Just got a 29g tank w/ Pictus catfish

[SpOOnEPhAtChDC5]

My wife just bought me a fish tank for my birthday...all setup and everything with some help from her friends....there are 4 Pictus catfish in the tank right now its been 4 days...what should i do Should i leave them in there ??? are they good fish to start off with ??? She did put the fish after she filled up the tank...im not upset with her im mad with the people that sold it to her....suggestions

 

[bluefire]

i don't know anything about pictus cats, but i do know that you need to cycle the tank now. also you will need to buy some test kits to monitor the water parameters which is vital to keep the fish alive during cycling. although i am nowhere near an expert so i think that you should get som other opinions

 

[CFC]

Pictus cats are not a good fish to start a tank off with, all members of the Pimelodidae family are intollerent of nitrogen pollution and will quickly fall ill and die if exposed to ammonia and nitrite for extended periods. The best thing you could do is return the pictus cats back to the store where they were purchased and either buy some small hardy fish such as danios to cycle the tank or do a fishless cycle using ammonia to start the tank. Catfish from the Pimelodidae family should not be added until the tank has been set up for at least 6 months.

If you cannot return the pictus cats you will have to attempt to keep them alive with daily and maybe twice daily partial water changes (10-20%) until the ammonia and nitrite levels have subsided and the nitrates are rising steadily, do not feed the fish during the cycle as this will just cause the cycle to run out of control, fish excrete ammonia just by breathing. You will need to purchase a test kit with individual tests for AMMONIA, NITRITE and NITRATE to moniter these levels so you know where in the cycle you are.

 

[SpOOnEPhAtChDC5]

If they live when should i start feeding them ?

 

[G_Sharky]

I wouldn't worry what to feed them yet, the best thing for you to do is to return those fish and get a hardy fish to cycle your tank like some platys and danios....Try to talk to the manager of the LFS to maybe hold the fish for you until you tank cycles... Trust me I made a mistake of buying a pictus cat when i first started in this hobby and It died..... They are not a rare species so if they won't hold it for you i'm sure you got them them some other time....goodluck..

 

[SpOOnEPhAtChDC5]

Thanks for your help guys...i took them back to the store and the exchange them for some danios...im going to wait a month before i add some more fish Thanks for the help...i'll keep you updated with the progress..

 

[Discomafia]

cycling your tank might take more than that... Wait til Ammonia and Nitrites are 0. Then slowly add in fish and stock up over a month or two...