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I am setting up a new tank and have fallen for pictus. I am hesitant to get them because I have heard different opinions on how big they get. It is a 55 gallon tank. I have heard they the max size is between 5-6 inches but I have also heard that they max size is 12-20 inches long. Does it just depend on the tank size. I know koi dont care how big the tank is and will just grow and grow, but some fish are also stunted by the tank they are in. Whats the real deal with pictus? Thanks!

No way does Pimelodus pictus grow twelve to twenty inches long. Four or five inches is more like it. They're pretty active fish, but the fifty-five will provide enough space.

"...but some fish are also stunted by the tank they are in."

Sorta yeah, but stunted animals die much earlier than they should. Also, koi can be stunted just like any other fish. Whether an specimen stunts or not just depends on the size of the aquarium, the size of the fish, how large it is programmed to grow, and how much of a chemical buildup there is in the water.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Pimelodus pictus attains a maximum size of about four or five inches. There are other Pimelodus species imported that are sometimes sold as Pictus Cats which do grow large, but these species are generally easy to distinguish from the real Pictus.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Thanks a bunch for you responses. That makes me feel better.

Ah, the infernal 'Pictus Cat' confusion.

There are in fact TWO catfish species known as 'Pictus Cats', and BOTH are Pimelodids. The first, Pimelodus pictus, is the striking black and silver fish that is more usually considered to be the 'Pictus Cat', and is usually cited as a 6 inch fish when fully grown. The other fish known as a 'Pictus Cat' (certainly among several aquarists in the UK) is Leiarus pictus, which used to be known as Sciades pictus, and which is a juggernaut catfish reaching two feet in length, with a heroic appetite and an equally heroic capacity to foul the water via the rear end. The appearance of the two fishes is, however, strikingly different, so if you see a dark, spotted fish with a huge sail-like dorsal fin (in its juvenile stages), then do NOT take that one on unless youre prepared to give it the colossal aquarium it needs!

Here's Sean Evans' big Leiarus pictus catfish - this one is a 22 inch fish!

Here's Pimelodus pictus for comparison


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Yes the pictus catfish which is normally sold in stores is fine in a 29 or 30 gallon tank, but they are very active so the bigger the funner it will be to look at.

right now i have 2 pictus's in with 4 silver dollars in my 30 gallon.....but i think i might move them up to a bigger tank once they start growing more.

I lost all of mine large ones all about 5ins in the last big water problem I had. They are certainly very active at feeding time. Mine prefered to stay in their caves or under the large Anubias all day. Remember that they have big mouths and will easly take any small fish (fry etc) that gets too close.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

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One of my LFSs has one of those huge cats lol, it must be over 2ft in length, it's un a huge tank (bout 6ft*3ft*3ft) and it still looks quite cramped.

That wouldn't be Wharf Aquatics in Nottingham would it?

Only that's where Sean Evans, the owner of that huge Leiarus pictus I linked to, works part time. Or did do when his aquaria were featured in Practical Fishkeeping. He's got quite a collection - including some Clown Knife Fishes that are now 26 inches long, a brace of Bichirs, and a truly EVIL looking Hoplias malabaricus Wolf Fish with jaws like a car crusher!

Here's his Wolf Fish

He also owns this beast - take note of the tank dimensions in which he houses it! (A quick hop across to the FP calculators says that tank is nearly 1,500 UK gallons ... )


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

OMG!!!
That red tail is...beautifull!, now theres a comversation piece

*put that on the dream list *

Sorry cali i got my cats mixed up lol, at the time of the first post i hadn't been up in ages.

They actually have a red tailed cat, and it's viscum aquatics up near doncaster.

I think we have decided to go with some pictus and some angelfish. Think they will be ok together? We also have recently purchased 6 corys and i was wondering if the pictus would give the corys grief. I know they say not to put pictus in a tank with anything that fits in their mouth, but the cory are about an inch right now and the pictus that i was looking at are only 3 inches. Would they grow together so the corys would never fit in the pictus' mouth?

I'm not too sure on that, simply because I don't know how big a pictus cat's mouth can get lol.

Try getting the cories really big first, fead them a lot of live bloodworm, they'll not only love it but IME they tend to grow extremely quickly because of it.

Cories also have quite evil spines that could give the pictus's a nasty suprise if they did try to eat one.

DO bloodworms sink? The ones I have seem to be too scared to explore the top of the tank as of yet.

Yes bloodworms sink, that's if you're other fish will let them get down to the bottom

I have a pictus cat and an angelfish in a 55. The pictus doesn't really mess with anyone. It will defend its cave area and "tickle" other fish from underneath with its long wiskers during feeding time. It definitely keeps its own personal space.

Having said that, most of my fish are on the large side and the pictus is the only bottom dweller. The pictus was one of the latest additions so it's only about 3.5 inches long right now. The smallest fish in my 55 are the serpae tetras. They are very small compared to the rest of my fish but they are fiesty and hold their own.

I am not an expert, but something makes me think that a pictus and cories would not be the best match. It might work if the cories were large and the tank was big enough. It just seems to me that they have very different personalities and needs but share the same area of the tank.

I kind of liken the pictus to a hawk and the cories to armadillos.

- Meow -