Pictus Catfish and Angelfish?

[adrianne679]

Hi all, this is my first post so please bear with me here. I have a 60gal tank with plenty of hiding spots and artificial plants. I have two pictus catfish and a mixture of mollies, platys, and tetras. After a lengthy discussion with a pet store employee, I decided to add two Angelfish to the tank. The Pictus cats were very active before we added the Angels, but now they're hiding pretty much all the time. The Angels haven't shown any aggression at all towards any of the other fish and seem to be doing well. None of them appear stressed. What I'm trying to figure out is if the Pictus cats are "afraid" and hiding and is there anything I can do to help them come back out to play like they did before. Thanks (in advance) for all the input!

 

[Colin_T]

... After a lengthy discussion with a pet store employee, I decided to add two Angelfish to the tank.

How long has the tank been set up for? If it is a newly set up tank I would have concerns about adding any catfish or angelfish.

Have you had the tank water tested for pH, ammonia, nitrite & nitrate? If yes do you remember what the results were?

Which leads me to my second question, what was the lengthy discussion about? Was the shop assistant telling you not to add angelfish, or something else?
Sorry if that sounds a bit rude but when I was working in a petshop we would sometimes get customers that wanted certain fish and we would say no but the customer wanted them and we had lengthy discussions about the fish. Some customers accepted our information but others would ignore what we said and take the fish anyway, only to lose them shortly after.

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Pictus are naturally nocturnal and prefer to hide during the day and come out at night. Poor water quality will also cause fish to become stressed and hide more too. You can try offering some frozen bloodworms and see if the Pictus come out. If they don't there is something wrong.

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Do you have a light on the tank? If yes, you could try growing some Water Sprite (Ceratopteris species). It is a floating plant but can also be planted in the gravel and does really well under most conditioners. No plant fertiliser or anything needed, altho it does even better if given some
Live plants can be beneficial to fishes, especially bottom dwelling fishes like catfish. It provides shade and makes them feel more comfortable. Floating plants also provide cover and gives the fish a sense of security because aerial predators (birds) can't see them as easily under the plants. Not that there are birds hanging above your tank but fish don't understand that. They just feel better when there are some floating plants.

 

[adrianne679]

We've had it set up for close to six months now. When I talked to the employee, I asked if the two species would be OK to place in the same tank. I described my set-up and what other fish were in it. I wouldn't have gotten the Angels if she had said that they wouldn't get along. To me, it's just cruel to ignore that kind of advice. I certainly wanted the Angels, but would have gotten something different if she felt like they wouldn't be able to cohabitate.

I feed them sinking shrimp pellets and they usually still come out eat those, and I'm keeping an eye on them to watch for any signs of stress. I feed them in the morning when I turn on their lights for the day. They've all gotten accustomed to that schedule and gather at the top to feed at that time.

I do have LED lights on the tank, and they are turned off in the evening, to hopefully simulate a natural daytime/nighttime environment. I will definitely look into growing some water sprite. I've never heard of it before, so thanks for the recommendation.

Thanks again for your input and advice.

 

[Colin_T]

ok, 6 months is fine and gotcha on the lengthy discussion

re: lighting. If you open the curtains or turn the room light on in the morning, then wait 30-60minute before turning the tank light on it will reduce the stress on the fish. They don't have eyelids and if you turn bright tank lights on when the tank is dark or in a dark room, it can upset them. It's a bit like someone shining a torch in your eyes at night.
Same deal at night but the other way round. Turn the room light on, then turn the tank light off. Wait 30minutes or more and then turn the room light off. This allows the fish to settle down before it gets completely dark.

Some LED lights have a dimmer switch and that can be used instead. Just slowly dim the lights over an hour or so at night before turning them off. And in the morning the dim light won't stress them as they wake up. Then you can brighten the light after they have woken up.

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF.

You were given absolutely terrible advice from that store. As others have mentioned, fish store advice must always be checked before being accepted; unfortunately there is no prerequisite for staff to learn about fish; some stores are better than others, but until you know thee qualifications it is best to check everything before accepting. Online resources (reliable ones) and this forum are the places to do this research.

What you describe is not likely the result of the angelfish themselves, but other problems. I will explain.

First, that tank is not large enough for pictus catfish. This fish, Pimelodus pictus, attains close to five inches (12 cm). It is a shoaling species, meaning that it should have a group. A single individual may manage, but will not be in the best of health; two, three or even four will not be happy. A group of six (or more) is best for the fish. Obviously this means a much larger tank. This is a predatory fish that will tend to eat anything it can swallow. And it is nocturnal so active at night. More data here:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/pimelodus-pictus/

The last issue makes it unsuitable for sedate fish like angelfish, so this is not a good combination.

Angelfish are also shoaling fish, so a group of five or more. They also get large, 6 inches length with a vertical fin span of 8 inches. This needs a much larger tank. Two, three or four will usually end in disaster, depending upon the individual fish's temperament and gender. Males will without question fight to the death of one of them. A male/female pair might work, but angelfish must select their mates to live peaceably in the same tank. More data here:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/pterophyllum-scalare/

Both the above species are not really advisable in a 60 gallon tank.

Briefly on the mollies, platies and tetras...water parameters may be an issue here, as these fish have very differing needs when it comes primarily to hardness and pH. Do you know the GH and pH of your source water?