pictus catfish

[sushi]

hi. I really like pictus cats but I'm not sure how big they get. the ones in the lfs are about 2 or 3". They're quite expensive so want to make sure I can keep it b4 i get one.
do they eat other small fish/are they aggressive (more agressive than bristlenose/red spot/goldens?)
Would I be able to put one in my big tank in other words?

 

[digital_run]

Hi....Pictus cats in the home aquarium will max out around 5-6" and will eat anything that is under 3".....They need to be kept in groups of aleast 3 but the more the better...They are nocturnal carnivores and should be fed accordingly. The 40gal in your sig seems to be quite full already so i wouldnt recommend adding anything else to it.

Heres a link that will give you some further info on them.

DR

Pim Pictus

 

[FrAnK3333]

Is that the stock in your sig? Alot of things are wrong. Clown loaches and tetras are schooling fish, tetras need to be in groups f 6 and clowns groups of 3. Clown loaches get big so if you have plans for a bigger tank keep otherwise take him back. Gold fish are coldwater fish. They get big and are messy. They also give toxins which will kill tropical fish.

 

[Paul_MTS]

i also suspect your red spot plec is a gibbicep and will grow to about 18" out growing your tank.

i think

will eat anything that is under 3"

is a bit of a over statedment. large bodied tetrats such as black widows and red eye's will even be save with them. They haven't got the biggest of mouths.

 

[ger87410]

I hate how everyone freaks out cuz you get a fish that will eventually get really big. Who cares how big it will get years down the line? This is how big it is now and when it gets too big, we'll take it to the lfs. I got 2 common plecos in a 55g. I know they grow to 14"+, but when I got them a year ago, they were only 4" and now they are 5~6". Quit whinning about how big the fish will grow ppl.

 

[Raechal]

Keeping a fish that will grow fairly large in a small tank with stunt its growth and make it unhappy/unhealthy in the long run. And no, I won't quit complaining about it because if we stop complaining who will speak for the poor little fish that is crammed into that 10 gallon?

 

[OohFeeshy]

I agree, the only time you can radically overstock like that in in a dire emergency (disease, tank breaking etc.) or goldies going in a pond when its warmer. They may not be growing yet, but they still produce a lot of waste which doesn't do them any good.

 

[ger87410]

Well of course there's gonna be limits. Like you can't keep a growing fish bigger than 3"+ in a 10g. This is all common sense stuff, I hope. But if the oscar is only 1" when you get it, what's the problem with keeping it in a small tank until it gets to around 3"?

 

[Paul_MTS]

who says they know what size they get to all we do is informing them of what they will face in the future.

if they do know what has been told then there original question is answered anyway and if they don't know then they can take this additional information onboard to plan for the future.

and looking by your sig your going to need a tank upgrade aswell. 75G is the bare minimum for a oscar.

 

[bunjiweb]

I hate how everyone freaks out cuz you get a fish that will eventually get really big. Who cares how big it will get years down the line? This is how big it is now and when it gets too big, we'll take it to the lfs. I got 2 common plecos in a 55g. I know they grow to 14"+, but when I got them a year ago, they were only 4" and now they are 5~6". Quit whinning about how big the fish will grow ppl.

I think your attitude leaves alot to be desired.

 

[andywg]

The first problem is: How do you know when it is too big for any tank?

With the case of pictus, they grow fast. I got mine about 6 months ago and they have gone from around 1.5" to around 4, maybe 4.5".

All too often you hear people say "I'll get rid of it when it's bigger" but unless you have a cast iron guarantee of where it's going why bother getting it only for a short time? What about when that Oscar gets to 3" and you don't want to let him go and think "just a little bigger, then I'll take him back" and then you are into a whole bad area.

My main hate is the idea of fish being just "things". "I'll buy this one and if it gets too big I'll get rid of it and buy another one". Never mind the stress of repeated moving for the fish. That's why I don't think any LFS should carry TSN or RTC except on special order from someone who has the tank to hold them (but I digress).

But hey, maybe you're right and we shouldn't moan about how big the fish gets. Next time someone who doesn't know better buys a 2" RTC for a 40 gallon I'll just say "hey, nice fish" rather than "Wow, I love them, what will you do when it hits 3 feet long?".

 

[digital_run]

is a bit of a over statedment. large bodied tetrats such as black widows and red eye's will even be save with them. They haven't got the biggest of mouths.

I dont think so....Even if you had a larger/thick bodied fish that still didnt get over 3" it would still be a target...Not saying they "can" eat them but they will "try" to eat them....Have you ever seen a Pim try and eat a fish that it cant entirely swallow?...Dangerous for the Pim and the taget well be off alot worse. Best to house them with fish that you know wont be in danger....So let me rephrase its best not to house them with anything under 3".

 

[ger87410]

who says they know what size they get to all we do is informing them of what they will face in the future.

if they do know what has been told then there original question is answered anyway and if they don't know then they can take this additional information onboard to plan for the future.

and looking by your sig your going to need a tank upgrade aswell. 75G is the bare minimum for a oscar.

Who cares how big the oscar will get years down the line? I know how big my oscar is now: 5". I know about how fast mine grows in a year: about 3~4". I got another year or two, about, before I have to get rid of the oscar, so what is the problem? Are you saying he will get to be 13"+ in a few years, so I can't keep him in a tank his size now? Everyone is not just telling ppl what size they will be eventually, they are saying "the fish will get to be 13 inches so you shouldn't keep it." I can get you direct quotes to illustrate this point if you'd like.

Ppl, don't be foolish and get an oscar if you only have a 10g. You would only be able to keep him for a few months. What is wrong with getting an oscar and putting him in a 10g, if you're gonna move him to a bigger tank later on?

You know when it is too big for the tank by when the fish turns facing you, his tail comes close to hitting the back of the tank. Then you give it to a well respected lfs. Also, monitor it's rate of growth.

Please explain why it is unethical (or whatever) to keep an oscar in a 55g until it gets to around 8-10". Also, please explain why you can't keep a pictus cat, that will grow to 6", in a 10g until it grows to 3" then transport it to a tank with it's big brothers/sisters?

I don't know about the rest of you with cichlids, but before I introduce new fish into my cichlid tank (after the old ones are too big and... dinner. j/k) I have to get the fish to atleast 3" otherwise they get eaten. So I have to have a raising tank: a 10g. I even kept an oscar in there for a month or 2 (pauses for the quick intake of breath from everyone) before moving it to a 55g. From what I've been reading here, what I do should not happen. Noone gives any reason why you can't keep a 1" oscar in a 10g. So let's hear the reasons. Why can't you keep a 1" fish in a 10g tank? Just cuz moving is stressfull? As long as you don't move them monthly, what's the problem with moving them?

 

[Paul_MTS]

I'm not sure if there's any point replying to you ger87410 but i got some time....

If your oscar is really growing that slowly then your obviously doing something wrong, oscars are 1 of the fastest growing fish there are. My oscar is now tipping 7" and I only got him around december when when I had just bought my 200g, for about a month he lived in my 90g. I fed him well gave him lots of space and they will grow, even my slower growing sevrums are just about keeping up with him.

oh and looking at your sig again your plecs aren't growing because you have stunted them. All plecs can easily each there given size if you provide the right size tank.

Keeping a oscar in 10g would last 1 month max until you start doing damage to them. If you really do need a growing out tank you should use something bigger aorund 20-30gallons. Big species can't do much growing in 10g's thats why fish don't grow to much whilst at the shop and then you take them home and put them in a stupid litle tank again.

if i like a big fish and do want to keep it for a while I might do but quite often i will restrain myself from getting it, currently I have 1 fish that I won't beable to look after for life which is my TSN, he's growing at a alarming rate for 1-2" every 2 weeks, I already have a home lined up for him though and he's going to be moving in the coming weeks/month. He's 11" at the moment and needless to say in my 200g and i could quite easily keep him untiul he was about 20" if needed.

After all whos going to want an oscar when it's huge, lost it's colour and missing there original owner(not sure in your case though). You don't go about buying lovable dog and then when the bills get too much to just pass it on, it's the same with big fish as they get attached.

I dont think so....Even if you had a larger/thick bodied fish that still didnt get over 3" it would still be a target...Not saying they "can" eat them but they will "try" to eat them....Have you ever seen a Pim try and eat a fish that it cant entirely swallow?...Dangerous for the Pim and the taget well be off alot worse. Best to house them with fish that you know wont be in danger....So let me rephrase its best not to house them with anything under 3". smile.gif

Fair enough best to be safe than sorry!

 

[ger87410]

U say the result is stunted growth, but you don't say how or why.

I have gotten my oscar to grow at a rate of 3" a month, if I fed it several times a day. Now I just feed him as much as he'll eat in 2 minutes twice a day. He's currently around 5". Are you saying that a 5" fish that is still growing in a 55g will result in stunted growth? Are you also saying that a 3" pleco in a 55g results in the same? Do you have anything besides your word to go on? Perhaps studies?