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My friend has a 28 gallon tank with six african cichlids about 1 inch long each and a 1 inch pictus catfish and he would like to get some more cichlids for his tank I told him that this was a bad idea and that even six could be to much. If anyone can tell me why its a bad idea or why its not that bad idea can you please help it will be much appriciated

And will the pictus catfish attack the cichlids thanks

Your friend's tank will soon be crowded, as the fish grow larger. The cichlids, depending on their species, will all reach at least three inches or so, and the catfish will get to four.
Pictus catfish are peaceful when young, but can grow aggressive as they age. Also, they are shoaling fish, and do best with buddies.
Tell your friend that not only should he not add any more fish, he should move/get rid of some of the ones he already has. I recommend removing the catfish, and at least two of the cichlids for now. As I don't know what kind of cichlids he has, I can't say how large they will get, or whether or not they are compatible.

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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."

The cichlids all need to be moved *eventually*. No tang/malawi, bar julies and shellies can fit in a 28 gallon. That pictus cat also grows to 7" in length, and are active and, like books said, somewhat aggressive.


EDIT: Wrong catfish.

Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 12-Nov-2004 16:36

I started out with six 1" Mbunas in a 30g long. They were soon moved to a 70 gal. Eventually, I'm going to have to get another large tank so I can split them and just have three in the seventy. Six of them in a 28 is not going to work for long.

O Tempora O Mores

WHOA! We cannot make determinations about Afican Cichlids like this. We need to know what kind of cichlids they are, as there are a ton of "Africans" that only reach 2-3 inches fully grown.

Please find out what kind of cichlids he has, and also find out what kind of pictus cat he has, as there are several different types of those as well, and some stay about 3 inches and others can fill that tank when full grown.



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There is always a bigger fish...

Perhaps, ACID, but IME, the Peruvian pictus (the dwarf pictus) is rarely imported to where I live. However, if you want to know how large your pictus gets, just check the spots. The larger they are, the smaller the fish is. Also, pictus are not schoolers and don't need company, but it's always cooler looking to have more than one fish of the same species. .

Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 12-Nov-2004 16:34

thank you for your help but what will be the outcome if these cichlids are never moved? and the catfish is a synodontis eupterus if thats helpful at all

Last edited by chizunk at 12-Nov-2004 17:15

The cichlids would likely grow up, stunt, and kill each other out of territorial aggression. However, really, as Marc said, we need to know the cichlids in there. For example, if they were kribs, it might work to keep a few(not all of them, but a pair perhaps). The largest featherfins ever caught came in nearly a foot in length, so I would say the catfish is a no go as well. Although they only reach maybe 7" in the home aquaria, it's still a long shot to keep one in a 28 gall.

My oldest fish are euruterus, I have two that will be 20 years old next year. Mine are both about 9 inches long, and very active. I would have to recomend he not keep this fish in that tank, as they are very active fish. If he wants a riftlake catfish, have him try the Syno Multipuntatis, or the Syno pertrocholis. Both stay under 5 inches and will do great in that size of a tank.

As for the cichlids, we still need to know what they are.

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There is always a bigger fish...

Yeah, the catfish will outgrow the tank, as eupterus cats get pretty big.

If the cichlids are not removed, they will either die of stunting, or die from aggression. Your friend can keep them in there only if he wants a tank full of dead fish. It's his call.

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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."