Silly pictus cats?

[angelsweetea]

I have a 36g bow front..just plants and 2 pictus catfish..recently the one cat has been chilling in one corner and the other is constantly shimming up the other back corner. They still eat like little pigs but feeding time is the only time they swim around anymore..what could be causing this? The water is fine..they have plenty of hiding spots. Not breathing heavy or showing any signs of disease. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated I want these guys to be happy fishies!!

 

[siva]

Hello and welcome to AA!

First of all, I don't think a 36 bowfront is large enough for two pictus cats. A tank with a larger footprint such as a 55 would be a more suitable home for them.

Is this a brand new tank?

Any time your fish start acting different than usual, it's best to test the water parameters. Do you have a master test kit? If so, what are your readings for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate?

 

[Luananeko]

I've read that pictus cats prefer groups of 3 or more as well, as they tend to be social critters. It could be that only having two of them is throwing off their social hierarchy. The smaller tank could also be impacting their activity level as well. The ideal solution would be to upgrade to a 55 gallon or so and add at least one more pictus cat.

 

[angelsweetea]

As I stated the water is fine..aka I testeded it and the levels are a ok. The tank has been set up for 8 months with plants and I added the cats aproximately 2 weeks ago. And not to be rude but why does everyone go for the "your tanks not big enough" excuse? 2 pictus full grown will be aproximately 12 inches which fits within the 1 inch of fish per gallon.

 

[DragonFish71]

Mine do the same thing and they've been together for 3 years. One chills, one swims his fins off in his favorite corner. At night, when the lights go off is when they go spaztastic. Both zip around the entire tank.

A 36 bow front is just barely right for them though. They average around 4 inches. Just make sure you keep their water clean. They are very susceptible to disease when the water quality is bad and they don't do well with meds if they do get something.

 

[Sharkbait54]

Mine do the same thing and they've been together for 3 years. One chills, one swims his fins off in his favorite corner. At night, when the lights go off is when they go spaztastic. Both zip around the entire tank.

A 36 bow front is just barely right for them though. They average around 4 inches. Just make sure you keep their water clean. They are very susceptible to disease when the water quality is bad and they don't do well with meds if they do get something.

Same here I have 3 in 125g and one does that alot.

 

[siva]

LIke most catfish, pictus do prefer to be in groups but keeping 2 is OK.

I didn't go for a "tank's not big enough excuse". I simply let you know your tank is improperly stocked. Whether it has anything to do with this issue or not.

If "fine" and "ok" mean nitrites 0, ammo 0, and nitrates 20ppm or less, than water parameters must not be the issue. Fine and ok mean different things to different folks. Some don't realize .5 nitrite in the tank isn't fine, for example.

1" of fish per gallon is not a stocking guideline most experienced hobbyists would follow. Your situation is a perfect example as to why. 6" catfish do not belong in a 36 gallon tank. If you look simply at fish that are appropriate for your tank size, and stock 36" worth of those type of fish, now that wouldn't be so bad, but when you're talking about a species that doesn't belong in that size tank to begin with, 1" per gallon is completely useless.

My goal was to assist and educate if possible, but if you're going to cop an attitude about it I don't see how I can.

 

[Luananeko]

As I stated the water is fine..aka I testeded it and the levels are a ok. The tank has been set up for 8 months with plants and I added the cats aproximately 2 weeks ago. And not to be rude but why does everyone go for the "your tanks not big enough" excuse? 2 pictus full grown will be aproximately 12 inches which fits within the 1 inch of fish per gallon.

Pictus unfortunately do not fall under the 1" per gallon because they have the long barbels to keep space for as they swim around. They need to be able to turn around completely without having their barbels touch the walls. If they don't have that space, they tend to be pretty stationary. That's the only reason most folks will recommend they be kept in a 50 gallon tank minimum.

 

[angelsweetea]

I am sorry I don't like getting elitest attitudes along with advice. Thank you for those of you who replied. I think that it probably is because thier is just two of them but they are very young and because of the tank size and the fact that they get territorial/agressive towards one another as they grow/age I can only keep two. I will try giving them some darkness tonight..they are in my computer room which gets used alot at night when their lights are off.

 

[Luananeko]

I am sorry I don't like getting elitest attitudes along with advice. Thank you for those of you who replied. I think that it probably is because thier is just two of them but they are very young and because of the tank size and the fact that they get territorial/agressive towards one another as they grow/age I can only keep two. I will try giving them some darkness tonight..they are in my computer room which gets used alot at night when their lights are off.

Sorry if we came off at elitist, as that was not the intent. You asked for help, so we told you what we thought was the cause...

As for the territorial/aggression towards their own kind bit, I'm curious where did you hear that? Everywhere I've read has said that they are very social fish and recommends they be kept in groups of 3 or more...