. put it in just before you turn light out hope this helps

 

[JoeyWoodall]

Is this to distract the other fish or for the catfish to feed on? Are the shrimp pellets any good?

 

[waggy1]

also blanch it in boilin water for a second or two beforehand . and my plec only really comes out at lights out so dont worry plus he is new to tank and may come out more when he is settled

this is for the cat fish but others many try it but he will love it . its not goin to get eaten quickly . take it out before it goes slimy so i take mine out the following morn

 

[JoeyWoodall]

Yeah I suppose, I have just had a little look in the tank and he is out at the moment in the dark just feelin around with his barbules, I'm guessing he is looking for food, there may be some bloodworm left in and around the gravel, but is there enough? How many would he have to have? And pellets?

 

[waggy1]

never tried the shrimp pellets but i use algae wafers i put them in before turning lights out they are also very good,i do that for 6 nights then have a nights break and then start over again,2 wafers for my tank

you get wafers from any fish shop,try those they are very good.what do you mean is there enough or how many?

if referring to is there enough blood worm and how much should he have,he wont eat alot of it they mostly feed on algae in ur tank,algae flake are good if not alot of algae in the tank and cucumber is another good source of food for them

 

[JoeyWoodall]

Is that 2 wafers a night? I really want my pictus to thrive. I have a planted tank with two pieces of live wood with live plants rooted onto this, one piece also having moss all over it too, and I am going to be creating a cave/crevice for the cat to hide in during the light hours. Will my gouramis and tetras and what not eat these wafers?
Has anybody else had any experience with pellets or anything?
Thanks ever so much Waggy1, you've been a big help

 

[waggy1]

yeah 2 wafers a night i put in mine for 6 nights then a nights break and then restart,i put 2 in as i have 2 algae eaters as well as my plec.if the wafer is still around in the morn i would also take out but mine are always gone.they might have a nibble at it as my mollies do but they wont eat it all before he gets chance.
try the cucumber about 3inch long ,soak it for min in boiling water and weigh it down under ur live wood,either skin or flesh up dosent matter whitch,he will benefit from that,you will tell in the morn if hes had a go at it because it will be grazed.i put cucumber or courgette in for my 3 guys 2/3 times a week.
no worries glad to help

 

[JoeyWoodall]

Waggy1, I just thought I would give you an update on my pictus cat, since last night I noticed him out and about a little bit more since the light goes off, and I now feed my gouramis, congos flake during the day, then defrost a bloodworm block and put some of that in around half an hour after the light has gone off. I noticed tonight that he came straight out and swam at the bloodworm faster then I have ever seen him swim to date, then he turned at the last minute and seemed to be physcing the food out, he is charging towards it then turning at the last minute? Is this normal? Will he eat at some point during the night? I'm just a bit worried about losing him to starvation :\

 

[waggy1]

sorry no reply mate hope he is ok . as to your last message im not to sure why he is doin that . he will b eatin have u tried cucumber skins yet