Pimelodus pictus

[AquaBarb]

Hi TFF,

Anyone ever done Pictus catfish with peaceful barbs?

 

[Utar]

I looked up Pictus catfish, it is peaceful. I don't see why not if the tank is large enough and the species have similar water temp etc needs. I read the Pictus catfish gets up to 5 inches so a minimum of 55 gallons for them.

 

[AquaBarb]

I looked up Pictus catfish, it is peaceful. I don't see why not if the tank is large enough and the species have similar water temp etc needs. I read the Pictus catfish gets up to 5 inches so a minimum of 55 gallons for them.

It would be a 55g for starters then on to a much larger tank. Not sure on when to get some as yet but im missing some activity at this level of the tank.

 

[CassCats]

The pictus should work well, or could try out either hoplosternum punctatum catfish or porthole catfish (dianema longibarbis).
Both nice active fish and very peaceful. The hoplo species would do better with the barbs though as can do the cooler temperature, I believe dianema needs warmer a bit.

I keep my hoplosternum punctatum with cherry barbs and melon barbs and its a good very active combo

 

[AquaBarb]

The pictus should work well, or could try out either hoplosternum punctatum catfish or porthole catfish (dianema longibarbis).
Both nice active fish and very peaceful. The hoplo species would do better with the barbs though as can do the cooler temperature, I believe dianema needs warmer a bit.

I keep my hoplosternum punctatum with cherry barbs and melon barbs and its a good very active combo

From my research they seem a good fit the pictus

Thank you for another option with the hoplosternum punctatum. Ill certainly look them up.

Cant say i know alot about them. Are they similar to corydoras?

 

[utahfish]

From my research they seem a good fit the pictus

Thank you for another option with the hoplosternum punctatum. Ill certainly look them up.

Cant say i know alot about them. Are they similar to corydoras?

pictud get big are active swimmers and eat anything they can get their mouth around on the bottom of the tank which also leads to being messy fish. They also do better in groups so large tank is a must. I wouldn't go any smaller than a 75 for pictus,they not only get around 6 inches each but are very active swimmers that require alot of surface area to swim
They are nothing like corydora in my opinion except that they inhabit the bottom of the tank

 

[CassCats]

From my research they seem a good fit the pictus

Thank you for another option with the hoplosternum punctatum. Ill certainly look them up.

Cant say i know alot about them. Are they similar to corydoras?

Hoplosternum punctatum are in the Callichthyidae family like the corydoras are, but bigger. Just as dopey and peaceful. But the hoplosternum punctatum species should be kept 3 or more, 40gal being minimal for a trio. Very active, grow to about 3-4 inches. Mine are all over the place.

Downside is they share the same common name "spotted hoplo" as their larger cousin, megalechis thoracata, and are much less common. But if you can find them, theyre fantastic options. And last downside... they may dig up some more delicate stem plants like carpet plants, but sturdy rooted plants will be fine.

Mine are goofballs.

 

[AquaBarb]

Hoplosternum punctatum are in the Callichthyidae family like the corydoras are, but bigger. Just as dopey and peaceful. But the hoplosternum punctatum species should be kept 3 or more, 40gal being minimal for a trio. Very active, grow to about 3-4 inches. Mine are all over the place.

Downside is they share the same common name "spotted hoplo" as their larger cousin, megalechis thoracata, and are much less common. But if you can find them, theyre fantastic options. And last downside... they may dig up some more delicate stem plants like carpet plants, but sturdy rooted plants will be fine.

Mine are goofballs.
View attachment 122116View attachment 122117

They look really cool and a nice alternative to the other cories.

Might see if my LFS stock them so i can go and take a look.

Do they get stuck in at feeding time? My barbs go for anything food wise so need something what can hold its own in that regard

 

[CassCats]

They look really cool and a nice alternative to the other cories.

Might see if my LFS stock them so i can go and take a look.

Do they get stuck in at feeding time? My barbs go for anything food wise so need something what can hold its own in that regard

Yeah theyre good at getting food, they contend very well with my barbs. Boisterous but not aggressive at feeding time.
In fact, these guys will bulldoze my cories over for a bloodworm lol

 

[AquaBarb]

Yeah theyre good at getting food, they contend very well with my barbs. Boisterous but not aggressive at feeding time.
In fact, these guys will bulldoze my cories over for a bloodworm lol

Hi @NCaquatics

Think im going to go for a group of hoplo cats for my 55g.

Does sex ratio matter with these?

 

[CassCats]

The smaller hoplos, not too much.

Look for:
Hoplosternum punctatum (spotted hoplo)
Dianema longibarbis (porthole catfish)
Megalechis thoracata (spotted hoplo)
Lepthoplosternum pectorale (dwarf hoplo)
Dianema urostriatum (flag tail porthole)

Id go 3-4 of a group. Males may be territorial only if they're nesting (they build bubble nests like bettas and gouramis). I keep 3 hoplosternum punctatum, 1 male to 2 females. Very social.

Id go no bigger than megalechis thoracata (5 inches range)

 

[AquaBarb]

The smaller hoplos, not too much.

Look for:
Hoplosternum punctatum (spotted hoplo)
Dianema longibarbis (porthole catfish)
Megalechis thoracata (spotted hoplo)
Lepthoplosternum pectorale (dwarf hoplo)
Dianema urostriatum (flag tail porthole)

Id go 3-4 of a group. Males may be territorial only if they're nesting (they build bubble nests like bettas and gouramis). I keep 3 hoplosternum punctatum, 1 male to 2 females. Very social.

Id go no bigger than megalechis thoracata (5 inches range)

Very helpful thank you @NCaquatics

Got to check availability at my lfs but i have seen some instock online

They have them down as Hoplosternum sp.

 

[CassCats]

Very helpful thank you @NCaquatics

Got to check availability at my lfs but i have seen some instock online View attachment 122849
They have them down as Hoplosternum sp.

Id be wary without the actual species name. Problem is there are some hoplos that get well over 8 inches and those will dig everything up.

To me the photo looks a bit like megalechis thoracata

PlanetCatfish.com - Megalechis thoracata (Callichthyidae) Cat-eLog

Images are copyright and may not be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder.

www.planetcatfish.com

But id still be wary without the full scientific name.

 

[AquaBarb]

Id be wary without the actual species name. Problem is there are some hoplos that get well over 8 inches and those will dig everything up.

To me the photo looks a bit like megalechis thoracata

PlanetCatfish.com - Megalechis thoracata (Callichthyidae) Cat-eLog

Images are copyright and may not be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder.

www.planetcatfish.com

But id still be wary without the full scientific name.

Sort of too late lol ordered some earlier..

I agree they do look like Megalechis thoracata tho. Just looked them up on the site and they say they grow to 6 inches so thats a good bet that they are them.

Was watching some clips last night of them and really liked their activity which ive missed since moving my cory to another tank

 

[CassCats]

Sort of too late lol ordered some earlier..

I agree they do look like Megalechis thoracata tho. Just looked them up on the site and they say they grow to 6 inches so thats a good bet that they are them.

Was watching some clips last night of them and really liked their activity which ive missed since moving my cory to another tank

Hoplos have a niche popularity, but those who like them adore them. And they mix well with barbs.
Hopefully you like them, theyre just so goofy with the things they do. Theyre like the dojo loaches of the catfish world