Pictus catfish

[bsuball41]

Complete newb here...water temp is steady at 75 F, pH is sitting at around 6.8, water conditioner added; I think I'm ready for my catfish.

My question is for any pictus owners out there...what kind of feeding methods have you had success with, and do you have any experiences I can learn from? Also I read somewhere that you're not supposed to net these catfish...how else can I move him if the need arises?

I just don't want to kill my first fish...

 

[Terry]

Your temp is spot on, and your ph is ok for this catfish. The "pictus cat" Pimelodus Pictus is the most popular member of the pimelodidae family and grows to about 4-5 inches, and is well recommended for a medium /large fish community. If your fish are neon tetra sized fish then these fish would be a no no as they will get picked off one by one when the pictus goes on his night-time cruises.
They do say that you can keep this fish alone, by through experiance i find they do better if they are in groups. They will eat anything that hits the bottom of your tank but feeding them granuals, Pellets, frozen bloodworm, cockles etc will be fine. Even though these are a bottom dwelling catfish they will search the water surfice for food as well. I have had them with cichlids in the past and they used to feed everywhere, with there long barbels they can find food anywhere. You are right about useing a net with this fish as his pectoral and dorsal fins have a serrated edge and can get court up in the net. I always us a plastic bowl to catch the pictus cats.

HTH

 

[bsuball41]

Thanks very much for your help - greatly appreciated. My pictus appears to be happy...he's extremely active (EXTREMELY...spends most of his day tearing around the tank at a high rate of speed) as the sole member of his tank, and I hope to get him a couple other pictus friends in a week or so.

 

[Terry]

Enjoy your pictus, they are a great fish to watch and are contantly on the go. He will love the company of others.

Glad to be of some help.

 

[Allivymar]

Hiya bsuball and welcome to Aquariumadvice

Just out of curiosity, was your tank cycled prior to adding your pictus? Or is the tank cycling right now? I'm guessing the tank was not cycled (I'm talking the nitrogen cycle here); if so, you will have to keep a VERY close eye on your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) for your fish to remain happy n healthy. I strongly suggest you read thru this site; it explains what the cycle is and how important it is to understand it: http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html . If you haven't picked up test kits, go get them ASAP. The liquid/vial tests are more accurate and overall much better then the dipstick type; I use Aquarium Pharmaceuticals saltwater/freshwater brand (in a bright yellow box).

Also, if you are going to be getting more buddies for him, I strongly suggest investing in a QT tank. One never knows whats floating around the tanks at the lfs, and you certainly don't want the first guy to get sick if the new ones wind up carrying some disease. Better to QT them for a couple of weeks to be sure; also its easier to medicate in a QT if it becomes necessary, as then you won't mess up the nitrifying bacteria colonies that have been working so hard to get established (meds will usually muck them up).

Lastly (for now LOL) what size tank is it?

 

[bsuball41]

The tank just started its cycle. I'm keeping a close eye on all the levels...Nitrate is at about 4ppm, Nitrite is at 0, so they're not on the map yet.

My pH, which was at about 6.9 three days ago, has creeped up to about 7.7...I would assume that this is because my water is apparently very soft (25 GH according to the test strip I bought today...didn't see your message re: the vials before I bought it). Alkalinity (KH) is about 130 ppm so I'm all right there. I'm hoping that once I bring the water up to 100 GH or so, the pH level will stay down in the 6.9-7.0 range

All this pH Down and the water hardener I'm going to get won't harm my pictus, will it?

I only have a 10 gal, so I'll only have room for my current pictus and one other pictus.

Thanks for your time!