Catfish

[MJ75]

I like pictus. I just don't like to see them or any other shoaling fish kept alone. It's unethical.

[Aaron4321]

Well i said that in my other thread about my Pictus that died and Graylord said

'Aaron you may simply have been sold a dodgy fish ,they are not that bothered in a closed environment whether they are kept singly or in groups.

The shoaling protective instinct goes out of the window in the safety of an aquarium ,quite often naturally shoaling fish start to bicker when they don`t need safety in numbers.'

Unless i am reading that wrong, correct me if i am, would one be not alright?

[MJ75]

Originally Posted by Aaron4321

Well i said that in my other thread about my Pictus that died and Graylord said

'Aaron you may simply have been sold a dodgy fish ,they are not that bothered in a closed environment whether they are kept singly or in groups.

The shoaling protective instinct goes out of the window in the safety of an aquarium ,quite often naturally shoaling fish start to bicker when they don`t need safety in numbers.'

Unless i am reading that wrong, correct me if i am, would one be not alright?

I think you need to read the entire thread. Graylord is I believe a troll. Posting dubious advice in order to get a rise. Take a long hard look at his posts in the fish forum. Go back a few weeks at least. He has a few very unusual ideas, he believes he kept a piranha for a year which only fed twice, yet didn't lose any weight??? His thought on tank sizes are unusual also. He'll probably reply explaining that he's kept fish since god were a lad and that everyone else only knows what they've read in books and online and insinuate that they have never kept fish themselves etc.

I suggest you join other forums frquented by experienced fish keepers such as SVAS, Seriouslyfish.com and TFF etc. Ask the same question and see what kind of replies you get. Pictus do better in groups. They also need a fair amount of floor space as they are very active fish.

Many species will shoal naturally in the aquarium. If fish are bickering the chances are they are being kept in a tank that is too small for them. Try and see things fro the fishes point of view and what is best for it rather than what is most convenient for you.

[Aaron4321]

So a minimum of 3 then?

What tank size will 3 of these need when full grown?

[Cleopatra the Royal]

Corydoras, Ottocinclus affinis, Hoplos, and my bristlenose seemed to be out a lot in the day when I still had them.


Harry

[Cleopatra the Royal]

Originally Posted by MJ75

I think you need to read the entire thread. Graylord is I believe a troll. Posting dubious advice in order to get a rise. Take a long hard look at his posts in the fish forum. Go back a few weeks at least. He has a few very unusual ideas, he believes he kept a piranha for a year which only fed twice, yet didn't lose any weight??? His thought on tank sizes are unusual also. He'll probably reply explaining that he's kept fish since god were a lad and that everyone else only knows what they've read in books and online and insinuate that they have never kept fish themselves etc.

I suggest you join other forums frquented by experienced fish keepers such as SVAS, Seriouslyfish.com and TFF etc. Ask the same question and see what kind of replies you get. Pictus do better in groups. They also need a fair amount of floor space as they are very active fish.

Many species will shoal naturally in the aquarium. If fish are bickering the chances are they are being kept in a tank that is too small for them. Try and see things fro the fishes point of view and what is best for it rather than what is most convenient for you.

Agreed.

6 is a good number but four should do fine.


Harry

[renton]

Originally Posted by Aaron4321

So a minimum of 3 then?

What tank size will 4-6 of these need when full grown?

That'll open a bag of worms.
Depends what rule you go by but 6 active catfish a foot long will need alot of room. Your looking into the 200gal+ with the footprint being the main focus rather than height.

You'll also need some serious filtration going on there as they are not exactly a "clean" fish. Fluval fx5 maybe more.

PS. By "claen" i mean the bio load.

[MJ75]

Originally Posted by Aaron4321

So a minimum of 3 then?

What tank size will 3 of these need when full grown?

Yes, though a couple or three more won't hurt.


Renton - I think you've got the wrong species. Pictus refferes to a few cats but the poster is reffering to Pimlodellus pictus that grow much smaller than the cats you're reffering to. A minimum of a 3' tank. Larger if there is little open floor space.

[renton]

Originally Posted by MJ75

Renton - I think you've got the wrong species. Pictus refferes to a few cats but the poster is reffering to Pimlodellus pictus that grow much smaller than the cats you're reffering to. A minimum of a 3' tank. Larger if there is little open floor space.

Sorry my bad.
Im on the same page now-Small silver cat with black spots.

I really shouldnt post on a sunday morning.

[mariekni]

we have a few pims pictus and they are such great little characters to watch. so active and funny