Pictus and other fish?

[NinjaSmurf]

Hi. I got a pictus about a week ago and while it has ich at the moment, (which I'm taking care of) I was wondering what kind of fish I could get for the tank later. The tank is a 30 gallon with a power filter and has the pictus, about five feeder guppies and four fancy guppies with some guppy fry in a side breeder net. I was thinking about maybe getting some leopard cories because I read they get about 2 1/2 inches long, which I think will be big enough for the pictus not to eat when full grown (it's only about three inches now) I also saw a weather loach but wasn't sure about what they're like or how big they get. I also saw some kind of fish that reminds me of a flounder only it was small and was hanging on the side of the tank at the fish store. I was also wondering if getting cories would make the tank too crowded and who would grow faster, the pictus or the cories? So far the pictus hasn't even bothered the feeder guppies, it's pretty happy just chasing flakes. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[CFC]

IMO you should get 2 more pictus cats, they do better in groups than when kept alone. At some point soon those guppies are going to dissapear, all pimeloid catfishes are predators and never turn down live fish, also they cannot survive on flakes alone and will need some kind of meaty food in their diet, bloodworms and catfish pellets for carnivorous catfish are recomended. Weather loaches (sometimes known as dojo loaches i believe) are really a coldwater species and shouldnt really be kept in tropical tanks. The flounder you saw was probably exactly what you thought it was, unfortunately these are really brackish fish and cannot survive long in freshwater.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

Thanks for the advice. I have the guppies in there in the hopes that the pictus will eat them but so far he hasn't even bothered them in the slightest. In fact they just hang around together in the tank. I've tried to feed him pellets but he doesn't seem to want to eat them. The guppies are small enough to fit in his mouth but he doesn't even chase them. Should I stop giving him flakes until he eats the guppies or pellets? When I first got him he wouln't eat anything for about four days, then he started eating the flakes, then he got ich which seems to have almost disappeared. I heard you can keep pictus alone too, which was why I only got one. I did kind of hope I would be able to get cories though.

 

[digital_run]

Its not that you cant keep them alone...but in groups they really coem out more and you see more of the real pictus...let me tell you...my five are great to watch and never stop swimmin around lookin for food...they are much more active at night ( best time to feed ). Plus when you've got people on this froum like CFC ..you cant really go wrong ...Good luck..

 

[Crookster]

Your feeding your pictus guppys!

I'm not a hippy or anything, but that's a bit cruel!

how would you like it someone locked you in a cage with a hungry lion?

Why don't you just get some frozen blood worm?

 

[NinjaSmurf]

Okay, now my pictus seems pretty okay by himself, he swims around constantly looking for food and it's even learning to beg when I walk by the tank. And yes, I did get guppies to feed my pictus because they multiply all by themselves and I don't have to constantly go and buy food for the pictus that it might not even eat. Speaking of which, he doesn't eat the guppies, I swear he treats them like his own pets. So now I have guppies he won't eat and CFC said the pictus couldn't live on flakes forever which is all he seems to want to eat. And even if I wanted too I couldn't buy any frozen bloodworms or anything else becasue no one in my dinky town sells that stuff. I have two fish stores around me and one sells nothing but community fish and the other doesn't know what they're doing. So do I need more pictus or should I just wait till mine chokes on the flakes or something? Cause I'd hate to spend almost twenty dollars for three more pictus only to have them die because they eat flakes instead of the freakin guppies.

 

[Fish Buddy]

I have a pictus all alone- the only point to having more is to get his natural bahavoiur displayed- they can become shy when they have no friends...
I feed mine flakes and 'meaty' pellets and he is living fine : ) but live or flozen foods are better because they have more flavour and nutrients for the fish.

(not all my fish are listed)

To answer your question about getting fish, I recommend the leopard cories because they are from South America just like the pictus... (biotope idea...)

 

[NinjaSmurf]

Fish Buddy, you put my mind to ease. I really wanted to get cories but if I got another pictus it would have been from the one crazy lfs and their pictus tried to kill all the cories in their tank. If mine doesn't bother the guppies I don't think he'll bother the cories. Maybe I'll see if I can find a website that sells frozen food or something until he figures out that he can eat the guppies. Thanks so much for your help.

 

[Bomag]

now then your pictus would def be better with @ least two more pictus to keep him company and bring him self out . i tend to think they are like clown loaches get one and they are ok but get a group and they are like a comedy show.
he will eat pellets when he gets hungry enough it will just be a waiting game ...
on the side one of my pictus got a cory in his mouth to eat and they were fairly big ones like they have said to you they are more active @ night for sure and if you wait long enough your guppys will go!!! good luck

 

[NinjaSmurf]

Well, an awesome lady at the fish store gave me a free bag of catfish pellets that were a little past their expiration date, but the pictus just gave a half hearted nibble and swam off. However, (and I'm sorry for all those who don't like this but it's life) two of my feeder guppies have disappeared at a rate of one a night. So i think i'm safely past the starving pictus stage of my aquarium. I bought two cories but I haven't figured out what kind they are yet. Going to get more when my wallet says I can. Maybe more pictus, I don't know yet. Thanks for all your help