Pictus Cat, hunter?

[Melody]

I thought My Pictus Cat was a scavenger... Now hes beginning to make me wonder... he has grown almost 3 inches in 2 months, and now he has a chip on his shoulder...or would it be his fin??? If ANYONE comes close to his den he comes out and bumps them. I cant tell if he is biting or not...I HAD guppies in there for the feeder babies and they had been doing fine when one morning ALL of them were gone. I couldnt figure out where they had gone. Then one of my sword tails went MIA.... I figured something was eating them as they are pretty passive fish for a semi-aggressive tank... (I was uneducated when buying my fish and mixed...live and learn) Before the CatFIsh everyone more or less kept to them selves, I had no problems and no missing fish. After he picked up some size was when I started loosing fish... I was under the impression that they were scavengers.... Just last night I noticed something floating in his den... I checked it out and it was a carcass of something... I did a quick head count and one of my chinese Alge eaters were missing... at least after not being able to find him in the plants i figured he was missing. I grabbed the net to scoop out the remains and the pictus cat gulped up the remains... He is one of my fav's and I dont want to have to get rid of him, but No bully fish in my tank... He has already outgrown the size the LFS said he would get, so maybe I dont even have a Pictus... I dont know... Sorry to ramble anyone have any insight? BTW, except my last sword tail I have no other "small" fish... all 2 inches or larger. also my sword tail is my last community fish... Thanks!!

 

[krap101]

i think their piscavores. but most people say their omnivores. i read it in a book somewhere. i think anything that can fit in its mouth it'll eat it. but im not sure it would eat full sized guppies/swordtails?

 

[Fruitbat]

Pimelodella pictus, like most catfish, is an opportunist and will eagerly make a meal of a fish that is small enough for it to swallow (and considering the size of their mouth...that can be a pretty big fish)! Guppies and swordtails will be mere snacks for a fully grown pictus.

 

[Devilishturtles]

I agree. My two pictus, while never eating anything in my tank besides my Ghost Shrimp, guard their log. No one comes near it or swims through it. They even pushed out my pleco to another, much smaller log.

Good Luck!

 

[cdawson]

Pictus cats are highly predatory, so don't expect to keep any small fish with it. They should be kept in schools in a large tank with large cichlids.

 

[tropicalman]

Your pim is acting just the way I would expect. If someone led you to believe that they don't eat small fish, they were not correct. They do get about 5 inches or so IME. They also like to be kept in small groups if you have the room. They won't bother larger tankmates at all as a rule. Add some driftwood and plants and they'll be happy.

 

[Melody]

Add some driftwood and plants and they'll be happy.

Hes gots LOTS of dens... which he chose the SMALLEST one... he barely fits. but I have lots of plants and rocks and wood. His current den is constructed of 3 rocks, some drift wood and a Java Fern holding ti all together, quite nice... Hes happy and most certinatly healthy, with all the fresh food hes been getting... grrrrr

 

[Menagerie]

Sorry to hear about the loss of the other fish. A great rule of thumb for any aquarium is don't buy fish that can fit current resident fish in its mouth, or fish that fit in the mouth of a current fish

 

[Melody]

Sorry to hear about the loss of the other fish. A great rule of thumb for any aquarium is don't buy fish that can fit current resident fish in its mouth, or fish that fit in the mouth of a current fish

I have followed that rule from the word go... he was about 2 inches when I got him, and hes about 5 inches now, in just a couple of months, I really wasnt anticapating on him growing so fast, I wasnt to concerned aobut the guppies, they were surivors from a feeder batch that I had and happened to be a male & female... then the sword tail and now the alge eater... I onl have one more sword tail for him which I may move now... everyone else is pretty good size.

 

[cdawson]

Not only will pictus cats eat anything that fits into their mouths they'll go after and kill fish that are half their size. Pretty much anything smaller than the pictus cat is going to be eaten.

 

[Madame_X]

According to some of the books I have and reinforced by Live Aquaria, a pictus cat can get up to 10" long.

I wanted one for my 29 gallon tank but when I read this, I opted not to.

He may never get fully grown in a home aquarium, but he could potentially get a lot bigger than 5".

 

[Melody]

ug.... uhhhhh guys??? Im not sure I want this fish. I would suspect that my sword tail would be the next to go, If anything happens to him, I will have a FREE Pictus Cat to anyone that wants him. He is truely beautiful, color is great, nice spots, almost iredesent, (almost) he has GREAT "wiskers", they are very long. Hes about 5 inches right now. I would hate to get rid of him, he is one of my fav's. I just dont think I could swing another tank right now. We'll see how my sword tail manages. I love all the info I have received. Thanks everyone!!!