Pictus Catfish

[tetraqueen]

This fish has never really settled since it came to me.

I am told they are restless anyway.

She? don't know if it is, however it will be if she has eggs, has a white band on her and her tummy looks swollen.

she eats well is active, looks well and except for these signs I am unsure.

I do not know if these fish get pregnant easily or if that would not be possible at home. i.e some need hormones etc.

I also do not know how they carry their offspring..

Anyone any ideas. Thanks

 

[CFC]

Pictus cats dont settle, they are hyperactive fish that rarely stop swimming, especially so when kept singularly. A swollen stomach is a good sign in a catfish, Pimelodus species especially should look like they have swallowed a small marble after feeding time.

It sounds like you have a healthy pictus cat, but i wouldnt bother knitting any little fin warmers yet.

 

[tetraqueen]

OH GREAT I don't mind livebearers having their offspring but I would be like a headless chicken if he/she had any.

Well I never shows ignorance is bliss.

Thanks yet again Hubby can sleep without me jumping into bed at 4 am saying 'he's still not settled!' 'Oh dear looks like shes pregnant '!

You see this forum should charge for advice of this kind.

I am glad he's fine and yes he almost eats a whole cube of bloodworms to himself, I ensure he gets his own and I feed the others on the other side as he eats so quickly....

Thats why if he was ill I am sure he would not eat . I do hope he's a he.

I also hope that he will be fine on his own. Do they need company of their own species?

As always i am not so sure he is right for his tank mates either. I took them in as a neighbour moved away and they were stuck as they did not want to move with a full tank of water.

I have 1 Golden gouramis THE BOSS and nothing knocks her astride.
5 Clown loaches who are as content as always
4 bala sharks who sometimes try and copy the hyperactivity
7 platys. who are new and love the planted side of the tank



As always CFC you've done it again at least I can stop fretting.

Thank you.

 

[CFC]

Pimelodus pictus should really be kept in groups of 3 or more, they dont shoal or school as such but they are a sociable species and do appreciate some of their own kind around.

Bala sharks may get spooked by the pictus at night when they are trying to rest on the bottom but other than that there shouldnt be any problems, just dont expect to find any platy fry with a pictus about.

 

[tetraqueen]

Thats good for me and sad for the platys.

So far he is at one end of the tank and the balas are all over the place they do tend to sleep the opposite end as far as I am aware unless they move when I come down.
He is near the filter side.

They doesn't seem to have been any trouble in the last three weeks.


I really am unsure to get more as tank wise would I have space?

He also is not so peaceful and perhaps I maybe better of giving him a new home or will he settle.

My tank is aprox three times the size they were in before but he uses barely more than one corner and half of that is filled with filter.

 

[tetraqueen]

ARHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Is the Pictus Catfish actually eating my platys? I have lost one everyday over the last three days .

I am really thinking I would have never bought this and maybe he would be better to go.

 

[CFC]

Its very likely that the pictus is eating your platties, they are predatory and will eat any other fish that they can fit into their mouths, if the platties are small and young then they are easy prey.

 

[tetraqueen]

I have now moved them inside with the neons and will return them I think as it so cruel.

Will he eat my Golden Gouamis ? I think the bala sharks and loaches will be okay except getting freaked out .

 

[CFC]

gouramies should be safe, they have a takll profile so they wont fit in the mouth. Rule of thumb with any catfish is if it has long whiskers it eats fish and if its a fish eater then anything under half the size of the cat is fair game.

 

[tetraqueen]

well I may sleep tonight the Gouramis is a lot bigger then half of it but this thing (Sorry I can't get to like it) is driving me round the bend.

I like peaceful sedate fish. Yes I am looking for Ritalin its has ADHD.

Miss my Plec.

Do we feed this thing live bait as he gets older or will blood worms suffice.

Those that gave me him said well you don't kill much off. Lol

Perhaps my next topic should be how can anyone like these things!!!!

 

[CFC]

Pictus cats are lovely cats!! I wish i had a tank i could keep some in again but all my fish would kill or eat them now.

They dont need live foods, bloodworms, frozen krill and catfish pellets are fine (the JMC brand catfish pellets are like a drug to all catfish)

 

[tetraqueen]

They aare all dead except Gouramis at the moment!

 

[CFC]

I just saw the thread in emergencies what happened to make you move the fish into a smaller tank?

Anyway sorry for your losses, i know its like a kick in the teeth.

 

[tetraqueen]

Thanks.

Yes one does feel worse for wear and well if .....

I have the Jewel Rio and the bars that hold the tank together and lid on had given way. Seems a common complaint with Jewel.

A guy said he would fix them by drilling a couple of holes and I thought Balas would not cope with that plus debris in water could be taken a risk

So yesterday I did fret and asked and was told yes they would be okay.

I moved filter media but probably moved dirt but it was also a lot smaller tank.

I tested the water and it was blue which is perfect for nitrite.

I did not test after adding fish.

They were not easy to catch and had jumped about a bit etc and I think when Pictus got active at night or perhaps due to nitriite which when I tested had gone to the lethal pink that I know is no good.

They would have been better in a bucket for a few hours.
If ............

I cannot bring them back and they did have a few years good life with me.

I adored them and may have got along with Pictus when I was reassured he was okay.

They looked fine when I went for an early night to watch Mrs Brown hubby came up later and woke me and said your fish are all dead.

I ran down thinking loaches play that way and was I dreaming but no the Balas were floating and the loaches were all gone.

The only thing that survived was the gouramis which I out in the other tank with
neons and platties.

Its what to do now really.

Looked at a flowerhorns the other day and thought hmmmm okay but hybrid means they are not natural ??/


I liked frontosia before.

I also like the idea of the fish that are like Nemo etc. So that would be marine.

The thing is I am such a novice etc and want a peaceful set up with minimum work.

I like the fish to be like the plec whom I miss more than anything. Thank God he had gone.. even if I had him back it would take ages for the water to have enough algae and be okay...a nd he needs a much bigger tank sooooooooo/

I am still crying over flumpalump the other dying seems to almost sureal.

Still I can't waste tanks can I. I can look around now while I re-establish the set up and know better this time not to get fish that I cannot home for life.

 

[CFC]

Balas, clown loaches and pictus catfish are all very sensative to nitrite and even a small spike is enough to kill them, all 3 have high oxygen dependencies and the nitrite lowers the bloods ability to carry oxygen around the body

If you are looking for a peacefull tank then the flowerhorn is deffinately one to avoid, they are extreemly aggressive fish and have to be kept by themselves as they will most likely kill any tankmates. Frontosa get BIG and will eat smaller fish.

It sounds like the best thing for you would be a little school of Corydoras and a couple of bristlenose plecs with some small peacefull community fish like livebearers small gouramies and tetras, pleanty of activity throughout the tank and no aggression with a low bioload so minimal maintainance.