Sick Fish or just a weirdo?

[Dsudnick]

I have a Pictus Catfish that keeps on swimming along the left side of the glass in a small circle. It seems like he hasn’t stopped over the past couple weeks since I got him.

I’ve tried to move him to the other side of the tank and he swims away fine but then goes back to the left side of the tank and continues to swim in a small circle.

Tank is cycled:

Ammonia and Nitrite both at 0

What’s going on!!?

[Dsudnick]

The fish eats fine too!

[Andy Sager]

Pictus cats are usually schooling fish so being alone may be the problem. He may be seeing a reflection and trying to get to it. Pictus are also generally very active fish so it's activity shouldn't alarm you. I would add 2 or 3 more if your tank size allows for it to help settle him down.

[Dsudnick]

Originally Posted by Andy Sager

Pictus cats are usually schooling fish so being alone may be the problem. He may be seeing a reflection and trying to get to it. Pictus are also generally very active fish so it's activity shouldn't alarm you. I would add 2 or 3 more if your tank size allows for it to help settle him down.

I have a 55 gallon tank with an beta, 2 angel fish, 7 tetras, a pleco and the pictus. You think I could add one more?

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Dsudnick

I have a 55 gallon tank with an beta, 2 angel fish, 7 tetras, a pleco and the pictus. You think I could add one more?

Yes, but I would consider 2 more. ( I know there is a lot of info on the internet about keeping them alone but you can see a large difference in behavior when the school is larger. ) Keep in mind that as these fish grow ( they get to about 4"-5"), they will need more space for swimming.