Pictus Cats

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SomethingFishy

Large Fish
#1
Nov 5, 2002
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Auburn, CA
#1
I recently looked through the Freshwater Fish Profiles and noticed this fish.

I have seen it at the LFS before but always thought it would get too big. The profile said 4 - 6 inches???

Has anyone had any experience with this fish. How many can be kept in a 29 gal. (see other inhabitants below) Aggressive??, water quality?? Food???

Any stories and/or knowledge shared would be appreciated.

(29 gal has . . . 4 Bronze Corys, 10 Tiger Barbs, 3 small Platys and 1 ADF)

*celebrate
 

FroggyFox

FroggyFox

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#2
May 16, 2003
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Colorado
#2
VERY cool fish, I want one! I think they'll eat smaller fish as they get larger, semi-aggressive...our profiles say they get 4-6 inches, but the petsmart profiles say they get up to 10 inches...but none of us have ever seen one that big (I think.) we've had a few discussions about them here :) (You might try using the search button up there to see if you can dig any of them up.)

I wouldn't keep more than one...and I'm not sure I would trust it with your adf...and it would probably overstock the tank as you have it since it looks like your tank is pretty well stocked right now (IMO)
 

Leopardess

Leopardess

Superstar Fish
#3
May 3, 2003
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Most max out at about 5-6". Wild ones can supposedly be 10". I would not keep more than one in a 29g - they are territorial and need their space, plus I've heard that they often do not get along with their own kind.

I've also heard not to keep them with cories since the pictus cats are territorial and semi-aggressive to aggressive. They don't like the spastic little cories swimming around in their area. Prehaps if the tank were larger, but a 29g doesn't give too much ground space.

They eat anything that fits in their mouth. Small fish cannot be kept with them. Even some cories would be questionable. I bet it might try to snack on the small platies and the ADF might not last long with one.

Over all, I wouldn't suggest one for your current tank.
 

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Managuense

Managuense

Superstar Fish
#4
May 16, 2003
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Springfield, MO
#4
and, just like with many fish including clown loaches, they are particularly good at getting ich. :mad:

if you have, say, a DREAM tank that is in perfect order, you may reconsider before adding one of these guys to your tank (especially if your LFS is notorious for ich outbreaks like many of mine are) ......at least without quarantining them in a separate tank for a week or so first.
 

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ashleigh

Superstar Fish
#7
Jan 8, 2004
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#7
We had one in our twenty gallon family tank when I was little (really little, like five). They are neat fish, but as everyone has said very territorial. But, on a good note, It did live for about ten years, so maybe not all of them are so prone to ich. I'm obviously no expert though.
 

Angelfish

Angelfish

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#8
Apr 14, 2003
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#8
If you take out the ADF from your tank and your barbs and cories are of a decent size I think you might be okay to add a pictus. (How small are your platies?)

I have a 6" pictus, it took him about a year to get that big and I have never seen a larger one, so Im guessing thats as big as they're gonna get.

I feed mine shrimp pellets :)

On ich - from my own and others experiences, usually if your pictus is gonna get ich it will happen right away.
 

ScubaSteve

ScubaSteve

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#11
May 11, 2003
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#11
Is there any concern for the Tiger Barbs ?????


I think a semi-aggressive tank with Tigers and Pictus Cats would look really cool....

Has anyone watched a Pictus Cat hunt? Do they go after little fish that venture off from the rest of the school???
 

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